England's southwest is a pocket filled with lovely towns and cities. One such city is the coastal settlement of Bournemouth. The city is located in the county of Dorset, in the southern region of England. It is regarded as one of the largest coastal towns in the United Kingdom, and by far the largest in Dorset County.
Bournemouth hotels are in abundance, and with the city boasting an ever-increasing population of tourists each year, the accommodation in the city is getting busier and busier.
The town is a regular haunt for Londoners, as it is only a few hours by car, train or bus. Trains leave from London Waterloo station on a regular basis, and driving to the city is effortless, as the M27 is the only highway that needs following.
Shopping in Bournemouth has quickly become one of the main attractions in the city. Below is a quick guides to the city's popular shopping districts.
- Castlepoint Shopping Centre – one of the most visited shopping areas in the city of Bournemouth is the Castlepoint Shopping Centre, which sits just to the north of the city. The complex provides shopper's with a typical department store atmosphere, with some affordable and some not-so-affordable stores located in the centre. There are also some restaurants and numerous other services available in Castlepoint Shopping Centre. Castlemore Complex is also located at Castlepoint too, and is a newer complex offering shopping possibilities.
- Department Stores – in addition to the Castlepoint Complex, guests of Bournemouth can find a number of department stores located around the city. Debenhams and Dingles are just some of the shopping stores available in Bournemouth, but these are generally not as attractive as the new complexes further north of the city.
- Boscombe – situated along the popular Christchurch Road, the area known as Boscombe provides shopping with a not-so-department store type atmosphere. Here, visitors can dive into souvenirs, art work, handicraft, and antiques. Not only this, but bargains are available if people press for them. There is an open market place operating two days each week – Thursdays and Saturdays.
- The Village – for an up market experience (or as up-market as Bournemouth can get), travellers need to head to the Westbourne district of the city. Here, shoppers can find a host of designer clothes, fashion accessories, and many other products. However, sometimes the prices can be expensive compared to the rest of Bournemouth. This area is generally known as The Village, and also provides a number of fascinating restaurants too.
- Pedestrian malls – probably the most visited part of the city, and not just because it is found close to the seaside, is the centre pedestrian malls of Bournemouth. Visitors will definitely find themselves spending time in the pedestrian malls of the city, whether they mean to or not. So, why not take some time out to enjoy the shopping delights of this area also. Restaurants and cafes line the malls too, so grabbing a quick bite to eat in between shopping stores is possible.
Getting around the city of Bournemouth is easy for those visitors with no mobility issues. However, what about the shoppers with a disability? The city has overcome this problem by introducing the Shopmobility idea into many of the main shopping districts. This service provides needy customers with wheelchair (both automatic and manual) services for an hour, several hours or an entire day.
Opening times range throughout the city of Bournemouth, but shops generally open at around 9:00 in the morning, then close in the evening, at about 17:30. Trading days are everyday of the week, and times given above may be shorter on Sundays.
Lek Boonlert is an editor and content reviewer at DirectRooms and is responsible for all Bournemouth Hotels content.
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