Where to stay on the Jurassic Coast – Hotels, huts & B&Bs

With such a breath-taking stretch of coastline, you’ll want to find the best place to stay on the Jurassic Coast. Whether you are a hiker, a beachgoer, or a do-nothing-er; this guide helps you choose your perfect spot.

With 95 miles of coastline and 185 million years in the making, the Jurassic Coast is a geological marvel, a scenic refresher and a hiker’s paradise. Finding where to stay on the Jurassic Coast is just the start of a great escape to some of the best coastal activities the UK has to offer.

Spend an afternoon in rejuvenation mode either hiking along rugged white clifftops or lazing on pebble beaches below them. Take in the Jurassic Coast light via a sunrise excursion to a decaying castle, or under the exposed lightbulbs of a hipster brewery producing artisanal ales. Go fossil hunting, explore weird rock formations, locate a cute village, unwind. Detox.

While just a narrow patch of southern England, the Jurassic Coast is a 2-hour drive from one end to the other. So it’s important to understand where you want to stay to find what you are looking for.  

But if location isn’t the only thing on your mind, some Jurassic Coast hotels are the drawcard in themselves.  Pick a stylish clifftop hotel staring out over vast seas or a shepherd’s hut within staggering distance of a local pub. Base yourself in a charming village or sleep with your head in the clouds in a cool treehouse.  

Whatever you are after, you’ll find it in our guide of the best places to stay on the Jurassic Coast.

1 / PURBECK PENINSULA

Best place to stay on the Jurassic Coast for superb hikes and dramatic scenery

The Purbeck Peninsula is a sixty square mile patch of England, jutting out into the English Channel and bordered on three sides by water. Nowhere along the Jurassic Coast is the scenery more dramatic than in the Purbeck Peninsula. Towering white cliffs and mighty stacks of rock drop precipitously to the sea.

Durdle Door, Lulworth Cove and Old Harry Rocks – the iconic sights of the south of England – are scattered across the peninsula, connected by a stunning coastal path that is one of the best hiking destinations in the UK. Just inland, the exceptionally photogenic Corfe Castle and several abandoned villages, add to the remote feel of the region.

There are some great Jurassic Coast hotels on the Isle of Purbeck. Remote pubs all alone on the southwest coastal path, grand hotels in charming market towns or a bit of luxury along the bay in Studland.

DON’T MISS / Hike the coastal path from Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door for one of the most scenic – and easiest – walks in the country.

2 / LYME REGIS 

Best place to stay on the Jurassic Coast for a hip and welcoming seaside town

There are a few seaside towns along the Jurassic Coast, but the pick of the bunch is Lyme Regis. Unlike some of the tourist-driven towns on the coast, Lyme Regis capitalises on the character of the area. Independent shops stocked with local produce line the high street beside quality restaurants and surprisingly good coffee.  The Lyme Regis micro-brewery perched over a tiny brook is a secret worth knowing about.

Down on the front, the part shingle, part sandy beach bends in a arc backed with colourful huts and cute town houses. It’s a lovely, authentic town with a working harbour that still clamours with activity in the early hours as fishermen head out to sea.  

A little further afield, take part of a fossil hunting expedition at Charmouth or enjoy a circular walk around the weird rock formations of West Bay. The barrel-vaulted, 14th Century Chapel at Abbotsbury is as traditionally English as you could hope to find.

Lyme Regis is a great place to stay on the Jurassic Coast for a beach town with a bit of character and nearby attractions.

DON’T MISS / Try some of the award-winning craft beer at the Tap Room of the Lyme Regis Brewery. In the summer months, they have live music in the courtyard.

3 / DORCHESTER 

Best place to stay on the Jurassic Coast for a charming market town with easy connections

If you want to explore all the things to do on the Jurassic Coast then Dorchester is a great option. Centrally located between the Purbeck peninsula and Lyme Regis, it’s a great base to explore most of the main attractions on the coast.

But as the capital of Dorset, Dorchester has its own appeal as well. The High Street is lined with grand and imposing architecture, excellent restaurants and museums. Perhaps more importantly, there’s good coffee at Coffee Saloon. As a major centre, it has a good range of accommodation from top quality B&B’s to grand Jurassic Coast hotels in landmark buildings.

Dorchester is a great option for where to stay on the Jurassic Coast. In less than an hour’s drive you can be at many of the best spots anywhere along the coast.  

DON’T MISS / Take some time to visit the nearby Maiden Castle, one of the oldest and most complex iron age forts in Europe.

4 / DESTINATION STAYS 

Best Jurassic Coast hotels and innovative stays which are the attraction in themselves

The Jurassic Coast has its fair share of quirky accommodation; places so good it hardly matters that you’re also in one of the most scenic parts of the country.  

The Gaggle of Geese are a gaggle of well-equipped and cosy Shepherds’ Huts set in the Dorset countryside. It may be a 30 minute drive to the coast, but with a local ale in your hand and logs crackling on the fire pit, you won’t want to leave anyway.

The Seaside Boarding House – perched on top of sandy cliffs outside Burton Bradstock – is a stylish Jurassic Coast hotel and lovely place to do absolutely nothing. But if you feel energised enough, stroll west along the coastal footpath to the cliffs of West Bay (where Broadchurch was filmed) or east to the popular Hive Beach Café overlooking a radiant sandy beach.

Finally, if you want to get away from it completely there’s always glamping. The Guy Mallinson Woodland Workshop has created a range of outdoor luxury accommodation in the Dorset woodland. Stay in one of the quirky yurts (called Poppet and Coracle), a tipi called Hoppus, a shepherd’s hut called Bodger and a luxury bell tent called Twybil. If you really want to awaken your inner wanderlust, sleep among the forest canopy in the Woodman’s treehouse. 

DON’T MISS / Soaking in the outdoor tub on the deck of the Woodsman’s Treehouse with a glass of champagne in hand.

HOW TO GET AROUND

The Jurassic Coast is a rural area of England. While some buses connect some of the major centres, the best sights are spread across a fairly wide area.  The easiest, and by far the most convenient way to get around is to drive. This way, you can collect castle ruins at sunset, then head of to start a day of hiking in this beautiful part of the world.

AUTO EUROPE

The best portal we’ve found for booking hire cars is Auto Europe. They have access to cars from all the major companies which are compared on a grid format that clearly displays the prices for different car sizes across each provider. 

USA CUSTOMERS – BOOK HERE

UK & EUROPE CUSTOMERS – BOOK HERE

MORE JURASSIC COAST & BRITAIN READING

If you are planning a Jurassic Coast, here are more of our guides to help you get the most out of this beautiful part of England.

How to spend a few days visiting Dorset’s Jurassic Coast

Lulworth Cove to Durdle Door – A stunning short walk

See the best of the Jurassic Coast on these Dorset Coastal walks

See the best of Seven Sisters Cliffs on this stunning walk

The best ways to visit and photograph Old Harry Rocks, Dorset