Bournemouth has become a shopper's paradise, a combination of high-street favourites and exclusive boutiques. The fashionable new-look Square, with its mosaics and stylish camera Obscura centrepiece, gives an atmosphere of continental chic. As the sun sets over the Victorian architecture, the nightlife in the vibrant and cosmopolitan town centre starts to hot up.

Bournemouth caters for all tastes from West End blockbusters, hilarious comedians, classical concerts and plays to some of the hottest night-clubs in the country. If you are freak of night life then you will like to stay here for a long.

Summer Festival

Bournemouth's summer Festival For Families offers six weeks of free first-class entertainment for all ages. For children, a Kids Free Entertain-tent and beach Game Zones offer a packed daily programme of activities.

Music Makers Festival

Adults will enjoy the Music Makers Festival which welcomes music groups from all over the world, Flowers by candlelight where the Lower gardens are transformed into a twinkling fairyland, and the spectacular Friday Night Fireworks. Why not also visit the new indoor Wacky Warehouse play area, or discover the wonders of the world's oceans at the Oceanarium.

Bournemouth's central location on the south coast makes it an ideal base for exploring the surrounding cultural heritage and stunning countryside that complement its own coastal beauty. To the west, the spectacular craggy rock formations of the Purbecks are the perfect setting for some breathtaking coastal walks.

Inland, picturesque Dorset villages nestle amid a rich literary heritage, inspiration for many of Thomas Hardy's classics. Impressive historical ruins and stately homes stand proud in rolling countryside, whilst to the east the ancient New Forest remains a symbol of traditional England.