Being one of Britain’s premier holiday destinations, there are a number of different ways for visitors to get to Bournemouth. Hotels in Bournemouth are generally located near the beaches and the town centre, where access to the coach and rail networks is incredibly easy (the train and bus stations are less than a mile to the east of the town centre).
However some Bournemouth hotels are located further out in order to take advantage of the stunning Jurassic coastline and beautiful scenery of Dorset. Hotels such as these are better suited to those people who are touring around by car.
Certainly if you’re not travelling by car then it is worth checking when searching for hotels in Bournemouth, that your hotel is right in the town centre, as the curious geography of Bournemouth means it can stretch out quite a distance. Indeed such is the sprawling nature of Bournemouth, that it now adjoins Poole to the west and Christchurch to the east, to make what is known as the ‘South East Dorset Conurbation’.
By Car
Travelling by car is still the most convenient and flexible way to see Bournemouth and Dorset. Whether you’ve chosen a hotel on the outskirts of town, or you’ve opted for a hotel in Bournemouth town centre, the roads into and out of town are extremely simple.
There are dual carriageways that run from London all the way into the town centre and the roads along the south coast are just as simple. All you’ll need are the M3 and the M27! Almost every hotel in Bournemouth is therefore only ever a few turns away from the main road that can take you north, east or west. As such, arguments over directions will not be an issue.
By Coach
Coach travel is probably the most economical and easiest way to get to Bournemouth. National Express departs from London hourly and takes only two and a half hours, and there are also daily services from Brighton, Bristol, Birmingham and Oxford, as well as buses from further north, (as far up as Glasgow and Edinburgh).
There are also hourly buses to and from Salisbury, Poole and Southampton.
By Train
For people planning on booking hotels in Bournemouth town centre, the train is probably the best option. Most hotels are only a few minutes walk from the main railway station, and there is another station to the east (Pokesdown Station) for hotels slightly further out.
Trains leave from London Waterloo every half an hour and services to and from Poole, Dorchester and Weymouth operate every fifteen to twenty minutes.
By Plane
Bournemouth has its own airport that has daily connections to a small number of destinations across Europe i(ncluding Dublin, Edinburgh, Alicante and Malaga). Most of the hotels in Bournemouth town centre are only a few miles from the airport and there is a bus that operates from 07:00am to 07:00pm every day.
A one-way ticket should cost £4. There is also a taxi rank at the airport, and a journey to any of the hotels in Bournemouth town centre should cost around £15.
For more information, read our Bournemouth Tourist Information