Boat Hire
Cruise along the coast and learn about the history of Bournemouth with a trip on one of the Dorset Belle boats.

Bournemouth Eye - Daily tethered Balloon Flights
Get a breathtaking birds eye view of Bournemouth and take a flight in The Bournemouth Eye - a tethered balloon which reaches up 500 feet over the Lower Gardens.

Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
One of Britain's finest orchestras, the BSO regularly plays concerts in Bournemouth venues. Check out their site to see what's on.

Cinemas
Odeon Cinema - 0870 5050007 - Map What's On?
Westover Road, opposite the Pavilion Theatre

Eating Out
Firstly, we encourage you to try our own restaurant for our traditional home-cooked food and friendly service, but should you wish to experiment, Bournemouth has a lot to savour.

For an up to date list of restaurants and cafes, contact Bournemouth Council for a brochure or visit the Bournemouth Tourism website.

Gardens
Thousands of acres of well-tended beautiful parks and gardens helped Bournemouth to win Britain in Bloom and Southern England in Bloom in 2002. And green flag awards were given to Alum Chine/Argyll Gardens, Upper, Lower and Central Gardens, Winton Recreation Ground, Seafield Gardens and Knyveton Gardens. The Lower Gardens leading to the seafront in Bournemouth has stunning bulbs and shrubs as well as a bandstand and seating for tourists.

Alum Chine runs up to Westbourne, the very westerly point of Bournemouth. Its unspoiled charm and unusual iron bridge make it an interesting walk. At the top of the chine a walk along Alum Chine Road will bring you out near Skerryvore where Robert Louis Stevenson lived for three years. The house was destroyed during the Second World War, but the site is maintained as a memorial. Here he wrote Kidnapped, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

The New Forest, 11 miles to the east of Bournemouth, is a mystical landscape of ancient woodlands and wilderness heath, covering an area of 150sq miles. Well worth an excursion.

Museums & Galleries
The Oceanarium - Map
From piranhas to pufferfish, crabs to turtles the Oceanarium is home to some of the planet's most amazing animals. Hands-on interactive exhibits, regular talks and feeding demonstrations offer an even deeper insight into the magical world beneath the waves.

Russell-Coates Art Gallery & Museum - Map
A tranquil haven on the cliff top, boasting stunning views it is home to a fascinating collection of art - modern and classic, curiosities and treasures collected over many decades by Annie and Merton Russell-Cotes. Free Entry.

Shopping
I'll warn you only once - Leave your credit cards at home! Shopping here is fantastic and Bournemouth offers everything from exclusive boutiques in Westover Road to a wide range of high-street stores in the town centre. There are department stores and clothes and shoe shops catering for every taste, age and wallet. And when the shopping gets too much the town has plenty of cafés and bars where you can grab a bite to eat or just sit and watch the world go by. Neighbouring Boscombe has the most antique shops in one street outside London and is an ideal place to browse for a bargain.

Theatres
The Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) What's on?
Exeter Road - 01202 456456 - Map
Pavilion Theatre What's on?
Westover Road - 01202 456456 - Map

Tourist Information Online
Bournemouth Poole Christchurch Dorset

Walks
Bournemouth is a walkers dream. Breathtaking seascapes, fantastic gardens, interesting wildlife and of course geology of world importance. Visit Dorset's World Heritage Site - the Jurassic coastline and explore the beautiful landscape whilst stumbling across fossils. It is said that if you walked from Lyme Regis to Purbeck, you would walk through geological time. As there are few "gaps" it means geologists get to study an almost complete sequence of geology, from the Triassic period, through the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.