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What to do and see in Dorset, England: The Best Budget-friendly Things to do
Discover the best top things to do in Dorset, United Kingdom including Jurassic Coast, Castletown D-Day Centre, Bournemouth Aviation Museum, Monkey World, Christchurch Priory Church, Swanage Railway, Bournemouth Beach, Corfe Castle, The Lulworth Cove, Dinosaurland Fossil Museum.
Restaurants in Dorset
1. Jurassic Coast
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 220 reviews
We offer professional guided walks, tours and fossil hunts anywhere along the full length of the Jurassic Coast and surrounding areas. There is so much to be discovered within the World Heritage site. Not only is there 95 miles of breathtaking coastline, but delve a little deeper and you can physically 'walk throught time' as it reveals 185 million years of life on earth, showcasing the three Dinosaur periods known as Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous. Let us guide you through time so you can experience the wonders that are to be discovered along the way...... We pride ourselves as being Ambassadors for the Jurassic Coast. Plan your walks with us and get the most from your visit, Learn more about the geology and fossils of this world famous coastline. Walks and tours can be tailored to suit all ages and abilities. They are led by a trained & experienced Coastal Leader. Walks and tours can be arranged for individuals, couples, families or groups.
Reviewed By 997DanielC - Middlesbrough, United Kingdom
If you want to avoid paying for parking you can park your cars higher up the hill and walk down to see the sights of the South English countryside. Once you reach the famous coast you'll see it is filled with rocks, watch your step because you can slip and maybe twist your ankle. Look up at the cliffs next to you and you'll history that dates back 80 million years back when dinosaurs still walked the Earth. You can also see that the cliff is in layers, each one piled on top of each other and showing a different time period. Surprisingly when you touch the stone it feels soft and brittle as it easily breaks off in your hands, sometimes some will rain on your head from above. Keep your eyes open and you may even find some real fossils trapped in huge rocks or in the cliff itself; the fossils are of sea creatures called ammonites.Keep walking out to the sea and you'll be surprised by how far you'll get since the rocks are hidden beneath the water, it almost looks like you're walking on the water. Follow the rocks around the edge of the cliff and you'll find some great photo opportunities suck as large rocks sitting on their own in the water that you can jump over too. Once you've finished here there is usually an ice cream van and a Mexican food van nearby, or you can go to the nearby village and visit a pub. Across the road is a museum all about the dinosaurs that had once lived here which takes about an hour to explore.
2. Castletown D-Day Centre
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 354 reviews
The Castletown D-Day Centre is a family friendly, interactive WWII museum that tells the story of the thousands of US military personnel who in June 1944 sailed from Dorset to the beaches of Normandy.
Reviewed By FamilyManWessex
A great WW2 museum where you are invited to touch guns and sit in and on the vehicles including a jeep, motorbike and sidecar troop carriers anti-aircraft gun and Sherman tank. Really friendly and helpful staff. A great family experience for our children aged between 5 and 15.
3. Bournemouth Aviation Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 346 reviews
Reviewed By TimB3691
Lots of aircraft cockpits to sit in.really liked the Vulcan bomber cockpit. The 737 aircraft exhibit is great.
4. Monkey World
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 5,807 reviews
Reviewed By davey19672015 - Carlisle, United Kingdom
My wife and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon at Monkey World in Dorset during our stay in Bournemouth. There is good parking space with plenty of room for children and family on arrival. The layout of the park is excellent with good walkways , very good for disabled people.The very spacious rescue centre houses monkeys from all over the world with amazing real life stories displayed of how each was rescued from an awful life of hardship. The Orang-utans were happy and playful, interacting with each other in a mischievous way. It was incredible to watch Monkeys grooming each other and imitating our actions, giving a feeling of connection.The staff give informative talks at set times which add to the experience. There are indoor and outdoor cafes providing hot drinks and snacks.Entrance fee is £14 per adult with family group prices which are very reasonable. All in all the more we can give to help these wonderful animals and the hard work at Monkey world the better. A very enjoyable experience.
5. Christchurch Priory Church
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 936 reviews
Reviewed By trudyh51 - Maesteg, United Kingdom
Always make a visit to the priory it’s a beautiful building with fine architecture and historical interest. Kids are fascinated with the tombs inside and the graves in the floor. You’d expect teenagers to grumble but they loved it
6. Swanage Railway
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,035 reviews
The Swanage Railway provides an ideal way to get to the beach without the need to park in Swanage. Simply leave your car at Purbeck Park, next to Norden station, which is conveniently located just off the A351 north of Corfe Castle, and start your holiday early!
7. Bournemouth Beach
8. Corfe Castle
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,838 reviews
Corfe Castle is open for those who have booked a timed slot only. Uncover the secrets of Dorset's iconic medieval castle. A favourite haunt for adults and children alike, you can't fail to be captivated by these romantic castle ruins with breathtaking views.Castle - Discover 1000 years of the castle's history as a royal palace and fortress. With fallen walls and secret places, there are tales of treachery and treason around every corner. Spot the 'murder holes' and count the arrow loops. Feel history come to life and see the wildlife which has set up home in these facinating castle ruins.Shop - In the village square, our shop offers a range of products from pocket money treats to luxury locally made gifts.Tea Rooms - Indulge in a homemade Dorset cream tea in our delightful 18th centry tea rooms. Enjoy the summer garden with unrivalled castle views or the glowing open log fire in winter.
Reviewed By E7915GUianc - Basingstoke, United Kingdom
We were attending a nearby wedding and stayed over night and decided to incorporate a trip to Corfe castle in the visit, and it added a great deal to the weekend, Lots of history from the civil war era and beyond, a lovely fresh air national trust site, a steam railway runs about 1/2 mile away, which sometimes can give great views. Whilst relatively expensive, it makes taking out the Nat Trust membership even more worthwhile. Generally a great learning experience for bith adults and kids can also have great fun. Worth a trip to be fair
9. The Lulworth Cove
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 26 reviews
This 5-mile section of coast from White Nothe to Warbarrow Bay contains beaches, ecology, geology and beautiful walks.
Reviewed By ClaireAdamMoss - Ilfracombe, United Kingdom
We stayed in our campervan at Durdle Door to see the sights. Not knowing or having researched the area at all I am so very glad we took the walk to Lulworth Cove. Fantastic walk over the hills and down into the village below.Such stunning scenery, you really can not fail to be blown away by the beauty. We were pretty lucky that we had a relatively nice day and the visibility was good. We walked over to the Stair hole area and looked at the fascinating geological marvels of this coastline. The variety of rock formations and how nature has carved it's beauty in such wonderful ways. It has such diverse rock formations and as you carry on towards the headland the beauty of Lulworth cove becomes more evident with each step! Such beautiful views and we wish we had more hours in the day so we could have explored the fossil forest but will have to return to discover more. The village itself is lovely and extremely picturesque with a lovely little mill pond, leading to a stream, leading to the beach. Plenty of places to eat and drink and a lovely welcoming little place. So glad we made the visit!
10. Dinosaurland Fossil Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 417 reviews
A traditional museum with more than 10000 specimens on permanent display.
Reviewed By IainSpirit - Southampton, United Kingdom
We went here the day before heading to the beach fossil hunting. The collection is huge and you could spend days looking at the displays, we had a very excited 7 year old determined to see what was next so we didn't spend as much time as we would have liked. Do remember its a private collection and not the natural history museum so you could walk round it in a 5 - 10 minutes. Having said that there are literally thousands or tens of thousands of individual exhibits and being a private collection the owners are incredibly passionate and knowledgeable with every single piece each having a back story. I would have loved to have gone without covid and spent a lot more time learning. Even with COVID the owner made us feel really welcome, spent time chatting and even spent a lot of time giving us advice on where to head to the following day. The building is Mary Anning's old church converted into a Dino Museum so you really get a great atmosphere and there are wow's everywhere you look well worth the money.
