East Cliff beach is one of the two primary Bournemouth beaches and occupies the beach strand from just east of Bournemouth Pier up to Boscombe pier. It is about 1.5 miles in length. It is without doubt one of the cleanest and best cared for beaches in the country.
The beach (unsurprisingly) lies at the base of Bournemouth East Cliff. Above the beach, at the top of the cliff are a row of good quality hotels, mainly catering for family holidays. The beach itself is almost solely comprised of fine cream coloured sand and is about 60 meters wide.
Directly at the back of the beach is the promenade and access road called the Undercliff Drive. Bournemouth council has a row of beach huts along Undercliff Drive that can be hired on a daily basis ( no overnight sleeping allowed).
Beach Access
Beach access is mainly from either from the Bournemouth Pier end or via the East Cliff Zig Zag. There is also a rather scenic cliff lift that runs from 09:15am through to 17:30 in the summer. The beach is heavily patrolled by lifeguards. It has a zone and wrist band scheme for children, known as LV KidZone. This scheme helps to significantly reduce the risk of children getting lost on the crowded beach.
Many facilities exist on East Cliff beach, there are plenty of toilets, ice cream sellers and fast food outlets. There is also a Harry Ramsdens and a pub. You can also hire deck chairs and wind breaks.
Because it is such a nice beach and because it is so easy to get to, East Cliff beach is probably the most popular beach in Bournemouth. The beach will get crowded in summer. But that is the price you pay for all the facilities and the attention paid to the beach by the council.
Parking for East Cliff Beach
All parking information is provided as-is and untested. I cannot guarantee it is correct. You use it at your own discretion and risk.
Bath Road North & South (BH1 2EW)
Bath Road North and Bath Road South car parks are the closest to the the main Bournemouth Beaches of East Cliff Beach and West Cliff Beach. They are slightly to the East of Bournemouth Pier.
The Bath Road car parks are literally either side of the road between the the Royal Bath Hotel and the Bournemouth International Centre. Both are closer to the Royal Bath Hotel than the BIC.
They each have respectively, approximately 120 and 110 places. East Cliff Beach and West Cliff Beach are close to the town centre. As a result major town centre car parks are only a short walk from East and West Cliff beaches. The nearest are: