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Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum
Attractions in Bournemouth

Bournemouth to see, Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum first

Around Bournemouth, the places to visit include 7 museums, 7 attractions and 3 castles. There are 6 places to visit inside Bournemouth’s built-up area, and 19 more within 5 km of its edge. Of these, 2 are looked after: 1 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust. Allow a day for Corfe Castle, 18 km off.

Photo: Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, User:LordHarris (CC BY 2.5)
In Bournemouth
6
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
19
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
7
in or near town
Castles & historic places
4
in or near town
Cared for
2
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Start with these in Bournemouth

A garden, an aquarium and a museum follow Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum.

MuseumRussell Cotes Art Gallery & Museumin townGardenGardenBournemouth Gardensin townAquariumOceanariumin townMuseumMuseumBournemouth Natural Science Museumin townZooZooBournemouth Aviaryin townAttractionAttractionFisherman's Walk Cliff Liftin town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Around Bournemouth, mapped

The list reaches out to Highcliffe Castle, 10 km away.

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The dashed line is Bournemouth’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

The list by type

7 museums or galleries and 7 other attractions top the count.

Museums & galleries 7 museums2 in town · 5 nearby
Castles & historic places 3 castles · 1 ruins0 in town · 4 nearby
Gardens & estates 2 gardens1 in town · 1 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 2 water parks · 1 aquarium · 1 zoo · 1 theme park2 in town · 3 nearby
Other attractions 7 attractions1 in town · 6 nearby

Green: inside Bournemouth. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

2 places are cared for: 1 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust (Christchurch Castle and The Engine House).

Every place

Everything on the list

The 6 inside Bournemouth come first, then 19 more within 5 km of its edge.

The 6 inside Bournemouth come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

213 listed buildings and 1 scheduled monument are on Bournemouth’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Bournemouth →

Big names nearby

Around the region

Start with Corfe Castle, 18 km off, the best known of 12.

Castle · National TrustCorfe Castle18 km southwest · 190K visitors a year (2010)CathedralSalisbury Cathedral37 km northHistoric house · National TrustKingston Lacy Estate14 km northwestMuseumThe Tank Museum27 km westCastle · English HeritageHurst Castle22 km eastCastle · English HeritageCarisbrooke Castle39 km eastCastle · English HeritageYarmouth Castle26 km eastBig drawTheme parkPaultons Park32 km northeast · 1.1M visitors a year (2019)Castle · English HeritageLulworth Castle27 km southwestFort · National TrustBadbury Rings17 km northwestCastle · English HeritageOld Wardour Castle37 km northwestHistoric houseWilton House38 km north

Places well known beyond Bournemouth (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Common questions about Bournemouth

What are the main attractions in Bournemouth?

The best known inside Bournemouth’s built-up area are Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Bournemouth Gardens, Oceanarium and Bournemouth Natural Science Museum. In all, 6 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 19 more within 5 km.

Does Bournemouth have a museum?

7 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Bournemouth: Russell Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, Bournemouth Natural Science Museum, Bournemouth Aviation Museum and Red House Museum.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Bournemouth?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Bournemouth, 2 places are cared for: 1 by English Heritage and 1 by the National Trust (Christchurch Castle and The Engine House).

What are the best-known days out near Bournemouth?

Within 40 km: Corfe Castle (18 km), Salisbury Cathedral (37 km), Kingston Lacy Estate (14 km), The Tank Museum (27 km).

Where are Bournemouth’s historic buildings listed?

Bournemouth has 213 listed buildings, 3 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Bournemouth when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (22)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.