Bridport is a lively market town surrounded by acres of spectacular Dorset countryside, and just a mile inland from a beautiful sweep of English Channel and Jurassic Coast coastline called West Bay. As well as being in a spectacularly beautiful location, Bridport is also known for its rich cultural calendar, fantastic antiques quarter and for its rope-making. In this part of Dorset out Gurus favour old coaching inns, converted country houses and charmingly chintzy guest houses and B&Bs, and our pick of the best places to stay in Bridport is a charming centrally located coaching inn.

Bridport is the kind of place requiring many footnotes (ITV's Broadchurch is far from the first fictional story to borrow this setting), indeed Thomas Hardy rebranded it Port Brady in his Wessex novels. The town has also been shaped by its rope weaving industry — the main street is especially wide because this is where the ropes were once dried. Bridport also has England’s Oldest Family Butchers, a butchering family that stretches back to 1515, and Britain’s only thatched brewery, Palmers, where all the ales are made using a centuries old process. The best places to stay in Bridport put guests close to all of this, along with the Bridport Museum, the excellent Arts Centre, the Lyric Theatre, Grade I listed Bridport Town Hall, and the Parish of St. Mary Church.

Bridport is also in the heart of the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and there are miles of marked walking and cycling routes to enjoy. Bridport is also known for its food and drink. The regular market days (twice-weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays), and a monthly farmers' market, have kept the town affluent and much visited, and the pubs, inns, cafes and restaurants have thrived, with high quality across the board.

If you're planning to visit during the peak summer season or school holidays, get organised and book well ahead. The best places to stay in Bridport fill up fast!

The Best Places to Stay in Bridport

For a Memorable Stay

• The Bull Hotel is an 18th century coaching inn with 14 individually decorated rooms. You can expect plenty of colour and patterned Cole & Son wallpapers, and oodles of style. The Red Four-Poster room is the largest, and, as well as the impressive bed, it has a roll-top bath. The rooms in the more modern wing of the building are better for families. The Head Chef serves a locally sourced menu in his two great restaurants, and can do you a packed lunch by request. After supper guest gravitate towards the Venner Bar, where a resident mixologist will create something just for you.

Prefer a Private Apartment or Cottage?

• If you'd prefer the privacy of a self-catering option then browse through the wide variety available online with our partner, Booking.com.

Travel Information

• Bridport doesn’t have its own railway station, the closest one is Crewkerne, which is about 20 minutes away by taxi. Yeovil Station is another local option. If you’re travelling via London, you can catch the train from Waterloo to Crewkerne, but then you have to catch a taxi from there. The closest airport to Bridport is Exeter International Airport, which is about 43 minutes away by car or taxi. Bournemouth Airport is about an hour away, and Bristol Airport is around an hour and a half away by road.
• If you want to hire a car we recommend you visit our online partner, Rentalcars.
• Lush, green Bridport gets plenty of rain every month, with more in autumn and winter, so it’s definitely worth packing your waterproof gear, even if you’re visiting in the height of summer sunshine. It’s busy during the summer, when people use it as an alternative base for visiting the sweeping coastline of West Bay, but both Bridport and West Bay make a great coastal escape in any season.

Still not sure where to stay?

• Expand your search to our Gurus’ recommendations for all of the best places to stay in Dorset
• Extend your search to Bridport’s neighbours, and consider the best places to stay in Lyme Regis, Sidmouth or even Dorchester
• You might also want to refine your search by the kind of accommodation you’re looking for. Consider our Gurus recommendations for Dorset’s best pubs-with-rooms, the best country house hotels in Dorset or Dorset’s most romantic hotels
• Alternatively, you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.