Cornwall is defined by its magnificent coastline with over 300 miles of dunes and cliffs, medieval harbours, and oak-forested creeks – every mile accessible on foot and with plenty of things to do along the way.
There is surfing on the north coast, sailing and paddleboarding on the south and all kinds of water craft for hire from postcard-perfect harbours. Tucked away in sheltered valleys are the county’s justly celebrated sub-tropical gardens stocked with specimens from five continents collected by Victorian plant hunters. Many have a country house attached, which is open to the public and has activities for children to keep everyone engaged.
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Best for sightseeing
St Michael’s Mount
Everyone loves a castle and they don’t come much more dramatically sited than this. Reached on foot at low tide across a causeway (there’s a 90-minute window either side of low tide – check cornwalls.co.uk, otherwise take the ferry), this former medieval monastery, now home to the St Aubyn family, has been sensitively restored and de-cluttered to show life on the island in the 17th century. The chapel has sublime stained glass and holds services on Sundays. Don’t miss the terraced gardens. Visitors (including National Trust members) must now pre-purchase tickets to access the island, the castle and/or the gardens; these can be booked online.
Website: stmichaelsmount.co.uk
Price: ££
Isles of Scilly
It takes just 20 minutes to fly to the Isles of Scilly on the regular Skybus flights from Land’s End airfield to St Mary’s, the main island or 30 minutes from Newquay Airport, flying low over the land. If you take an early flight you can hop on a boat to explore the seabird colonies (puffins leave in late July) of the remote Western Isles or walk around pretty St Agnes and sample its farm-made ice-cream and eat Gav’s lobster and chips. Day trips are also offered on the helicopter service from Penzance to Tresco which has white-sand beaches and a historical sub-tropical garden.
Website: islesofscilly-travel.co.uk; penzancehelicopters.co.uk
Price: £££
The Eden Project
The world’s largest rainforest in captivity lies inside the Eden Project; there’s even a waterfall inside one of the massive ‘Biomes’ which are architectural wonders in themselves. The crowds can be tiresome on a dull summer’s day so visit in sunshine. There are free daily walking tours in both the rainforest and Mediterranean biomes. It’s not all about the plants though. Eden has Britain’s longest zipwire, the SkyWire, which is the nearest you’ll get to flying. Book through hanglooseadventure.com.
Get a more in-depth experience by per-booking a two-hour private Premium Experience tour of the rainforest or the Mediterranean Biome led by site staff; fees from £92.50 per person.
Website: edenproject.com
Price: £££
Best for art and culture
The Minack Theatre
Few open-air theatres can boast a more impressive backdrop than the Minack, a natural granite amphitheatre curling around an azure bay. The story of Rowena Cade’s extraordinary feat in transforming her cliffside garden into a Greek-style theatre is told in the small museum. You can tour the theatre by day but it is at its most magical on performance nights. The café has wrap-around sea views. Be sure to book online well in advance and bring warm windproof clothes and a rug even on a summer’s evening.
Website: minack.com
Price: £
Tate St Ives
The special quality of the light here has drawn artists to St Ives for over a century, particularly in the post-war years when its avant-garde abstract works were acclaimed worldwide. To celebrate this legacy, an extension to the Tate opened in late 2017 enabling the gallery to show a permanent collection of works by Hepworth, Nicholson, Gabo and Frost as well as seasonal exhibitions.
While you’re in town, make time to see work by contemporary artists at the New Craftsman in Fore Street, the Penwith Gallery in Back Road West and St Ives Ceramics in Fish Street.
Website: tate.org.uk
Price: ££
Best for families
Newquay Zoo
One of Britain’s best, Newquay Zoo has 130 species including lions, meerkats, monkeys and zebras living in habitats that try to give them a feeling of home. The Tropical House is not for the faint-hearted: it’s a den of hairy spiders, colourful frogs and deadly snakes. Children will love it. Check the website for details of daily feeding times and keeper talks.
For energetic children there are extensive outdoor play areas including a Tarzan Trail with rope walks and balancing beams.
Website: newquayzoo.org.uk
Price: ££
Geevor tin mine
Geevor, one of Cornwall’s last-working tin mines, closed in 1990 but the interior remains as if the miners have just finished their shift. Knowledgeable, enthusiastic guides – some are former workers – bring the buildings to life with anecdotes of the miners’ lives as they take visitors through the ore processing works and into one of the underground tunnels. The café serves an excellent pasty.
From here you can walk along the cliffs to the National Trust’s Levant Mine to see a working 1840s beam engine as featured in Poldark. Note that the mine is only accessible on a guided tour, which run on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Website: geevor.com
Price: ££
Kayaking on the Helford
There’s a real sense of remoteness along the bird-rich Helford River where ancient oaks dip their branches into tidal creeks. Koru Kayaking has pioneered guided tours along its tranquil waters in two-person sea kayaks. The trips are suitable for families with children over six. In summer there’s an opportunity to swim in Frenchman’s Creek, the inspiration for Daphne du Maurier’s eponymous novel, before paddling back to shore.
The kayaks set off from Budock Vean Hotel’s private beach so consider booking a soothing hot stones massage at its highly regarded spa as a post-kayak treat.
Website: korukayaking.co.uk
Price: £££
Watergate Bay
Newquay is the home of UK surfing but the waves can be big and the sea crowded on summer days. Instead head for the gentler swell at Watergate Bay, a few miles to the east, where the sand shelves gently into the sea and there’s plenty of space for all the family to hone their skills. The instructors at Wavehunters are all qualified lifeguards and the wetsuits fit properly.
From Watergate Bay, walk west towards Newquay to discover the beauty of its complex geology and discover slate cliffs laid down in myriad shades of blue and red.
Website: wavehunters.co.uk
Price: £££
The Camel Trail
The 18-mile, traffic-free Camel Trail along a disused railway line between Wenfordbridge on Bodmin Moor and Padstow is popular with walkers, cyclists, riders and wheelchair users. The loveliest stretch is from Wadebridge to Bodmin where, if you time it right, you can watch the Bodmin Railway’s steam locomotive puff into Boscarne Junction. If you don’t fancy the walk, you can rent an e-bike.
Situated near Bodmin, the award-winning Camel Valley Vineyard accessed off the trail, offers a daily guided tour at 10.30am April to October. Well-behaved kids are welcome.
Website: cameltrail.co.uk
Price: ££
Best for nature
Sea Life Trust Seal Sanctuary
Set deep in a Helford River creek, the Sealife Trust has been rescuing and rehabilitating stranded seal pups for 50 years. Open all year, it’s a great chance to see seals up close, not only lounging beside the water but also showing off their exceptional swimming ability from underwater-viewing areas. The sanctuary also hosts rescued puffins on Puffin Island and is working with the Beaver Trust to nurse orphaned baby beavers and help them find their feet in the wild as master dambuilders.
You can see a large colony of wild seals in St Ives Bay for free. There is a National Trust car park at Godrevy Head in St Ives Bay (opposite the lighthouse). From here walk east around the cliffs to Kynance Cove (not to be confused with the famous beach on the Lizard).
Website: sealsanctuary.sealifetrust.org
Price: ££
Paradise Park
Aptly named, Paradise Park in Hayle began as a conservation and breeding centre for parrots and macaws but has now spread its wings. As well as more than 100 species of parrot housed in large aviaries in a sub-tropical garden, there are endangered red pandas, penguins and otters. Children will love the petting farm and Jungle Barn indoor play area. The Otter Café serves good food.
There’s a daily Eagles of Paradise flying show (usually at 11.30am but check) which includes Archie the bald eagle.
Website: paradisepark.org.uk
Price: ££
The Lost Gardens of Heligan
Rediscovered by Tim Smit, the man behind the Eden Project, Heligan is an astonishing story of the recovery of a full-blown Victorian country house garden. The site is extensive so it’s possible to find peace here even in high summer. Beyond the flamboyant Himalayan spring garden are productive Edwardian fruit, flower and vegetable gardens and, deeper in the valley, shady pools where damselflies dance.
Be sure to stop by Lobb’s Farm Shop, to the right of the garden entrance – this is one of the county’s best with a superb selection of local meats and cheeses among its wide range of produce.
Website: heligan.com
Price: ££
Lizard Point
The National Trust, having failed to secure Land’s End, redeemed itself by buying Lizard Point. The only buildings on this flower-covered headland are two old-fashioned cafés. The walking here is some of the best on the Cornish coastal footpath: head west to explore the red serpentine marble caves at Kynance Cove where rare choughs nest, or east to thatched Cadgwith with its locals’ pub, café and crab-fishing fleet.
While you’re here, pick up a pasty from Ann’s Pasties in Lizard village. They are handmade using local beef, potato, turnip and onion in the traditional way.
Website: nationaltrust.org.uk
Price: Free
Trebah Garden
Set in a deep valley winding down to the sea, Trebah has the appearance of a Himalayan cloudforest transported to Cornwall. Camellias, magnolias, azaleas and hydrangeas flood the 25-acre garden with colour. It’s particularly family friendly with an inventive adventure playground and special children’s plant-spotting trails. Dogs are welcome in the garden and on its private pebbly beach.
Be sure to come hungry: locals flock to Trebah’s Kitchen restaurant for its Sunday roasts (advance reservations essential). A beautifully designed indoor-outdoor space it also serves fabulous homemade cakes and, naturally, Cornish cream teas.
Website: trebahgarden.co.uk
Price: ££
Best for history
The Story of Emily
Emily Hobhouse grew up in a vicarage in St Ive, near Liskeard in the 1860s and devoted her life to alerting the British public to the appalling conditions endured by Boer women and children inside British concentration camps during the Second Boer War. This is a truly immersive experience using the latest virtual-reality tech as well as physical props and visits last up to four hours. You can also visit Emily’s childhood home and eat in a glasshouse restaurant that celebrates South African heritage recipes using Cornish ingredients, many grown in the kitchen garden. Pre-booking recommended.
Website: thestoryofemily.com
Price: £££
Cotehele
Tucked away on the banks of the River Tamar, the National Trust’s Cotehele estate is a jewel of a Tudor manor held in a time warp. In the hands of the Edgcumbe family for 600 years, its truss-roofed Great Hall and collection of embroidered fabrics and tapestries are worth the journey alone. The gardens are famous for their drifts of daffodils in spring and rare varieties of apple in autumn.
Don’t miss working Cotehele Mill beside the river where you can see organic wholemeal flour being milled daily and buy some to take home.
Website: nationaltrust.org.uk
Price: ££
Lanhydrock House
A grand house on a grand estate, Lanhydrock House vividly evokes High Victorian ideals: the careful segregation of public and private, male and female, master and servant. The Robartes family changed very little in the 20th century so it feels as if they have just stepped out for a while. There’s also a magnificent 17th-century plaster ceiling in the long gallery which has been beautifully restored.
You can explore the estate’s extensive grounds and woodlands by bicycle; rentals must be prebooked through [email protected].
Website: nationaltrust.org.uk
Price: ££
The Museum of Global Communications
In the 19th century Cable & Wireless pioneered international telecommunications using undersea cables that connected Porthcurno, a sandy cove near Land’s End, with the rest of the world. This museum tells the extraordinary story – and why undersea cables remain important even in today’s wireless world. After a £2.5 million refit, which introduced many more family-focused activities, it’s a great choice for a rainy day.
While you’re here, make time to stroll down to Porthcurno Beach, one of the most photographed in Cornwall. On a very low tide you can walk all the way to Logan’s Rock, a natural climbing frame for older children.
Website: pkporthcurno.com
Price: ££
How we choose
Every attraction and activity in this curated list has been tried and tested by our destination expert, to provide you with their insider perspective. We cover a range of budgets and styles, from world-class museums to family-friendly theme parks – to best suit every type of traveller. We update this list regularly to keep up with the latest openings and provide up to date recommendations.