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简体中文Mixed: depends where you go Our reading of the sources below, not an official rating.
Away from the rail line, including the north coast, you depend on buses: check Transport for Cornwall for the day you travel, because some routes run on set days only.
Stations, bridges and harbours from our guide where we hold a photo; each links to the area page that lists it.
Paying for local transport in Cornwall
Transport for Cornwall
- Transport for Cornwall lists adult, child (5 to 15 and 16 to 18) and young person (19 to 25) day tickets valid until the end of service (02:59) on the day of activation, multi-day tickets, Truro Park and Ride bundles, and family and group day tickets. Child and young person tickets need verification before use, which it says can take up to 48 hours. Tickets are bought in the Transport for Cornwall app.Source: Transport for Cornwall (opens in new tab).
Without a car
Getting here
By train
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. 1
GWR: trains to Cornwall (opens in new tab) · National Rail (opens in new tab) · Visit Cornwall: travel and transport (opens in new tab)
By sleeper train
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. 2
By air
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. 3
By coach
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. 4
Once you are there
Buses
Visit Cornwall calls Cornwall's bus network extensive and highlights scenic bus routes. Transport for Cornwall publishes schedules, maps and tickets, and some routes run only on set days (its site shows 'Tuesdays only' on one). Check the day you want to travel. 5,6
Use the branch lines
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. 7
Check the buses
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. 8
Walk the coast
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. 9
Stops near each area
From our area guides (Cornwall): the stations and stops listed for each base. See each area's Getting there page for more.
St Ives & West Penwith
- St Ives: GWR, St Ives Bay Line. Terminus of the 4.25-mile branch from St Erth, which has five stations in all
- St Erth: GWR, Cornish Main Line. Junction for the St Ives branch; Visit Cornwall lists a park and ride here
- Penzance: GWR, CrossCountry, Night Riviera. Terminus of the Cornish Main Line, the nearest main-line terminus to St Ives
- Buses to Zennor and Penwith: Transport for Cornwall. Check the operator’s journey planner for current routes and times
Penzance, Mousehole & Land’s End
- Penzance: GWR, CrossCountry, Night Riviera. Terminus of the Cornish Main Line and the southernmost station in Great Britain
- St Erth: GWR, Cornish Main Line. Junction for the St Ives branch, a few stations east of Penzance
- Coach to Penzance: National Express. Visit Cornwall says National Express runs a full service into Cornwall as far as Penzance
- Isles of Scilly ferry: Isles of Scilly Travel. Visit Cornwall says the Scillonian sails from Penzance once a day
- Local buses: Transport for Cornwall. Check the operator for routes to Mousehole, Land’s End and Porthcurno
Falmouth & the Helford
- Falmouth Town: GWR, Maritime Line. The most central of Falmouth’s stations; it is unstaffed
- Falmouth Docks: GWR, Maritime Line. Terminus of the line from Truro, which opened in 1863
- Truro: GWR, CrossCountry. Junction for the Maritime Line and the busiest station in Cornwall
- Passenger ferries: Fal River operators. Visit Cornwall lists passenger ferries from Falmouth to St Mawes, Place, Trelissick, Flushing and Malpas
- King Harry Ferry: King Harry Steam Ferry Company. Vehicle chain ferry across the Carrick Roads between Feock and Philleigh
Newquay & the North Coast
- Newquay: GWR, Atlantic Coast Line. Terminus of the branch from Par, in the heart of the town; Wikipedia says there are summer services to and from London
- Par: GWR, CrossCountry. Cornish Main Line junction for the Atlantic Coast Line to Newquay
- Cornwall Airport Newquay: Flights. The main commercial airport for Cornwall, 4.5 miles north-east of Newquay, according to Wikipedia
- Local buses: Transport for Cornwall. Check the operator for routes along the coast to Watergate Bay and Padstow
Padstow & the Camel Estuary
- Bodmin Parkway: GWR, CrossCountry. Cornish Main Line station for Bodmin, three miles south-east of the town; onward by bus or taxi
- Newquay Cornwall Airport: Flights. Visit Cornwall lists it as the airport for Cornwall; Wikipedia puts it 4.5 miles north-east of Newquay
- Padstow Visitor Information Centre: Mariner’s Clock Building, South Quay. Visit Cornwall lists the center for local advice before and during a stay
- Local buses: Transport for Cornwall. Check the operator for services to Padstow, Rock and Polzeath
Fowey, Polperro & the south-east coast
- Par: GWR, CrossCountry. Cornish Main Line station and junction for the Newquay branch, near St Austell Bay
- Liskeard: GWR, CrossCountry. Junction for the 8.75-mile Looe Valley Line; Visit Cornwall lists a park and ride at Liskeard for Looe
- Looe: GWR, Looe Valley Line. Terminus of the branch, facing the Looe estuary
- Bodinnick Ferry: Vehicle and foot ferry. Visit Cornwall says it links Fowey with south-east Cornwall, Polperro and Looe
- Fowey to Polruan ferry: Passenger ferry. Visit Cornwall says a ferry crosses the river between the two villages
No schedules or fares are copied here: check the operator or Traveline for the day you travel. Taxis and ride-hailing apps operate in most towns, but we have no sourced coverage data for rural areas, so do not count on one at short notice.
With a car
By car
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. 7
Roads and GPS
Visit Cornwall warns of heavy traffic in peak season, in school vacations and on weekends, and says sat navs may lead drivers onto narrow lanes with high hedges and few places to reverse. Follow road signs as well as the GPS. 5
Ferries that carry cars
Visit Cornwall lists three Torpoint ferries across to Plymouth that run 24 hours a day, the King Harry Ferry and the Bodinnick Ferry at Fowey. Check each operator for vehicle space and times. 5
Electric cars
Visit Cornwall's transport page does not mention charging. Use Zapmap or the charge point operator's own app to plan stops. 5,10
Cross the water by ferry
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. 7
Drive with care
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. 7
General rules (driving on the left, licenses, roundabouts, speed limits in mph, parking, tolls, EV charging): Driving in Britain. Charge points: Zapmap (opens in new tab).
To and from other regions
Straight-line distance from our region centers, and the fastest train time that National Rail publishes on its destination pages (not a schedule; it may include a change). Where we found no figure we say so. The full table is on getting between regions.
| To or from | Straight line | Fastest train (National Rail) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bath | 227 km (141 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Bristol | 218 km (136 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Cambridge | 421 km (261 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Cardiff | 190 km (118 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Edinburgh | 646 km (402 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Glasgow | 626 km (389 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Liverpool | 378 km (235 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| London | 373 km (232 miles) | 5 h 4 min 1 | The time is London Paddington to Penzance, "as little as" as published by GWR; Cornwall has other stations that are nearer. The Night Riviera Sleeper runs between London Paddington and Penzance. Visit Cornwall says coach times from London or Birmingham to Truro are around 7 to 8 hours; National Express serves Cornwall as far as Penzance.7 |
| Manchester | 408 km (253 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Northern Ireland | 503 km (312 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Oxford | 314 km (195 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Portsmouth and Southampton | 277 km (172 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Stratford & Warwickshire | 325 km (202 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| The Cotswolds | 293 km (182 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| The Jurassic Coast | 183 km (114 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| The Lake District | 487 km (303 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| The Peak District | 402 km (250 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| The Scottish Highlands | 773 km (480 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| Wales | 244 km (152 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
| York | 494 km (307 miles) | No official figure found. Check National Rail (opens in new tab) | — |
Figures retrieved Oct 25, 2026 for the intercity data. Schedules change.
Stations in our data
50 stations and stops (Cornwall)
OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via Nominatim search (may be incomplete). Fetched 2026-10-25. This is the list behind the near-me page, not a complete list of stations.
- Benny Halt (station)
- Bodmin General (station)
- Bodmin Parkway (station)
- Boscarne Junction (station)
- Bugle (station)
- Camborne (station)
- Carbis Bay (station)
- Causeland (station)
- Colesloggett Halt (station)
- Coombe Junction Halt (station)
- East Wheal Rose (station)
- Falmouth Docks (station)
- Falmouth Town (station)
- Groggly Halt (station)
- Hayle (station)
- Launceston (station)
- Lelant (station)
- Lelant Saltings (station)
- Liskeard (station)
- Looe (station)
- Lostwithiel (station)
- Luxulyan (station)
- Mansion House (station)
- Menheniot (station)
- Moseley Junction (High Level) (station)
- Moseley Junction (Low Level) (station)
- Newlyn Halt (station)
- Newmills (station)
- Newquay (station)
- Par (station)
- Paul's Loop (station)
- Penmere (station)
- Penryn (station)
- Penzance (station)
- Perranwell (station)
- Prospidnick Halt (station)
- Quintrell Downs (station)
- Redruth (station)
- Roche (station)
- Sandplace (station)
- St Austell (station)
- St Erth (station)
- St Germans (station)
- St Ives (station)
- St Keyne Wishing Well Halt (station)
- St. Columb Road (station)
- Trebah Halt (station)
- Trevarno (station)
- Truro (station)
- Truthall Halt (station)
Official links
- Visit Cornwall (opens in new tab): the county's official tourism site
- Visit Cornwall: travel and transport (opens in new tab): train, road, air, coach, bus and ferry
- Visit Cornwall: beach safety (opens in new tab): tides, currents and lifeguards
- Great Western Railway: trains to Cornwall (opens in new tab): main line and branch lines
- Great Western Railway: Night Riviera Sleeper (opens in new tab): sleeper schedule and cabins
- National Rail Inquiries (opens in new tab): train times and fares
- Transport for Cornwall (opens in new tab): bus schedules and tickets
- Cornwall Airport Newquay (opens in new tab): flights and onward travel
- National Express (opens in new tab): coaches to Cornwall
- Isles of Scilly Travel (opens in new tab): ferry and Skybus to the Isles of Scilly
More on Cornwall: Cornwall guide · how to get there
Questions people ask
Can I get around Cornwall without a car?
Cornwall's main line, branch lines and ferries make a car-free trip possible between the larger towns, but public transport thins out away from them. The north coast is the weak spot: Visit Cornwall lists branch lines to St Ives, Falmouth, Newquay and Looe, and none for Padstow, so there you depend on buses.
Do I need to check a driving zone in Cornwall?
We found no charging or low emission zone for Cornwall in the official pages we read. Check the council site before you drive in.