Jane's Midlife Journey

Bournemouth’s beautiful Grade II listed, Green Flag awarded Gardens run north from the beach near Pier Approach, along the River Bourne for around two miles. They consist of three separate, linear gardens; the Lower, Central and Upper Gardens. The further up you go, the quieter and more informal the gardens become.

A stroll around any or all of the gardens will provide you with not only pretty flora and fauna to admire, but plenty of other things to see and do; from the bustle of summer holidaymakers to the wonder of the festive Christmas lights, there’s always something going on in the Gardens.

How to get to Bournemouth Gardens

As mentioned above, the linear gardens stretch for a couple of miles, so can be reached from many places.

• The Lower Gardens start near the pier and run to Bournemouth Square.
• Across the road, the Central Gardens run further north to the Wessex Way Flyover.
• Finally, the Upper Gardens, which end at Coy Pond in Poole.

By Bus

Most buses to Bournemouth stop at Bournemouth Square, in between the Lower and Central gardens.

Parking

The closer you are to central Bournemouth and the beach, the more expensive it is to park. There is free parking in the roads which run alongside the gardens if you go further up. So, if you are driving and want to walk the length of the gardens, it makes sense to start at the top and walk down towards the sea.

The Lower Gardens

The Lower Gardens are fairly small, running from the pier to the town centre. There are some beautifully planted formal gardens and a rockery along the eastern edge adjacent to the Pavilion Theatre, which backs onto the gardens.

In addition, there is also a host of other activities to fit into a walk round the Lower Gardens; cafés and street food vendors, mini golf, an outdoor craft market, aviary and bandstand. Public toilets are also available.

Street Food Corner

Just past Pier Approach, at the bottom of the garden is Street Food Corner. Here, you will find a couple of street food pitches. Vendors change regularly, so the choice of cuisine varies from day to day. From burgers to burritos to bratwurst – what will it be today? You can check out the schedule here. During the summer, there are additional street food concessions on the terrace by the Pavilion.

Lower Gardens Kiosk

The Lower Gardens Kiosk sells drinks and snacks and has some outside seating.

Ice Cream Parlour

The Ice Cream Parlour sells ice cream (obviously) and excellent freshly fried doughnuts and churros, although you may be bombarded by seagulls while you try to eat them.

picnic park deli

Picnic Park Deli sells brunch and lunch (mainly sandwiches). They also hold events here, such a yoga and live music. And go all out at Christmas with their festive decor and menu.

Mini Golf

This 18-hole Mini Golf course costs £6.90 for adults and £4.40 for children. It is open Friday to Tuesday between Easter and the end of September.

Art & Makers Market

The Art & Makers Market is an open air arts and crafts market. It takes place on the first and third weekend on the month throughout the summer season. And on other special occasions like during Easter and Arts by the Sea. Sometimes it has a theme. This year’s themed markets have included Pride, the Renaissance and Halloween.

Aviary

The Aviary has recently been refurbished and houses rescue birds. It is always open (not completely open, obviously, or the birds would fly away) and free. You don’t actually enter the aviary, but can wander around the perimeter and see the birds inside.

Events

The Gardens are also home to a range of events throughout the year including the popular Arts by the Sea and Christmas Tree Wonderland celebrations.

The Central Gardens

Pass through Bournemouth Square and you reach the Central Gardens. These are also predominantly formally planted with seasonal treats, such as heather beds and a rhododendron walk. In the Central Gardens, you can also find the War Memorial, a pergola, tennis courts, a children’s playground and street art.

War Memorial

This Grade II listed War Memorial was built in 1921 to remember the victims of WW1. It is guarded by two stone lions; one awake and the other asleep.

Pergola

The Pergola across a bridge was built in 1990 to commemorate the centenary of the Borough of Bournemouth.

Tennis Courts

The Bournemouth Gardens Community Tennis Club has indoor and outdoor tennis courts which can be hired for £10 an hour, plus a £3 guest fee. They also offer annual membership and coaching.

Jurassic Play Jungle

The Jurassic Play Jungle is a children’s playground has a range of climbing frames, swings, slides etc. Plus a zipwire and sandpit.

Upside Gallery

Pass under the A338, towards the Upper Gardens and you will find yourself in the Upside Gallery. This formerly rather seedy area, where the A338 (Wessex Way) passes over the gardens, has been transformed by painting the support pillars with a variety of street art, thus creating the Upside Gallery.

Events

On summer Sundays, free Park Yoga sessions take place on the grass next to the War Memorial at 9.30 am.

The Upper Gardens

The Upper Gardens are less formal gardens, with the river running through tree lined banks festooned with wild flowers. There is also a water tower folly and a rockery, before the gardens end at Coy Pond.

You can cross the Upper Gardens at various points via a series of Japanese style red bridges.

Water Tower

The Upper Gardens are split into three sections, separated by road crossings. The first section also contains a water tower fashioned like a castle turret.

Rockery

The top end of the upper gardens is line with a pretty rockery.

Coy Pond

At the top of the Upper Gardens, you can cross the road to Coy Pond, where you can follow a path lined with trees, including the quintessentially English Weeping Willow.

Trails

For a more structured walk, try the Tree Trail, which takes you on a two hour circular route from the Lower to the Upper Gardens and back, with emphasis on spotting some of the more noteworthy trees in the gardens.

For something a bit different, for £9.99, you can download a Detective Mystery Trail which takes you the length of the gardens and beyond with Treasure Trails.

Cycling

Note: Cycling is not permitted in the gardens themselves, but there is a cycle path running alongside them, which forms part of the Bourne Valley Greenway, which runs the length of the gardens, and on as far as Canford Heath.

Bournemouth Gardens for Children

There are plenty of activities for children in the Gardens for children include tennis, the aviary, playground and mini golf.

In addition, a range of activities take place in the gardens throughout the year will appeal to children, such as Arts by the Sea and Christmas Tree Wonderland.

Christmas Tree Wonderland

In the winter, the Lower Gardens are transformed into a Christmas Tree Wonderland with an array of Christmas trees and other festive decorations, plus a Santa Express Train, ice rink, Christmas trail, Christmas tree maze and Kids’ craft sessions.

• Updated: September 2025

I hope you found this information useful. For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth here.

For more inspiration on things to do in and around Bournemouth with young children, check out my 101 Things to do in Bournemouth with Babies and Toddlers here.