Bars in Bournemouth

Once upon a time Bournemouth was a sleepy coastal resort; God’s waiting room by the sea. No one would have ever thought to head there for a night of foolish frolics let alone a whole weekend of liver and brain cell slaughter. But add a university, throw in thousands of beer thirsty students and the town had to respond, and respond it did. What you have now is a town that likes to party every night of the week so no matter when your stag party is, there will be trouble you can get into.

The main part of the town is set inland from the beach, so unlike somewhere like Brighton where your pubs and clubs sprawl along the sea front, they’re gathered in a central hub of the town with a couple of bars and clubs actually near the beach.
Once you’ve finished your day of quad biking, clay pigeon shooting, golf or one of our other many day time activities, you’ll be ready to take a short walk from your hotel into town to sample all the delights of this sunny seaside location.

On account of the students, there aren’t many organically grown “pub pubs” in the centre of the town. I can think of only one, a small Irish pub in the middle of the commercial shopping centre, called Daisy O’Briens. Great pub but quite small and probably not what you’re looking for to shake up your evening.  Expect trendy wine bars and chains pubs which have been built for the students and young professionals. Bournemouth has a great party atmosphere in the bars and we’ve picked 5 of our faves which you might like to try when you’re down.

Alcatraz Wine Bar

Just off the main shopping strip, the Alcatraz wine bar is a good place to start your night in smart surroundings with a wood stained bar, ceiling fans, tile floor the lot. It has a good menu if you’re looking for a bite to eat before you get stuck in and it’s free to get in.

Bumbles

A little bit out from the town centre, Bumbles is worth checking out if you like your live music and a friendly atmosphere. It gets filled with students and locals in a fun mix of party people who gather to dance in one of the two rooms of the club. Small and cosy it’s recently added a cocktail bar if you want to add some style to your night.

The Lighthouse

Not far from the sea front or the Bournemouth International Centre, this popular night spot gets filled all evening long and is just as good at the start of your night as at the end. It usually runs quite a few drinks promotions and gets a good looking crowd in.

DNA

Standing for “Daytime, Night time, Anytime” this Caribbean style reggae haunt definitely makes it onto the cool  list and goes from chilled out in the day time to funky RnB that gets you dancing in the night time. If you want something away from your bright lights and trendy tiled floors, this is worth checking out.
Bliss

If, on the other hand, tiled floors and fresh lights are just your thing then Bliss could be the place for your group. Set over two levels this bar club is great if you’ve decided that Elements - the main club in the area, isn’t for you and you want something with a more of a bar feel. Expect it to be very busy on the weekends and playing RnB and hip hop to get you dancing. It’s a relatively young crowd so if you’re looking for some early twenties youthfulness, then this is the place to be.

One of the brilliant things about Bournemouth is that it has everything from chilled out hang outs to up beat thumping hot spots. All you need to do is bring a good time crowd and you can’t go far wrong.