When you hear ‘Bognor Regis’, I bet two things comes to mind… the beach and Butlins.
You’re not wrong – it’s the main reason why most people head down to this beautiful West Sussex town but there is more to Bognor than the beach and Butlins. If you only have two days and you’re trying to cram in all in, this little post is going to help you make the best out of your 2 days trip. Let’s get planning!
We recently stayed at the Premier Inn Bognor Regis which is actually in a neighbouring town called Shripney. It’s about a 10mins drive from BR but if you don’t drive, it’s a good walk (roughly 40 minutes at a steady pace). Our family love walking around so it didn’t bother us but if you don’t fancy a massive trek and don’t own a car, I’d highly recommend to stay around the town centre. You can search Booking.com for a list of available hotels self-catering apartments or another good option would be an Airbnb property.
48 hours in Bognor Regis: things to see and do
Top Travel Tip: When travelling for two days or less, planning is key! That’s the only way you’ll be able to squeeze in a jam-packed day but remember to also allow yourself some flexibility with your plans. If something runs over on the day or doesn’t seem as interesting anymore, move onto the next thing you have planned. A quick Google search will give you an alternative list of things you can do.
So without further ado, here’s a list of things you can get up to with 48 hours in Bognor Regis:
Bognor Regis Beach
Take a leisurely stroll along the beach promenade which stretches some 2.7 miles all the way from Felpham to the east and Aldwick to the west. The beach that’s closer to the Pier is West Beach, whereas the beach that’s closer to Butlins is East Beach. Somewhere along the middle, you’ll also find a small under 5s playground called ‘Play on the beach’. It’s free and was busy when we had a chance to pop along. Kids can just play about to their heart’s content. Further along the promenade and close to Butlins, you’ll also find the Bognor Regis Beach office and a mini-railway train that you can board for a short ride along the promenade.
Bognor Regis Pier and Arcade
Not as long as other pier ends due to the damage caused by the rough seas weakening it structure over the years. Some of the pier length had been saved however after the Lottery bid to rescue it was rejected, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the seaward end gets lost completely. There’s not a lot to see here but it’s still worth a quick visit – at least for a photo or two – before it’s gone.
There’s actually a nightclub and sports bar on the pier and an arcade at the promenade end. Daddy P and the kids loved it at the arcade, all the traditional games are there and you can play to win prizes.
Bognor Regis Museum
Want to know a bit more about Bognor Regis and its past? How Bognor went being a fishing village to a popular seaside destination? Almost every aspect of Bognor’s history is represented at the museum; from rocks and fossils millions of years old to before the town was founded, through to the present day. It’s a pretty small museum so it won’t take you long but it’s worth popping in to have a look around.
Bognor Regis Picturedome
This traditional grade II listed building is the town’s local cinema. Forget over-priced cinema tickets, at the Picturedome you can watch the latest blockbusters for only £3.50 per ticket (£4.50 on weekends and bank holidays)! The cinema also runs accessibility-friendly showings, just visit their website for show timings and more details: https://www.picturedromebognor.com/
Hotham Park
This amazing park is right beside Butlins resort. It’s a very large park with lots of fun things to do inside with the children. Paddle about in the paddle boats at the boating lake, grab something to eat at the Hotham Park cafe then spot wild birds in the wildlife area (unfortunately we didn’t find any!). Then perhaps hop onto the mini-railway train to take you around the park, then play all day at the adventure playground and look out for the White Rabbit by following the Alice in Wonderland nature trail. We found Alice, the White Rabbit and even had a quick snack with the Mad Hatter – it would’ve been rude not to have joined him for tea!
Wildforest Falls Adventure Golf Course
Within the walls of Hotham Park beside the adventure playground, you will find the Wildforest Falls adventure golf course. This wacky 18-hole mini golf course was a lot of fun – a family of four cost us a total of £21 and you can choose to just play for fun or score the game. As it was our first time, we just played for fun and ditched the scores. We ended up leaving after the 12th hole as the kids got tired, we played for an hour or so. Once you start at hole 1, you take your time to make your way round the whole course however we did see some families skipping holes as some people took really long at the same one.
Arundel Castle & Gardens
If you get tired of Bognor Regis why not head out to a neighbouring town? Venture out to Arundel for a day and visit this beautiful, medieval castle and its well-kept gardens. Bring history to life with their family-friendly events, meet characters from its historical past and whilst at Arundel, visit the historical town’s museum, galleries, shops and restaurants – all only 500m from the main entrance.
Prefer to stay for the day? Search for hotels in Arundel here
Visit other neighbouring towns like Chichester
Another beautiful neighbourhood town is Chichester – famed for the Chichester Cathedral, Bishop’s Palace Gardens and the photographer’s choice, Halnaker Windmill which has its very own trail. There’s lots of things you can do on a day’s visit to Chichester, see Discover Sussex’s top things to do in Chichester here.
Prefer to stay? Search for hotels in Chichester here
Butlins Day Visits
Want to Butlins but don’t want to commit to staying on resort? Then the option to visit Butlins for a day would be the perfect option for you and your family. Butlins Day Visits are a cheaper option and you can enter the park as early as 10AM and leave as late as 7PM. Day visitors get access to the splash park, main fairground rides and entertainment in the Sky Pavilion main tent. Both Little Man and Little Miss LOVED the massive soft play area – perfect for all ages!
You can also dine at any of the cafes and restaurants on site. The Big Top Circus show is at an additional charge, as is some of the fairground attractions ie. the zipline and go-karts.
And that’s it! I hope you find this mini guide of family things to do in Bognor Regis helpful! Keep a bookmark of this page in case you want to re-visit it.
Have you been to Bognor Regis or Butlins before?
Let me know what your highlights were about your trip in the comments below.
NB. This post contains affiliate links.
Manny.Wandering | The Wandering Mother Blog 
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