Things to Do in Cornwall: The Complete Guide
Beaches, coast walks, castles, gardens, steam trains and the best pasty of your life. Here's everything worth doing in Cornwall, with links to our detailed guides, prices and a free planner to pull it all together.
1. Hit the beaches
Cornwall's 300-plus beaches are the main event. Kynance Cove and Porthcurno are the showstoppers, Fistral and Polzeath are the places to learn to surf, and Watergate Bay and Gwithian give you room to breathe even in August. Check the tide before you go: some coves disappear at high water.
See the 10 best beaches in Cornwall for when to visit each one.
2. Walk the South West Coast Path
The coast path wraps around the whole of Cornwall. Try an easy stroll from Mousehole to Lamorna, the flat clifftops from Lizard Point to Kynance, or the wild and rugged Zennor to St Ives.
Distances, difficulty and how to get back are in 5 of the best coast path walks.
3. Explore harbour towns
St Ives has galleries, sheltered beaches and a branch-line train ride. Mousehole and Port Isaac are picture-perfect fishing villages, and Falmouth has the Maritime Museum, Pendennis Castle and a busy waterfront.
See our town guides for Falmouth, Padstow, Newquay, Penzance, Fowey and more, and our St Ives day plan for beating the crowds.
4. Big days out
The Eden Project's giant biomes, the Lost Gardens of Heligan, St Michael's Mount (walk the causeway at low tide), the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and Newquay Zoo are the headline attractions. Families should also look at Paradise Park, Lappa Valley and Kidzworld.
Compare prices, websites and directions on our attractions & prices page, or read Cornwall with kids.
5. Castles, mines and history
Climb to the clifftop ruins of Tintagel Castle, explore Tudor Pendennis Castle, and go underground at Geevor Tin Mine, part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site. In Truro, the cathedral and the Cornwall Museum & Art Gallery tell the county's story.
6. Get on the water and bikes
Book a surf lesson at Fistral, Polzeath or Watergate Bay. Hire bikes for the flat, traffic-free Camel Trail from Padstow, and look out for boat trips and kayak tours from harbours around the coast, from wildlife spotting to fishing trips.
7. Things to do when it rains
Head indoors to the Eden Project, Blue Reef Aquarium, the National Maritime Museum, Tate St Ives, or Par Market and Kidzworld near St Austell. Read 10 rainy day ideas.
8. Free things to do
- Every beach and the whole coast path (only parking costs anything)
- Rock pooling at low tide, at Polzeath, Sennen and many more
- Cycling the Camel Trail on your own bike
- Truro Cathedral (donations welcome)
- Watching the sunset from Sennen, St Ives or Godrevy, where you might spot seals
Plan your trip
Pull it all together with our free trip planner. Save places, sort them into days, track your budget and tick off the packing list. It works on your phone, even offline.
Open the trip planner When to go