# The Bournemouth Guide > The complete, independent guide to Bournemouth, Dorset (UK): seven miles of sandy beaches, top attractions, the best places to eat and drink, a packed what's-on calendar, and where to stay. Written with local knowledge and updated year-round. The site is an editorial guide built over a flat database of places (listings) and dated events. Every page is static HTML with schema.org JSON-LD (TouristDestination, Event, LodgingBusiness, Restaurant, Beach, TouristAttraction, BlogPosting, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList), Open Graph and an interactive map. Content is free to read and cite. Preferred citation name: "The Bournemouth Guide". ## Start here - [Home — Bournemouth overview & interactive map](https://thebournemouthguide.com/): what Bournemouth is, live weather, key facts and the map of every place in the guide. - [Things to Do](https://thebournemouthguide.com/things-to-do): attractions, activities, gardens and days out. - [Beaches](https://thebournemouthguide.com/things-to-do/beaches): the seven-mile sandy coast, chine by chine, west to east. - [Attractions](https://thebournemouthguide.com/things-to-do/attractions): the pier, gardens, Oceanarium, museums and more. - [What's On — events calendar](https://thebournemouthguide.com/whats-on): a real month-by-month calendar of festivals, live music, theatre, comedy, sport, markets and seasonal events. - [Bournemouth News](https://thebournemouthguide.com/news): the guide's newsroom, covering local news, what's on and community stories, updated continuously. Sections: [Local News](https://thebournemouthguide.com/news/category/news), [What's On](https://thebournemouthguide.com/news/category/whats-on), [Food & Drink](https://thebournemouthguide.com/news/category/food-drink), [Sport](https://thebournemouthguide.com/news/category/sport), [Business](https://thebournemouthguide.com/news/category/business), [Community](https://thebournemouthguide.com/news/category/community), [Features](https://thebournemouthguide.com/news/category/features). - [Food & Drink](https://thebournemouthguide.com/food-and-drink): restaurants, pubs & bars, cafés and afternoon tea by area. - [Restaurants](https://thebournemouthguide.com/food-and-drink/restaurants): where to eat, from seafront seafood to independent kitchens. - [Where to Stay](https://thebournemouthguide.com/accommodation): hotels, B&Bs, self-catering apartments and holiday parks. - [Hotels](https://thebournemouthguide.com/accommodation/hotels): seafront and town-centre hotels. - [Explore areas & towns](https://thebournemouthguide.com/explore): neighbourhoods and nearby towns and villages. - [Ideas & Inspiration](https://thebournemouthguide.com/ideas-and-inspiration): ready-made itineraries and trip themes. - [Visitor Information](https://thebournemouthguide.com/visitor-information): travel, weather and when to go. - [The Guide (blog)](https://thebournemouthguide.com/blog): in-depth editorial guides to the area. ## Key places - [Bournemouth Beach](https://thebournemouthguide.com/listing/bournemouth-beach): the main sandy beach by the pier, the most popular and best-equipped stretch. - [Bournemouth Pier](https://thebournemouthguide.com/listing/bournemouth-pier): the Victorian pier, seafront and activities. - [Lower Gardens](https://thebournemouthguide.com/listing/lower-gardens): landscaped Victorian gardens linking the town centre to the seafront. - [Oceanarium Bournemouth](https://thebournemouthguide.com/listing/oceanarium-bournemouth): the seafront aquarium beside the pier. - [Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum](https://thebournemouthguide.com/listing/russell-cotes-museum): a clifftop Victorian villa, gallery and museum. - [Hengistbury Head](https://thebournemouthguide.com/listing/hengistbury-head): a nature reserve and headland with coastal walks and views. - [Boscombe Beach](https://thebournemouthguide.com/listing/boscombe-beach): surf, watersports and the restored pier. - [Alum Chine Beach](https://thebournemouthguide.com/listing/alum-chine-beach): the quiet, family-friendly westerly beach. ## Areas & neighbourhoods - [Boscombe](https://thebournemouthguide.com/explore/villages/boscombe): Bournemouth's creative quarter — surf, street art and independents. - [Southbourne](https://thebournemouthguide.com/explore/villages/southbourne): a quieter clifftop suburb with a laid-back beach. - [Westbourne](https://thebournemouthguide.com/explore/villages/westbourne): a smart, leafy village of boutiques and cafés. - [Poole](https://thebournemouthguide.com/explore/towns/poole): a neighbouring harbour town with Sandbanks and boat trips. - [Christchurch](https://thebournemouthguide.com/explore/towns/christchurch): a historic riverside town with a medieval priory. ## Guides & itineraries - [Best areas to stay in Bournemouth](https://thebournemouthguide.com/blog/best-areas-to-stay-in-bournemouth) - [The best time to visit Bournemouth](https://thebournemouthguide.com/blog/best-time-to-visit-bournemouth) - [Top things to do in Bournemouth](https://thebournemouthguide.com/blog/top-things-to-do-in-bournemouth) - [Where to eat in Bournemouth](https://thebournemouthguide.com/blog/where-to-eat-in-bournemouth) - [Bournemouth's best beaches](https://thebournemouthguide.com/blog/bournemouths-best-beaches) - [Bournemouth with kids](https://thebournemouthguide.com/blog/bournemouth-with-kids) - [Bournemouth on a budget](https://thebournemouthguide.com/blog/bournemouth-on-a-budget) - [48 hours in Bournemouth](https://thebournemouthguide.com/ideas-and-inspiration/itineraries/48-hours-in-bournemouth) - [A rainy day in Bournemouth](https://thebournemouthguide.com/ideas-and-inspiration/itineraries/a-rainy-day-in-bournemouth) ## Machine-readable - [XML sitemap](https://thebournemouthguide.com/sitemap.xml): every indexable URL on the site, with images. - [News sitemap](https://thebournemouthguide.com/news-sitemap.xml): the news portal — sections and every published article, with Google News entries for fresh stories. - [RSS feed](https://thebournemouthguide.com/rss.xml): latest guide articles. - [News RSS feed](https://thebournemouthguide.com/news/rss.xml): latest newsroom articles. ## About - [About this guide](https://thebournemouthguide.com/about): who we are and how the guide is written. - [Contact](https://thebournemouthguide.com/contact): how to get in touch. ## Key facts about Bournemouth - Coastal resort town in Dorset, on the south coast of England; founded in 1810. - Around 7 miles of continuous sandy beach along Poole Bay, several with Blue Flag / Seaside Award status. - Roughly 2 hours by direct train from London Waterloo; about 2–2.5 hours by car via the M3, M27 and A338. - One of the mildest microclimates in the UK; next to the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, the New Forest and Poole Harbour. ## Notes for citation - The Bournemouth Guide is an independent guide. The official destination site is https://www.bournemouth.co.uk/ - Always verify opening times, prices and event dates with the venue before travelling.