We’re huge followers of festive lights – lantern parades, illuminated gardens and fantastical installations that actually gentle up your faces and dance to their very own seasonal tune. They add a contact magic to the lengthy winter nights. The Bournemouth Christmas Tree Wonderland is one such occasion.
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Household information to Bournemouth Christmas Tree Wonderland path
On this submit I’m sharing what you may count on when Bournemouth’s Christmas lights return this yr, together with every part it is advisable know for a magical time out or keep in Bournemouth.
What’s the Christmas Tree Wonderland?
Greater than 100 illuminations and light-weight installations run from the well-known pier, by the Victorian Decrease Gardens to an Alpine fashion market in The Sq., as much as the Triangle, Beale Place, Horseshoe Frequent and the Lansdowne roundabout.
Alongside the best way there are road stalls and cafes promoting bratwurst, scorching chocolate, churros and the compulsory seaside ice cream, in addition to an ice skating rink.
On the path’s centre is Bournemouth’s personal walk-through Wonderland Tree stands 60ft tall with 30,000 individually programmed lights that carry out to music.
There may also be replicas of worldwide Christmas timber, representing cities from throughout the World. Once we visited, the one modelled on Seattle’s tree was my favorite.
Bournemouth Christmas Tree Wonderland map
Decide up a path map at one of many entrances to Decrease Gardens to be sure you don’t miss something. It’s also possible to discover the Christmas Tree Pageant map on-line.
This yr’s map might be accessible on the Wonderland web site when it launches.
Attending to Bournemouth’s Christmas lights
By automotive – there are many automotive parks in Bournemouth city centre. The PaybyPhone app is extensively used for automotive park and on road parking in Bournemouth.
By bus – Bournemouth buses cease close to the route of the Christmas Tree path. Bus stops to purpose for are: Bournemouth Pier, Westover Street, Bournemouth Sq., Wootton Gardens and Lansdowne.
By practice – Bournemouth Prepare Station is a ten minute stroll from the path at Lansdowne roundabout. From right here you may observe the practice in direction of the seafront.
How lengthy do you want for the Christmas Tree Wonderland path?
We spent six hours taking advantage of the entire expertise, beginning with ice skating when the rink opened at 10.30am and managing to maintain our ladies (aged six and four-years-old on the time) going lengthy sufficient to see the lights at nightfall.
What time do the lights come on in Bournemouth?
To see the lights at their easiest arrive after 4pm when the sunshine and audio exhibits begin. These often occur each half an hour between 4pm and 9pm.
Keep in mind that the path might be at its busiest after darkish, so may be tougher with younger youngsters.
There are a number of routes by or across the gardens and illuminations should you get caught in a crowd.
Is the Christmas Tree Wonderland free?
Sure! It’s FREE to stroll by Decrease Gardens and see the Christmas Tree Wonderland itself, however you could prefer to price range for a number of additional actions to make it a particular Christmas time out.
For an summary check out our Christmas Tree Wonderland Bournemouth video:
You may also prefer to learn my information to Christmas occasions in Hampshire.
Extra issues to do at Christmas in Bournemouth
Right here’s some extra issues to do while you’re having fun with a festive time out in Bournemouth:
Bournemouth Christmas Market
Bournemouth Christmas Market is on this yr with meals and present stalls in an alpine setting round Bournemouth Sq..
There’s additionally an Alpine Bar and Apres Terrace.
Verify opening occasions for the market.
Go to a pantomime in Bournemouth
There’s a pantomime at Bournemouth Pavilion each winter and so they at all times supply glowing units, lavish costumes, wonderful tune and dance numbers, comedy and luggage of viewers participation.
Discover out what’s on this yr.
Ice skating
Skate is an actual ice rink on the high of Decrease Gardens. It was a very long time since both Mr Tin Field or I had been ice skating and the ladies had solely had a go on plastic rinks.
It’s protected to say skating was a success, regardless of me feeling like a child giraffe and everybody getting soggy socks.
The rink is outside so the rain from the night time earlier than had settled on the ice making the floor moist. However that didn’t detract from the skating expertise, which was incredible.
We booked for the ten.30am when the rink was quieter and there have been loads of skating aids. This was the best time to go for wobbly me and the youngsters who took a little bit of time to achieve confidence on the ice.
In the meantime, Mr Tin Field shortly regained his skating abilities gained as a teen!
After skating it’s good enjoyable to go to the Alpine Bar which is connected to the rink. We are able to suggest a luxurious scorching chocolate for serving to you heat up. There’s additionally road meals, music and festive cubicles for chilling in after a skate.
Go to the Skate Bournemouth web site to search out out opening occasions and purchase ice skating tickets.
Smugglers Cove journey golf
This 18 gap journey golf course was nice enjoyable to do after lunch.
The staging is good and there have been some tremendous difficult holes that introduced out the aggressive streak in Mr Tin Field and I, even when the ladies had been content material with whacking the ball round as a lot as doable.
Verify the Smugglers Cove web site for the newest opening occasions and costs.
In case you have extra time within the space, take a look at my information to issues to do in Poole and Bournemouth.
The place to eat in Bournemouth
There are road meals stalls on the seafront finish of Decrease Gardens, in the course of the park and on the market on the high. A scorching spot for seeing and being seen is the Alpine Bar.
If you wish to sit down for meals then the Promenade Cafe serves all kinds of snacks and meals together with a festive menu. That is the place we stopped for lunch and located there was one thing for everybody.
The ladies tucked right into a scorching canine, sausage roll and chips, whereas Mr Tin Field had the haloumi burger and I devoured a scrumptious Penang curry and rice.
The cafe is actually fashionable, so get there early if you wish to bag a window seat with a sea view.
In case you select to move exterior Bournemouth city centre for lunch or dinner we are able to additionally suggest City Reef at Boscombe. We ate dinner there after seeing the Christmas timber.
I liked consuming right here a few years in the past with buddies and had excessive hopes that the meals was nonetheless simply pretty much as good. We weren’t upset.
There’s a large selection of meals on the principle menu in addition to specials and a kids’s menu. I had mussels with essentially the most unimaginable charcoal focaccia, and Mr Tin Field had brisket with a root vegetable casserole, mash and dumplings. The ladies each opted for a scrummy trying pasta and meatballs.
After all, we couldn’t resist dessert. The pumpkin pie, cheese cake and chocolate brownies that adopted had been divine.
That is someplace to go for a particular meal with a sea view in the course of the day and a comfy, intimate environment at night time.
The place to remain
If, like us, you might be coming from additional afield for the Christmas Tree Wonderland in Bournemouth we are able to suggest staying at Bournemouth Seaside Lodges.
These bijou lodges come fashionable seashore huts accommodate as much as six folks proper on the seashore at Boscombe. We stayed for 2 nights and liked the expertise of listening to the waves and having the golden sands inside touching distance.
Right here’s our Bournemouth Seaside Lodges evaluate.
Discover extra locations to remain in Bournemouth on reserving.com.
Searching for extra issues to do close to Bournemouth? Check out my information to issues to do in Dorset with youngsters.
Disclosure: we had been invited to expertise the Christmas Tree Wonderland in Bournemouth as a part of an press journey. Our lodging, experiences and bills had been lined. All opinions are my very own and my household’s.