Budget accommodation for foreign visitors to the United Kingdom...

Bournemouth Backpackers Hostel, 3 Frances Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH1 3RY, ENGLAND.
Phone and email details: Our telephone number and email contact forms are halfway down the next page.
Web: http://www.bournemouthbackpackers.co.uk.

Jump to: [Bournemouth???] [How do I get there?] [The Backpackers Hostel] [Prices & Reservations] [Useful Links]

Bournemouth???

Welcome to Bournemouth, and its neighbour Poole, on the sunny(ish) south coast of England, one of the UK's leading seaside resorts. We have miles of clean, sandy beaches (which meet the European Union's "Blue Flag" standards) with two piers and one of the world's largest natural harbours - offering a wide variety of watersports. There is good shopping, work opportunities, top English language schools, renowned nightlife and a host of local activities.

Bournemouth has a booming economy and a lot of year-round casual work - well suited to international working holiday makers. The plentiful work, and cheap low season rates at the backpackers, means that it is possible to spend part of the winter here and save up some well needed travel money for the summer.

Bournemouth is a great base for exploring the beautiful Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire scenery. Cheap bus passes allow unlimited travel over a wide area - giving easy access to many local attractions. Backpacker day trips can be booked with Discover Dorset. The nearby Jurassic Coast is one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world and is now World Heritage Listed (along with The Grand Canyon in the USA and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia). The long distance South West Coastal Path, which begins on the other side of Poole Harbour, provides outstanding views.

Also on the other side of the Harbour lies Purbeck: a beautiful and easily accessible area, with the pretty resort of Swanage, ancient pubs and the ruins of the medieval Corfe Castle. To the east of Bournemouth lies the New Forest with its famous ponies.

The area is rich in history and legends:
Thomas Hardy, Lawrence of Arabia, The Tolpuddle Martyrs, Dorset smugglers, Badbury Rings, Maiden Castle, Corfe Castle, The Cerne Abbas Giant, etc. etc.

Show me more...
Some views of the Bournemouth/Poole area
Day trips for wet days :(
Day trips for dry days :)

How do I get there?

Bournemouth has excellent transport links to the rest of the UK and mainland Europe and is becoming a useful gateway to the UK for budget travellers.

Bournemouth International Airport is served by several budget airlines making it an excellent gateway to the south of England. RyanAir provides cheap scheduled flights to Alicante, Barcelona (Girona), Dublin, Glasgow (Prestwick) Marseille, Milan (Bergamo) and Pisa (Florence). ThomsonFly go to Alicante, Faro, Gran Canaria, Malaga, and Tenerife. Scheduled flights are also available from Bournemouth Airport to the Channel Islands. The airport is linked to the Travel Interchange (less than 5 minutes walk from the backpackers) by a direct hourly bus service costing GBP 4.00 each way (November 2007). Taxis are also waiting at the airport and can take you to the backpackers for approximately GBP 12.00 - GBP 15.00.

Southampton International Airport is approximately 50 km (40-50 minutes) from Bournemouth and has a fast, direct train service to Bournemouth 2-3 times per hour. A single train ticket costs GBP 7.90 and a return GBP 15.80 (Summer 2003). There are direct budget flights to Paderborn/Lippstadt, Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Salzburg, Dublin, Milan, Alicante, Geneva and several other European destinations with FlyBe and Air Berlin.

Bournemouth also has convenient bus/coach connections with London Heathrow Airport. FlightLink (operated by National Express) run direct bus/coach services from Heathrow to Bournemouth approximately every two hours: these buses take two hours to reach Bournemouth costing GBP 17.00 single and GBP 23.50 period return (Feb 2004). Flightlink also provide a bus/coach service to London Gatwick and London Stanstead Airports.

Poole ferry terminal is approximately 1.5 km. from Poole railway station, where regular trains reach Bournemouth in approximately 15 minutes. Ferry services are operated by Brittany Ferries and Condor, offering connections to St. Malo and Cherbourg (France) as well as the Channel Islands.

There are direct National Express bus/coach services to many parts of the U.K.. Bus/coach travel is generally cheaper than train travel in the UK. Buses leave from Victoria Coach Station in London approximately every hour and take 2 hours 30 mins to complete the journey. A single from London to Bournemouth by National Express costs GBP 15.00 and a standard return GBP 22.00 (Feb 2004). Young persons (under 25) can buy a discount card giving them one third off these fares. Phone (08705) 808080 for National Express information. Megabus provide two buses per day between Bournemouth and London at prices as low as GBP 1.00 single.

Bournemouth has direct train services from London, Scotland, The North East and the Midlands. Trains from London leave from Waterloo Station, roughly twice an hour and usually take around 1 hour 45 minutes to reach Bournemouth. Train travel in the UK is usually expensive: a single from London to Bournemouth is (GBP 30.20), a 5 day return (GBP 34.60) and a one month return (GBP 41.50, April 2001). Cheap train tickets to Bournemouth from London are sometimes available from MegaTrain. Train travel between London (Heathrow and Stansted) Aiports and Bournemouth is generally indirect and expensive. The train between London (Gatwick) Airport and Bournemouth is more competitive. Train discount cards can be bought by young persons (under 26) and full-time students. An off-peak discount card for South East England (Network Card) can be bought by others. Phone (08457) 484950 for all rail information.

The Backpackers Hostel

Bournemouth Backpackers Hostel is now in its ninth season and is ideally located. It is family owned and operated by experienced international travellers. We provide excellent value accommodation, it's a home away from home and a great place to meet people if you are travelling alone. As you can see from our comments page, most of our guests don't want to leave.

• Less than 5 minutes walk from The Travel Interchange (train/bus station).
• Walkable from beach, town centre, nightlife and many language schools.
• Free internet in the house.
• Launderette, Supermarket, Fish & Chip Shop, Pub, Newsagent, Tennis Courts all within 5 minutes walk.
• Cycle and car hire close by.
• Public Transport to Poole Ferry Terminal and Bournemouth International Airport.
• An excellent base to explore, using cheap (GBP 6.99 per day, 2006) bus passes to visit many attractions, for example: Purbeck, the Coast Path, the New Forest, Stonehenge etc..
• A great spot to find summer work in the huge local hotel and catering industry (sorry no jobs in the hostel).
  
  
• Traditional cosy, English (Edwardian) house with a very friendly atmosphere.
• Relaxing, smoke free and clean.
• Shared/Dormitory rooms from GBP 9.00 per person per night (details below).
• Stable, steel full width (90 cm/3' wide) bunks. Pillows that don't look like used teabags and covered interior sprung mattresses. Bedding included in the price.
• TV lounge, kitchen (pans, crockery etc. provided) and BBQ area (in summer), guest phone and cycle parking.
• No chores, no membership and 24 hour access once checked in.

Show me more...
Inside the Backpackers Hostel

Prices and Reservations

Important Information

We are a very small backpackers hostel (with only 19 beds) in a town where there are few visitors outside the summer months. This means that our opening hours are limited as we can't afford to pay staff to sit around doing nothing all day!! So please read the following information carefully to avoid disappointment.

Low Season (until 29 June 2008)

We provide accommodation all year, but in low season we have very limited reception hours. Reception is open on Sundays between 17:00-19:00 and this is the only time it is possible to make reservations by telephone. Check-in is possible during Sunday reception 17:00-19:00 and on weekdays at 17:30 if a check-in has been arranged. (it is not possible to check-in on Saturday). A reservation is not required, but it is recommended.

If you are staying several days in Bournemouth and need to check-in later, we suggest that you stay in a bed and breakfast for the first night and check in with us the next day. If you arrive before reception opens, you can leave your luggage at the Bournemouth Tourism Office at the Travel Interchange (train/bus station) for GBP 1.00 and have a look around town until we open.

17:30 check-ins have been arranged for: 14/05, 16/05, 21/05, 22/05, 26/05...

You can make a reservation by calling us during Sundays reception 17:00-19:00 (our telephone number is at halfway down the next page), or by completing the booking enquiry form on this website. All reservations must be reconfirmed the day before, either by replying to an email booking, or by telephone (reconfirmation messages can be left on our voicemail). Once reconfirmed beds are held for the first 30 minutes of reception. At check-in guests are asked to pay for all the nights that have been booked in cash.

** Sunday Specials: Come on a Sunday before 1 June and stay 7 nights for only GBP 85 saving GBP 24 on standard rates!! **

*Public holiday periods (nights below) cost £2.00 extra per person per night.
 Christmas Day (25/12), New Years Eve (31/1).
 Easter Sunday (23/3).
 Sunday (4/5) of May Bank Holiday. Sunday (27/5) of Whitsun Holiday.

Discounted weekly rates (from Sunday to Sunday) are sometimes available to guests who wish to extend their stays beyond 7 nights.

Bedding included, towels and food are not. Prices correct for May 2008, but are subject to change. Terms and conditions apply.

Hostel Location

Want a better map?

We look forward to seeing you!!