Harbor towns, art galleries, tidal castles and Atlantic beaches at the end of the line
Cornwall is the long south-western peninsula of England, with about three hundred miles of coastline according to Visit Cornwall. This guide covers six coastal bases: St Ives and West Penwith, Penzance with Mousehole and Land's End, Falmouth and the Helford River, Newquay, Padstow and the Camel estuary, and the south-east coast around Fowey, Polperro and Looe.
The main railway line runs from Plymouth to Penzance, with branches to St Ives, Falmouth, Newquay and Looe, so several bases can be reached without a car. Padstow and many villages are off the railway, and Visit Cornwall also lists buses, ferries and park and ride schemes. Opening hours change through the year, so check each place's own website before you go.
Areas
Each area has its own mini guide with 88 sights, places to eat and drink, and where to stay across the city.
Galleries, harbor beaches and the granite moors of Penwith
Open the mini guide →
A market town, fishing ports and Britain’s south-western tip
Open the mini guide →
A deep-water port, two Tudor castles and the creeks of the Helford
Open the mini guide →
Surf beaches, headlands and family attractions on the Atlantic coast
Open the mini guide →
A fishing port, estuary cycling and sandy bays on the north coast
Open the mini guide →
A sailing harbor, fishing villages and the clay-pit gardens of Eden
Open the mini guide →Sights
A sight from each area. Every area guide lists the rest, with directions and official links.
Gallery of modern British art with links to the St Ives area. Tate also manages the Barbara Hepworth Museum in the town.
Tidal island in Mount's Bay, linked to Marazion by a granite causeway that can be crossed from mid-tide to low water.
Artillery fort built by Henry VIII between 1540 and 1542, later enlarged with ramparts and bastions, guarding the mouth of the River Fal.
Beach in Fistral Bay, half a mile west of Newquay between Towan Head and Pentire Point East.
Grade I listed Elizabethan house built in 1592 above Padstow, home of the Prideaux family for over 400 years.
Port town at the mouth of the River Fowey, with a church first founded in the 7th century.
Studio and garden where the sculptor Barbara Hepworth lived and worked from 1949 until her death in 1975, kept much as she left them.
Town on Mount's Bay two miles east of Penzance, facing St Michael's Mount.
1 / 12Animal attractions, railways, science centres, beaches and caves from our Cornwall guide, grouped by type. We hold no age ratings or child prices: check each place’s own site for age limits, height rules and family tickets.
Newquay ZooZoo, Newquay & the North Coast
Lappa Valley Steam RailwayHeritage railway, Newquay & the North Coast
Land's EndHeadland and visitor centre, Penzance, Mousehole & Land’s End
National Lobster HatcheryVisitor centre, Padstow & the Camel Estuary
Porthmeor BeachBeach, St Ives & West Penwith
Porthminster BeachBeach, St Ives & West Penwith
Carbis BayBeach, St Ives & West Penwith
MarazionTown and beach, Penzance, Mousehole & Land’s End
Jubilee PoolLido, Penzance, Mousehole & Land’s End
Lamorna CoveCove, Penzance, Mousehole & Land’s End
Sennen CoveCove and village, Penzance, Mousehole & Land’s End
Gyllyngvase BeachBeach, Falmouth & the Helford
Botallack MineMine ruins, Penzance, Mousehole & Land’s End
Geevor Tin MineMine and museum, Penzance, Mousehole & Land’s EndPractical help: travelling with children and where to stay in Cornwall.
Theater
4 theaters and performance venues across 3 areas: see where each one is, how to get there and where to find what is on.
Itineraries
Short routes that stitch the areas together.
Getting there
Cornwall's main railway line ends at Penzance, there is an airport at Newquay, and long-distance coaches run as far as Penzance. Always check the operator for current times, fares and disruption.
Great Western Railway runs trains from London Paddington through Cornwall to Penzance. Its Cornwall page quotes as little as 5 hr 4 min from Paddington to Penzance, 4 hr 21 min from Paddington to Truro and 1 hr 50 min from Plymouth to Penzance. Visit Cornwall adds that CrossCountry runs direct daily trains from Bristol and beyond, and that branch lines reach St Ives, Falmouth, Newquay and Looe.
The Night Riviera Sleeper runs between London Paddington and Penzance nightly except Saturdays, according to GWR. Its schedule page lists departures from Paddington at 23:45 (23:50 on Sundays) and from Penzance at 21:45 (21:15 on Sundays), with stops in Cornwall including Truro, St Austell and St Erth. Seats cost no extra and cabins carry a supplement. Cabin guests can use GWR's lounges at Paddington, Penzance and Truro. GWR warns that engineering works can delay boarding at Paddington, so check before you travel.
Cornwall Airport Newquay is the main commercial airport for Cornwall, about 4.5 miles north-east of Newquay, according to Wikipedia. Visit Cornwall says it has routes from across the UK and beyond, and that Exeter Airport is also within reach by the A30 and A38.
Visit Cornwall says National Express runs a full service into Cornwall as far as Penzance and gives coach times of around 7 to 8 hours from London or Birmingham to Truro. Check the operator for current routes and times.
Visit Cornwall says it takes less than five hours to reach the heart of Cornwall from London or Birmingham: the M5 to Exeter, then the A30, which is mostly divided highway, or the A38 through Plymouth and Saltash. It warns of heavy traffic in peak season, school vacations and on weekends, and that sat-navs can send drivers down narrow lanes with few places to reverse.
Journey times on this page are the operators' or Visit Cornwall's own headline figures. We do not publish schedules or fares.
Visit Cornwall suggests exploring from St Ives to Looe by rail and lists park and ride schemes at St Erth for St Ives and at Liskeard for Looe. Falmouth, Newquay, St Ives and Looe each have their own branch from the Cornish Main Line.
Transport for Cornwall publishes bus schedules and tickets for the county. Operators and routes change, so check its site for the journey you want. Rural routes can be infrequent, especially outside summer.
Visit Cornwall lists the King Harry chain ferry, the Bodinnick Ferry at Fowey, passenger ferries from Falmouth to St Mawes, Flushing and other Fal villages, a ferry between Fowey and Polruan, and tide-dependent boats at Looe and across the Gannel at Newquay.
Visit Cornwall warns of heavy traffic in peak season and of narrow country lanes with high hedges and few places to reverse. Allow extra time and follow road signs rather than the GPS alone.
The South West Coast Path, England's second-longest waymarked trail at 630 miles, runs along the Cornish coast. Many of the headlands, coves and villages in this guide are on it.
Transport for Cornwall
Best time to go
Visit Cornwall describes summer as the busy season, with winter for wild walks and spring and fall for hiking and wild swimming. Many seasonal businesses cut their hours or close outside summer, so check opening before you plan a day around one place.
Visit Cornwall suggests hiking boots and hedgerow foraging. Check garden and attraction websites for their spring opening dates.
Beaches, boat trips and harbor towns are at their busiest, and Visit Cornwall warns of heavy traffic on weekends and in school vacations. Book parking, tables and rooms early.
Quieter coast paths and beaches. Some attractions shorten their hours and Atlantic storms can close cliff paths or castles, as at Tintagel on the day this guide was checked.
Visit Cornwall recommends wild walks and winter solstice events. Daylight is short, and many cafés and attractions open fewer days, so check each website.
Day trips
Ideas for a day away from Cornwall. Check the operators for times and tickets.
Cathedral city and county town, with the busiest railway station in Cornwall and the junction for the Falmouth branch.
visittruro.org.uk →
The tourist board says the Scillonian III sails daily from Penzance from March to November, weather permitting, and Skybus flies from Land's End, Newquay and Exeter.
visitislesofscilly.com →
Medieval ruins on a coastal island reached by a footbridge, in the care of English Heritage. It can close in high winds, so check before you go.
english-heritage.org.uk →FAQ
A week gives you time for two or three of the six bases in this guide without constant driving. St Ives, Penzance and the far west fit together, as do Falmouth and Fowey, and Newquay and Padstow.
Great Western Railway quotes as little as 4 hr 21 min from London Paddington to Truro and 5 hr 4 min to Penzance. Check GWR for the current schedule, and for the sleeper if you want to travel overnight.
GWR's Cornwall page says it runs nightly except Saturdays, and its schedule lists departures from Paddington on Monday to Friday and on Sunday. Cabins carry a supplement, while seats cost no extra. Check GWR for engineering works.
Partly. The main line, the St Ives, Falmouth, Newquay and Looe branches and local buses reach many of the places in this guide. Padstow, the Helford River and many villages are easier with a car or careful use of buses and ferries.
Cornwall Airport Newquay is the main commercial airport for Cornwall. Visit Cornwall says Exeter Airport is also within reach by the A30 and A38.
Many are popular for swimming and surfing, but the Atlantic coast can have strong surf and tidal currents. Read Visit Cornwall's beach safety page and follow lifeguard signs before you go in.
Some are, and some close or shorten their hours. Every place listed in this guide had a working website showing it was operating when checked on Oct 25, 2026, but opening days still change, so check before you travel.
Nearby places
Our closest other guides, by straight-line distance between centres. Road and rail distances are longer: check a journey planner.
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits
Plan it properly
Keep exploring
English (UK)
English (US)
Français
Deutsch
Español
Italiano
Nederlands
简体中文