Tour of Bournemouth, England

Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the County of Dorset in England. Bournemouth's location on the south coast of England has made it a popular destination for tourists.

The Bournemouth Pier that can be seen today, is the third pier built on this location. In the autumn of 1878, work began on a design for this iron pier. Two years later, after costing £21,600 to construct, the pier was formally opened on the 11th August 1880 by the Lord Mayor of London.

The new pier was 835 feet in length, although extensions in 1894 and 1905 took it up to 1000 feet. The ornate entrance building boasted a clock tower, while on the pier itself there was a concert area, tea house and gift shop.

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Bournemouth Oceanarium, explore the secrets of the ocean in an adventure that will take you to some of the world's most amazing waters. The Oceanarium is a fully interactive experience with touch screen games, feeding demonstrations and talks, plasma screen documentaries, walk-through underwater tunnel and exhibits.

The Oceanarium is situated on Bournemouth seafront adjacent to Bournemouth Pier.

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The Upper, Central and Lower Gardens are situated close to the town centre and Bournemouth Pier. The Lower garden hosts a number of events including the popular candle illuminations which attract thousands of spectators on summer evenings.

The Upper and Central gardens are quieter and are ideal for taking some time out to relax or to enjoy a summer picnic.

Bournemouth has 2,000 acres of parks and gardens and has won three Britain in Bloom Awards in the past six years.

The Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum is one of the most fascinating and unique museums in the world, comprising art galleries and museum, a licensed café, a shop and a children’s area. An ideal place for learning, exploring and socializing. Admission is free.

Situated about a 2 minute walk east of Bournemouth Pier.

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Ssituated on Dorset's finest, blue flag rated, golden sandy beach, Bournemouth pier offers the perfect place to cruise the bay and harbour.

From here you can enjoy a scenic cruise East towards the Isle of Wight or head West along Dorset's historic Jurassic Coast to Swanage. Also, discover our unique adrenelin rush, Shockwave, speedboat boat rides exclusive to Bournemouth Pier.

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A popular Day Tour from Bournemouth is to Stonehenge, 37 miles north of Bournemouth, a prehistoric monument located in the English county of Wiltshire, about 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) west of Amesbury and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) north of Salisbury.

This is one of the most famous prehistoric sites in the world, composed of earthworks surrounding a circular setting of large standing stones and sits at the centre of the densest complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England, including several hundred burial mounds.

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Another popular Day Tour is to Salisbury Cathedral, 27 miles north of Bournemouth, with the highest spire of any church in Britain.

Enjoy spectacular views as you explore the roof spaces and tower, climbing 332 steps in easy stages by narrow winding spiral staircases to reach the foot of the spire 225 feet above ground level. From here you can see up into the spire through the medieval scaffold, and from the outside you can look over the city and surrounding countryside.

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Another popular Day Tour is to The Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of 153 kilometres (95 mi).

Durdle Door (sometimes spelled Durdle Dor) as seen left, is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset. This is the main attraction on the tour.

Lulworth Castle, 20 miles southwest of Bournemouth, is also in this area.

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Lulworth Castle, 20 miles southwest of Bournemouth, is also a popular day tour from Bournemouth. It is situated in East Lulworth village, 3 miles north-east of Lulworth Cove off B3070, south from the A352.

This is a hunting lodge, built as a mock castle 1607 - 10 by Thomas Howard. In the Civil War, Lulworth Castle was badly damaged. In 1643 the estate was purchased by the Weld family. The interior was remodeled in the 18th and 19th centuries removing all traces of the original.

Damaged by fire in 1929 it remained a shell until the end of the 20th century. Still owned by the Weld family, but the Castle is cared for by English Heritage who have restored much of the building. Set in parkland with views and a church.

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Another popular Day Tour is to Kingston Lacy, 13 miles northwest of Bournemouth centre, the home from 1633 of the Bankes family, now in the care of the National Trust.

The Restoration mansion was designed by Sir Roger Pratt. In the 19th century, the house was altered by Sir Charles Barry for William John Bankes who transformed the house into a Italianate palazzo to house the paintings and works of art he collected.

The house has paintings by Titian and Van Dyck and a collection of Egyptian artefacts. 250 acres of park and gardens.

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Athelhampton (also known as Admiston or Adminston), 22 miles west of Bournemouth centre, is one of the finest 15th-century manor houses in England, set in superb gardens.

It is a privately owned country house on 160 acres (647,000 m²) of parkland, located five miles (8 km) east of Dorchester, Dorset. The house is now open for public visits.

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Another popular Day Tour is to the City of Bath, 64 miles north of Bournemouth, a city founded among surrounding hills, in the valley of the River Avon around naturally occurring hot springs where the Romans built baths and a temple, giving it the name Aquae Sulis.

Edgar was crowned king of England at Bath Abbey in 973. Much later, it became popular as a spa resort during the Georgian era, which led to a major expansion that left a heritage of exemplary Georgian architecture crafted from Bath Stone.

The city became a World Heritage Site in 1987, and has a variety of theatres, museums, and other cultural and sporting venues, which have helped to make it a major centre for tourism, with over one million staying visitors and 3.8 million day visitors to the city each year.

Another popular Day Tour is to Oxford, 93 miles north of Bournemouth, a city, and the county town of Oxfordshire, in South East England. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through Oxford and meet south of the city centre.

Oxford is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world.

Buildings in Oxford reflect every English architectural period since the arrival of the Saxons, including the iconic, mid-18th century Radcliffe Camera, the hub of the city.

For more information on Bournemouth, visit: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bournemouth.