We’re large 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 put up I’m sharing what you may count on when Bournemouth’s Christmas lights return in 2024, together with all the pieces it’s essential to know for a magical day trip or keep in Bournemouth.
The Christmas Tree Wonderland takes place from 15 November to 31 December 2024.
What’s the Christmas Tree Wonderland?
Greater than 100 illuminations and light-weight installations run from the well-known pier, via 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 way in which there are road stalls and cafes promoting bratwurst, sizzling 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 even 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 ensure you don’t miss something. You too can discover the Christmas Tree Pageant map on-line.
The 2024 map shall be out there on the Wonderland web site when it launches.
Attending to Bournemouth’s Christmas lights
By automobile – there are many automobile parks in Bournemouth city centre. The PaybyPhone app is broadly used for automobile park and on road parking in Bournemouth.
By bus – Bournemouth buses cease close to the route of the Christmas Tree path. Bus stops to intention for are: Bournemouth Pier, Westover Street, Bournemouth Sq., Wootton Gardens and Lansdowne.
By prepare – Bournemouth Prepare Station is a ten minute stroll from the path at Lansdowne roundabout. From right here you may comply with the prepare in the direction of the seafront.
How lengthy do you want for the Christmas Tree Wonderland path?
We spent six hours benefiting from the entire expertise, beginning with ice skating when the rink opened at 10.30am and managing to maintain our women (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 reveals begin. These often occur each half an hour between 4pm and 9pm.
Keep in mind that the path shall be at its busiest after darkish, so is perhaps harder with younger children.
There are a number of routes via 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 via Decrease Gardens and see the Christmas Tree Wonderland itself, however you could wish to finances for a number of further actions to make it a particular Christmas day trip.
For an summary check out our Christmas Tree Wonderland Bournemouth video:
You may additionally wish 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 day trip in Bournemouth:
Bournemouth Christmas Market
Bournemouth Christmas Market is on this yr with meals and reward stalls in an alpine setting round Bournemouth Sq..
There’s additionally an Alpine Bar and Apres Terrace.
The market is open between 14 November 2024 and 1 January 2025.
Go to a pantomime in Bournemouth
This yr’s pantomime at Bournemouth Pavilion, Jack and the Beanstalk, is filled with glowing units, lavish costumes, wonderful music and dance numbers, comedy and luggage of viewers participation.
E-book tickets for Jack and the Beanstalk, 7 December 2024 to five January 2025.
Ice skating
Skate is an actual ice rink on the prime 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 outdoor so the rain from the evening 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 realize confidence on the ice.
In the meantime, Mr Tin Field shortly regained his skating expertise gained as a teen!
After skating it’s good enjoyable to go to the Alpine Bar which is hooked up to the rink. We will advocate a luxurious sizzling chocolate for serving to you heat up. There’s additionally road meals, music and festive cubicles for chilling in after a skate.
This yr the rink is open from 14 November 2024 till 5 January 2025.
Go to the Skate Bournemouth web site to 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 potential.
Verify the Smugglers Cove web site for the most recent opening instances 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 midst of the park and on the market on the prime. A sizzling 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 women tucked right into a sizzling 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 absolutely standard, so get there early if you wish to bag a window seat with a sea view.
If you happen to select to go exterior Bournemouth city centre for lunch or dinner we will additionally advocate 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 associates and had excessive hopes that the meals was nonetheless simply nearly as good. We weren’t dissatisfied.
There’s a large selection of meals on the primary menu in addition to specials and a kids’s menu. I had mussels with probably the most unbelievable charcoal focaccia, and Mr Tin Field had brisket with a root vegetable casserole, mash and dumplings. The women each opted for a scrummy wanting 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 throughout the day and a comfy, intimate environment at evening.
The place to remain
If, like us, you’re coming from additional afield for the Christmas Tree Wonderland in Bournemouth we will advocate staying at Bournemouth Seaside Lodges.
These bijou lodges come trendy seaside huts accommodate as much as six individuals proper on the seaside 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 evaluation.
Discover extra locations to remain in Bournemouth on reserving.com.
On the lookout for extra issues to do close to Bournemouth? Check out my information to issues to do in Dorset with children.
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.