Poole Travel Guide

Tourist Guide
Brownsea Castle showing heritage architecture
Relax on one of Britain’s favorite beaches and amble along the coastal paths of this quaint town that has been inhabited since the Iron Age.

Pretty beaches, a natural harbour and rich history draw crowds to the charming town of Poole. Much of the activity revolves around the beach, where many cafés and restaurants face an elegant seaside promenade. Learn about Poole’s extensive history, from the Iron Age to D-Day landings.

Poole has a glorious array of Blue Flag beaches that are clean and suitable for kids. Visit Sandbanks Beach, which many consider one of Britain’s best. It lies next to the Sandbanks peninsula, with some of the country’s most expensive homes. Appreciate the gradual downward slope as you enter the cool sea. Lifeguards and first aid services are available in summer.

Poole Harbour is among Europe’s largest natural harbors. Romans landed here during their invasion almost 2,000 years ago. Today, participate in water sports, such as water skiing, wakeboarding and kite surfing.

Take the ferry to Brownsea Island to visit the wildlife sanctuary with red squirrels and deer. See a castle built by Henry VIII in the picturesque nature reserve.

Away from the beach and port, find Lighthouse, the cultural hub of the town. This modern structure hosts dramatic theatre performances and musical concerts. Attend one of the various shows, from circus acts to comedy routines. Enjoy a local meal in the building’s café.

To find out about Poole’s intriguing history, visit the Poole Museum. Explore its four floors of exhibits that will enlighten you about prehistoric settlements, pirates and Poole’s role in the Normandy invasion.

The town of Poole is located between Bournemouth and Dorchester on England’s southern coast. Take a bus southwest for 11 miles (18 kilometres) from Bournemouth Airport, a journey that should take around 40 minutes. The train from London to Poole takes roughly 2 hours.

Visit the historic town of Poole with immaculate beaches and activities for the entire family. The town is warm in summer with occasional heat waves, when the beaches are popular, and cold to mild in winter.

Where to stay in Poole

Poole Museum which includes interior views

Poole Old Town

Visitors to Poole Old Town rave about its stunning beaches, fantastic nightlife and luxurious spas. You might also want to make some time to see Scaplen’s Court Museum or Poole Museum while you're exploring the neighbourhood.

Poole Old Town
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Parkstone

Are you interested in stunning beaches, fantastic nightlife and luxurious spas? A visit to Parkstone might be the perfect thing. You can also explore top sights like Splashdown Waterpark and Tower Park.

Parkstone

Oakdale

While Oakdale isn't home to many top sights, Lighthouse, Poole's Centre for the Arts and Poole Harbour are some notable places to visit nearby.

Oakdale
Holiday Inn Express Poole, an IHG Hotel
Holiday Inn Express Poole, an IHG Hotel
3 out of 5
Walking Field Lane, Poole, England
Fully refundableReserve now, pay when you stay
The price is ฿3,838 per night from 19 May to 20 May
฿3,838
per night
19 May - 20 May
Enjoy free breakfast, free Wi-Fi and parking (surcharge). Our guests praise the breakfast and the helpful staff in their reviews.
7.8/10 Good! (1,002 reviews)
"Smart clean and professional staff"

Reviewed on 12 May 2024

Holiday Inn Express Poole, an IHG Hotel
Sandbanks Hotel
Sandbanks Hotel
4 out of 5
15 Banks Road, Sandbanks, Poole, England
The price is ฿4,570 per night from 19 May to 20 May
฿4,570
per night
19 May - 20 May
Enjoy free breakfast, free Wi-Fi and a beach locale. Our guests praise the breakfast and the helpful staff in their reviews.
7.8/10 Good! (733 reviews)
"You can't beat the location of Sandbanks hotel. The staff are very friendly and helpful. The food is excellent. I would not go into the swimming pool again as I found it very difficult to get in and out via the awful metal steps. As most of the guests were elderly I doubt if any of them would use ..."

Reviewed on 10 May 2024

Sandbanks Hotel
Hotel du Vin & Bistro Poole
Hotel du Vin & Bistro Poole
4 out of 5
Thames Street, Poole, England
The price is ฿5,338 per night from 20 May to 21 May
฿5,338
per night
20 May - 21 May
Enjoy free Wi-Fi, breakfast (surcharge) and 24-hour room service. Our guests praise the breakfast and the helpful staff in their reviews.
8.8/10 Excellent! (572 reviews)
"The room we had (standard double) was large enough and of good quality with complimentary water. We stayed for 2 days and opted out of daily clean in place of £15 worth of drink vouchers for the bar. Staff were lovely, though there was no one around at all when we arrived at 1pm - so a poor first ..."

Reviewed on 10 May 2024

Hotel du Vin & Bistro Poole
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
Quayside Quarters
Quayside Quarters
3 out of 5
25 Thames St, Poole, England
Enjoy free Wi-Fi, dry cleaning or laundry services and minibars.
9.8/10 Exceptional! (44 reviews)
"A very clean and well decorated room, everything was as described on website, safe parking and very convenient for Poole Quay and ferry terminal."

Reviewed on 9 Oct 2023

Quayside Quarters
Beautiful 3-bed Caravan at Rockley Park Poole
Beautiful 3-bed Caravan at Rockley Park Poole
3 out of 5
Poole, England
Enjoy free Wi-Fi, free parking and a garden.
Beautiful 3-bed Caravan at Rockley Park Poole
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

Popular places to visit

Things to do

Reviews of Poole

4.2
Top destination
5 - Excellent
57
" "5 - Excellent 38%
4 - Good
72
" "4 - Good 48%
3 - Okay
20
" "3 - Okay 13.333333333333334%
2 - Disappointing
1
" "2 - Disappointing 0.6666666666666666%
1 - Terrible
0
" "1 - Terrible 0%

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller
2 Mar 2020

We visited RNLI college to view the Shannon boat from Launch A Memory campaign, especially to see our dads name on the boat. We 100%support the RNLI so the trip to Poole for this reason was very important for our family.⚓️

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller
24 Feb 2020

Light up Poole was good, our second year of going.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller
20 Jan 2020

A good place for shopping and to visit plenty to do and see

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller
28 Oct 2019

I lived near Poole many years ago and I always love to go back and visit

4/5 - Good

Verified traveller
15 Oct 2019

As only an over night stay I didn’t see much of Poole so hard to give a review but where we were was delightful

3/5 - Okay

Verified traveller
12 Oct 2019

Just stayed overnight so no impressions

Cities near Poole