Dorset Itinerary: 3 Days on the Jurassic Coast
Durdle Door, Dorset
DORSET ITINERARY
3 DAYS ON THE JURASSIC COAST - THINGS TO DO
Plan your trip to Dorset here! We’ve compiled a map of 20+ best places to visit in Dorset. From the best beaches to the best historical sights, the best walks to the best natural attractions.
Here at Gloucester House Bed & Breakfast in Weymouth, we are often asked “what are the best places to visit in Dorset?” It’s a question we love to answer and a topic we could talk about extensively! Dorset has so many amazing places to visit and things to do. Come rain or shine, holidays in Dorset will never be dull.
THE BEST PLACES TO VISIT IN DORSET - A MAP GUIDE
To help you plan your trip to the Jurassic Coast, we have put together this Google Map. It is a handy guide to 20+ of our favourite places. It would be tough to see them all in 72 hours - as there are so many! - but, whatever your taste, you could certainly fill a 72-hour visit to the coast with something you’ll love. Simply click on the icons below to find more information about each of our favourite places!
BEST COASTLINE & BEACHES TO VISIT IN DORSET
1. Lulworth Cove - Lulworth Cove is a beautiful secluded pocket of the Jurassic Coast. There is tremendous walking and a fabulous visitor centre.
2. Durdle Door - Durdle Door is probably the most famous stone arch anywhere in the world. It was created when the sea pierced through the Portland limestone around 10,000 years ago.
3. Chesil Beach - Chesil Beach is an 18-mile long shingle barrier beach stretching from West Bay to Portland and is one of Dorset's most iconic landmarks.
4. West Bay Beach - There’s plenty to do at West Bay, take a stroll around the harbour for an ice cream or fish and chips, climb the coast path up to the top of the cliffs, hire a rowing boat up the River Brit or join a fishing trip out from the harbour.
5. Studland Bay - Four miles of beautiful beaches line the sheltered waters of Studland Bay.
Lulworth Cove, Dorset
BEST CASTLES & GRAND ESTATES TO VISIT IN DORSET
6. Corfe Castle - One of Britain's most iconic and evocative survivors of the English Civil War, partially demolished in 1646 by the Parliamentarians.
7. Lulworth Castle - Built in the C17th, this magnificent building is steeped in history. Restored in partnership with English Heritage, there is extensive parkland and a fabulous tearoom.
8. Sherborne Castle & Gardens - Built by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1594, this historic house reflects a glorious variety of decorative styles from over 400 years of English History. The castle has impressive collections of furniture, paintings and porcelain. Walk in Capability Brown’s English Landscape Garden.
9. Portland Castle - Overlooking Portland Harbour in Dorset stands one of Henry VIII's finest coastal forts, built in the early 1540s to protect against French and Spanish invasion.
10. Sandsfoot Castle & the Rodwell Trail - The romantic ruins of Sandsfoot Castle, a Scheduled Ancient Monument, have been a popular tourist attraction since Weymouth’s earliest days as a resort in the 18th century.
11. Durlston Castle - Durlston Castle and Country Park is a fabulous 320 acre countryside paradise. At this National Nature Reserve you'll find dramatic sea-cliffs, coastal limestone downland, haymeadows, hedgerows and woodland.
12. Kingston Lacy Estate - This is a lavish family home re-imagined as a Venetian Palace in the rural Dorset countryside.
Lulworth castle
BEST GARDENS & WILDLIFE TO VISIT IN DORSET
13. Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens - “One of the finest Gardens I have ever visited”
Alan Titchmarsh…we think this says it all!
14. Symondsbury Estate - Symondsbury Estate stretches over 1500 acres of farmland and ancient woodland in beautiful West Dorset. The Estate is home to shops, a cafe, local businesses and a working farm.
15. Sculpture By The Lakes - Nestled in 26 acres of Dorset’s glorious countryside lies Sculpture by the Lakes, an oasis for art lovers and collectors, created by renowned sculptor Simon Gudgeon and his wife, Monique.
16. Brownsea Island - Brownsea Island is dramatically located in Poole Harbour, with spectacular views across to the Purbeck Hills.
17. Abbotsbury Swannery - Abbotsbury Swannery is the only place in the world where you are able to walk through the heart of a colony of nesting Mute Swans.
18. Puddletown Forest - Walk or cycle along the public rights of way and rediscover the beauty of the conifer tree without having to abandon any love of the broadleaf, as here they exist harmoniously side by side, branches softly creaking in the wind together.
Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens
AND THE BEST OF THE REST!
19. Tyneham Ghost Village - The village was evacuated in December 1943 during WWII and has been deserted ever since. The area was needed for military training but after the war ended, the villagers were not allowed to return. Today, only the memories of who used to live here now remain.
20. Bridport - A historic market town just inland from the stunning Dorset coastline. we recommend a visit on to the town’s twice-weekly market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Taking over the town’s three main streets, the market has over a hundred stalls selling pretty much everything you can think of!
21. Portland Bill Lighthouse - The former lighthouse keepers' dwellings feature fun and informative maritime displays and interactive experiences, including the opportunity to encounter a stormy sea journey in the exhilarating zone ‘Into The Dark’.
Tyneham Ghost Village
Gloucester House Bed & Breakfast in Weymouth
BEST PLACES TO STAY IN DORSET
Gloucester House is a beautiful, AA Four Gold Star, Award-Winning Bed and Breakfast in Weymouth, Dorset. Located slap-bang on the seafront with breathtaking coastal views, you can explore the boutiques and shops, vibrant harbour and pubs, restaurants and coffee spots by foot. Stay right at the heart of this quintessential seaside town to discover the Jurassic Coast in all its beauty; all of the places in this guide are just a short walk, stroll, or drive from Gloucester House.
Please book your stay here on our website, for our best prices:
Gloucester House Bed & Breakfast in Weymouth