Dorset Days Out

Things to do in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Any date · Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Photo: Mike Bird

This area takes in Bournemouth, Poole and its harbour, Sandbanks and Highcliffe. Listings include Brownsea Island, Highcliffe Castle, Compton Acres and Poole Museum, with boat trips and wildlife cruises across Poole Harbour. Events include exhibitions, concerts and guided walks on Brownsea Island.

54 results · page 2 of 3

Open all year

Open all year
Mudeford Spit Beach (Mudeford Sandbank)
Mudeford · Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · Beaches
- Dog-friendly
- Accessible
- Car-free friendly
- +2 more
Quiet sandy beaches on Mudeford Spit, good for bathing and popular with dog walkers, who can let dogs off the lead all year. You reach it on foot, by bike or on the land train from Hengistbury Head car park, about a mile away; the land train has a wheelchair carriage. There are cafés, restaurants and toilets, but no lifeguards, and barbecues aren't allowed.
Open all year
Southbourne Beach
Southbourne · Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · Beaches
- Accessible
- Car-free friendly
- +1 more
A Blue Flag beach of wide, clean sand and shingle, a favourite with locals and away from the bustle of Bournemouth Pier and the town centre. You can walk down from Southbourne high street through Fisherman's Walk. RNLI lifeguards, a pub, a kiosk and accessible toilets are here. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach from 1 May to 30 September.
Open all year
Canford Cliffs Beach
Canford Cliffs · Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · Beaches
- Car-free friendly
A natural, tranquil Blue Flag beach between Shore Road and Branksome Chine, with sandy cliffs and wooden huts, a short walk from the restaurants and shops of Canford Cliffs village. RNLI lifeguards patrol and there are toilets. Getting down from the car park can be difficult; for easier access the council suggests Sandbanks, Shore Road or Branksome Chine. Dogs aren't allowed from 1 May to 30 September.
Open all year
Boscombe Beach
Boscombe · Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · Beaches
- Accessible
- Car-free friendly
- +1 more
Sandy beaches beside the historic Boscombe Pier, with views across Poole Bay and plenty to do: surf equipment hire, climbing boulders, slacklining and free electric barbecue hotplates. RNLI lifeguards patrol, and there's a pub, restaurants and kiosks. Boscombe Undercliff car park next to the beach has good level access, and a beach wheelchair and Mobi-Mat matting are available from May to September.
Open all year
Hengistbury Head Beach
Christchurch · Beaches
- Dog-friendly
- Accessible
- Car-free friendly
- +2 more
A relatively unspoilt pebble beach below imposing clay and ironstone cliffs, within the Hengistbury Head nature reserve. There's plenty of parking, with toilets and cafés at both ends. Well-behaved dogs are welcome on the beach, but keep them on a lead off the beach so they don't disturb rare wildlife. Barbecues aren't allowed anywhere on Hengistbury Head.
Open all year
Highcliffe Castle
Highcliffe · Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · Heritage
- Family-friendly
- Car-free friendly
- +1 more
A Grade I listed 19th-century castle set in grounds with direct access to a sandy beach and the nearby Steamer Point nature reserve. Room hosts share the history of the building and past residents, including department store founder Harry Gordon Selfridge, who once lived there. The grounds suit a relaxing stroll or a family picnic, and there are tearooms on site.
Open all year
Poole Museum
Poole · Heritage
- Free
- Family-friendly
- Rainy day
- +2 more
A maritime museum in Poole's Old Town telling the story of the town and its people shaped by the sea. Visitors can see three immersive galleries, an Iron Age logboat nearly ten metres long, interactive displays and family-friendly trails, with free entry. The site also includes Scaplen's Court, a preserved medieval merchant's house with a walled herb garden.
Open all year
Poole Quay
Poole · Outdoor activities
- Family-friendly
Poole's historic quayside, where tall ships, fishing boats and Sunseeker powerboats come and go, and boats leave for harbour cruises, Swanage and Old Harry, and for Brownsea Island every 30 minutes in season. Explore the Old Town on the Cockle Trail, head up to the viewing platform of the Sea Music sculpture, try crabbing or sit with the life-size statue of Lord Baden-Powell. Shops, cafés, restaurants and pubs line the quay.
Open all year
Greenslade Pleasure Boats
Poole · Outdoor activities
Pleasure boat trips departing from the quayside in Poole, giving views of Poole Harbour and the Dorset coastline. Cruises last around an hour, with booking preferred in advance though visitors can also turn up at the kiosk on the day.
Open all year
Upton Country Park
Poole · Gardens
- Free
- Family-friendly
- +1 more
Upton House, a Grade II* listed Georgian mansion, stands in 160 acres of parkland, woodland and formal gardens with 2.6km of shoreline and plenty of wildlife. Wander the botanical Walled Garden, let children play at Spurrier's Play Park, or see local artists' work in the Gallery Upstairs above the Tea Rooms. Admission is free every day, all year, and the park is open until dusk; car parking charges apply.
Open all year
Sandbanks Beach
Sandbanks · Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · Beaches
- Accessible
- Car-free friendly
- +1 more
Soft golden sand at Sandbanks, which has won the Blue Flag more times than any other UK resort. There's a café, mini golf, a children's play area and RNLI lifeguards. The beach can be reached by ramp, with a beach wheelchair and Mobi-Mat matting from May to September. Dogs aren't allowed on the main beach from 1 May to 30 September, but can use the stretch from the western end of the promenade to Haven Point all year.
Open all year
Bournemouth Beach
Bournemouth · Beaches
- Accessible
- Car-free friendly
- +1 more
Sandy beaches by Bournemouth Pier, on the edge of the town's historic gardens, with cliff top walks and views to the Isle of Wight. Restaurants, cafés, mini golf and amusements are close by, and RNLI lifeguards patrol. From 1 July to 1 September the free KidZone scheme helps reunite lost children with their families. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach from 1 May to 30 September.
Open all year
Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum
Bournemouth · Arts and culture
- Rainy day
The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum fills a historic clifftop house on Bournemouth's East Cliff. Its richly decorated galleries hold fine art, sculpture and treasures from around the world, gathered by the Victorian collectors Sir Merton and Lady Russell-Cotes, alongside a changing programme of exhibitions. The café looks out to sea. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday and on bank holiday Mondays.
Open all year
Poole Park
Poole · Outdoor activities
- Family-friendly
- Dog-friendly
- +1 more
A large urban park beside a boating lake, with play areas, a café, tennis, bowls, minigolf, a fitness trail and water sports. The Poole Park railway runs through the park seven days a week. There are three free car parks with maximum stays, plus free parking on the park's roads, but cars can't drive in from 7.30am to 10am, Monday to Saturday. Dogs are welcome except in the fenced play areas.
Open all year
Lighthouse Poole
Poole · Arts and culture
- Family-friendly
- Rainy day
- +1 more
A large arts centre in the heart of Poole offering theatre, live music, comedy, dance, cinema and exhibitions. It has multiple performance and exhibition spaces including a concert hall, theatre, studio and cinema, with children's theatre and family shows also on offer.
Open all year
Highcliffe Beach
Highcliffe · Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · Beaches
- Accessible
- Car-free friendly
- +1 more
A Blue Flag stretch of sand and shingle at the eastern edge of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, on the Hampshire border, popular with swimmers and body boarders. Grassy dunes and low cliffs sit behind it, with paths through to Steamer Point Nature Reserve. The cliff top car park has a café, toilets and disabled parking. Dogs aren't allowed between groynes H4 and H8 from 1 May to 30 September.
Open all year
Stour Valley Way
Stour Valley · North Dorset · Walks
A 64 mile long distance walking route that follows the River Stour from its source at Stourhead down to Christchurch Harbour, where it meets the sea. In Dorset it passes through Sturminster Newton, Wimborne Minster, Ferndown, Bournemouth and Christchurch, and is signposted with a kingfisher logo.
Open all year
Branksome Chine Beach
Poole · Beaches
- Accessible
- Car-free friendly
- +1 more
A Blue Flag sandy beach with wide views along the coast, a car park right beside it, a beach shop and a popular restaurant. RNLI lifeguards are on duty from late May to early September, 10am to 6pm. The beach can be reached by ramp, and a beach wheelchair is available from the beach office from May to September. Dogs aren't allowed on the main beach from 1 May to 30 September.
Open all year
Bournemouth Aviation Museum
Christchurch · Heritage
- Family-friendly
A hands-on aviation museum with many interactive exhibits, where you can sit in most of the aircraft cockpits and see the English Electric Lightning and the Westland Wessex helicopter up close. It suits families, children and young people, and the shop of aviation gifts and memorabilia can be visited without entering the museum. It's open daily all year except Christmas Day and Boxing Day, with last admission 40 minutes before closing.
Open all year
Steamer Point Nature Reserve
Christchurch · Nature and wildlife
- Accessible
- Family-friendly
- +1 more
A clifftop Local Nature Reserve of broadleaf woodland, grassland, ponds and sea cliffs between Highcliffe Castle and Friar's Cliff, and a stopping-off point for migrating birds and insects. Look out for nuthatches, woodpeckers, white admiral butterflies and fungi, or rest on the clifftop benches with views to the Isle of Wight and Hengistbury Head. Most paths are flat, and an unmanned information centre has an interactive display for children.
Open all year
Bournemouth Oceanarium
Bournemouth · Nature and wildlife
- Family-friendly
- Rainy day
- +1 more
A tropical aquarium on Bournemouth's seafront, home to thousands of creatures. Walk through the underwater tunnel with sharks and Carrie the loggerhead turtle, then see a crocodile, otters, jellyfish, clownfish and a colony of Humboldt penguins on the outdoor Penguin Beach. There are daily talks and feeding experiences, an outdoor terrace and a play area, and the indoor displays make it a good choice whatever the weather.
Open all year
Sandbanks Ferry
Sandbanks · Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · Outdoor activities
A chain ferry crossing between Sandbanks and the Isle of Purbeck in around four minutes, offering coastal views along the way. It provides a quick link to nearby National Trust sites such as Studland Bay and Corfe Castle, running seven days a week with no need to pre-book. Foot passengers, cyclists, motorcyclists and cars can all travel, with foot passengers going free from Studland to Sandbanks.
Open all year
Avon Beach
Mudeford · Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole · Beaches
- Accessible
- Car-free friendly
- +1 more
A Blue Flag sandy beach in Mudeford, just east of Mudeford Quay, where Christchurch Bay begins and stretches towards Highcliffe. There's a café, a shop, the Noisy Lobster seafood restaurant and beach huts, plus showers, toilets and watersports hire and lessons in front of the car park. There is level access from Avon Beach car park to the promenade and beach. Dogs aren't allowed on the beach from 1 May to 30 September.
Open all year
Coastal Cruises Poole Ltd
Poole · Outdoor activities
- Dog-friendly
Coastal Cruises Poole Ltd runs boat trips along the Jurassic Coast, to Swanage and around Poole Harbour. A uniformed crew provides commentary on the coastline and landmarks, and refreshments including a bar are available on board. Evening cruises and private charters can also be arranged, and dogs are welcome on all trips for a small charge.