10 Best Things to Do in Cornwall
What is Cornwall Most Famous For?
Beautiful Cornwall is England’s most south-westerly county and is renowned for its gorgeous scenery and picturesque towns. It built its reputation on fishing, mining and farming, and even a bit of smuggling, too. Known to Cornish speakers as Kernow, it’s the place to come for isolated craggy coves, expanses of smooth sand or wild, rugged moorland.
Quaint cottages crowd tiny harbours while ruined mine buildings and ancient castles occupy loftier clifftop positions. There is surf to conquer, walking and cycle trails that criss-cross the county and rich sightseeing at stately homes and gardens. If you don’t know where to begin, check out our list.
What are the best things to do in Cornwall?
1. Newquay’s Fistral Beach
Super surf just waiting to be conquered
Categoría: Foto, Económico, De aventura
West-facing Fistral Beach is exposed to Atlantic swells that are as consistent as they are dramatic. Whether you’re a nervous beginner or an experienced pro, the UK’s most famous surf beach delivers. Locals tend to congregate at the northern end of the beach where the waves come in steep and fast. The fickle Cribbar, where waves break perilously close to the rocks, is for advanced surfers only.
Gain experience in the middle of the beach where things are a lot more predictable. Leave an hour or 2 either side of high or low tide for reliably uniform lines of white water (excellent for novices) and the gently rolling waves that give intermediates an achievable challenge.
Ubicación: Headland Road, Newquay, Cornwall TR7 1HY, UK
Newquay’s Fistral Beach
2. King Arthur Trail
Bringing the legend to life
Categoría: Historia, Foto, De aventura
Follow the King Arthur trail in Cornwall and find the setting of the legend that has entertained us for generations. So the story goes, Excalibur, the King’s sword, was thrown into Dozmary Pool on Bodmin Moor. An inscribed stone-slab at Slaughterbridge marks the spot where Arthur ended the fellowship of the Round Table.
But, it’s Tintagel Castle, whose ruins span a gap between the mainland and a rocky headland, that’s the poster child for the King Arthur story. The 12th-century writer Geoffrey of Monmouth identified it as Arthur’s birthplace. This association with the Arthurian legend inspired the Earl of Cornwall to build a castle on the site in 1230, which receives a steady stream of visitors to this day.
Ubicación: Castle Rd, Tintagel, Cornwall PL34 0HE, UK
King Arthur Trail
3. St Michael’s Mount
Cornwall’s answer to Mont St Michel
Categoría: Familias, Historia, Foto, De aventura
From Marazion beach, St Michael’s Mount looms large in the bay. As the tide ebbs away, a cobbled causeway emerges, tempting walkers to cross the damp stones on foot. A castle that was formerly a 12th-century abbey built by Benedictine monks dominates the island.
Kids will love the tales of Jack the Giant Killer. A giant called Cormoran used to wade across the shallows and snatch livestock. Jack snuck out to the island and dug a deep pit, blowing on a horn to trick the giant into running down the mount and falling into the well. Amusing tales aside, explore the island at leisure. If you get stranded by the tide you can catch a ferry back to the mainland.
Ubicación: Marazion, Cornwall TR17 0HS, UK
St Michael’s Mount
4. Kynance Cove
One of the National Trust’s most photogenic sites
Categoría: Historia, Foto, De aventura
Singling out one beach from so many worthy challengers is a tough gig, but Kynance Cove is a standout. The west side of the Lizard Peninsula once inspired poet Alfred Lord Tennyson, who wrote of the cove’s ‘glorious grass-green monsters of waves’.
Brilliant white sand contrasts with dark rock and robin egg-blue water to create a scene that delighted Victorian botanists and artists as much as it does 21st-century beachcombers. The cove encloses Asparagus Island, named for the plant that grows wild there. While The Parlour and The Drawing Room are actually landforms, there’s a lovely café nearby for when you’re feeling peckish. Bear in mind that dogs are not allowed during July and August.
Ubicación: The Lizard, Nr. Helston, Cornwall TR12 7PJ, UK
Teléfono: +44 (0)1326 222 170
Kynance Cove
5. Land’s End
Where the road runs out
Categoría: Familias, Foto, De aventura
The B3306 connects St Ives to the village of Sennen, forming one of the UK’s most beautiful scenic drives. Providing sweeping views of the Bristol Channel to the north and moorland to the south, it hugs the shoreline for much of its route, giving the road its alternative name: the West Cornwall Coast Road.
A little beyond Kelynack, you can make a right onto the A30 for the arresting sight of the granite cliffs of Land’s End meeting the sweeping mighty blue of the Atlantic. Land’s End is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and features fantastic clifftop trails, along with great food, drink and family attractions nearby. For a quieter alternative, try nearby Cape Cornwall instead.
Ubicación: Land’s End, Sennen, Cornwall TR19 7AA, UK
Teléfono: +44 (0)1736 871501
Land's End
6. Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway
A journey back in time
Categoría: Familias, Historia, Foto
Revisit the age of steam with a ride on the Bodmin and Wenford Railway. This 6-mile (9-km) heritage line connects Bodmin General to Boscarne Junction. Dogs and bicycles are allowed onboard and there are regular event days including murder mystery evenings and seasonal tie-ins. The views onboard are spectacular and children especially will delight in the novelty of these beautiful old trains.
While the trains themselves are plenty of fun, it’s worth alighting at Colesloggett Halt for a walk in the nearby Cardinham Woods or at Bodmin Parkway for a stroll through the Lanhydrock Estate. Boscarne Junction is the gateway to the Camel Trail, where you’ll find the Camel Valley Vineyard at Nanstallon, just outside Bodmin.
Ubicación: Bodmin General Station, Bodmin PL31 1AG, UK
Horarios: Hours vary by season
Bodmin and Wenford Steam Railway
7. The Lost Gardens of Heligan
One of England’s most captivating gardens
Categoría: Familias, Historia, Foto
The Lost Gardens of Heligan has been called ‘the garden restoration of the century’. Tim Smit led the project to bring the Lost Gardens of Heligan back to their former glory. When the army of gardeners that tended them set off to fight a different battle in 1914, the plants and paths they’d so lovingly tended were lost under a tangle of weeds and creeping ivy.
These forgotten gardens were once part of the Tremayne family estate and reopened in 1992. Today, exotic planting showcases tree ferns, towering bamboo, banana plantations and brightly coloured camellias. With 3 different gardens to explore, including the UK’s only outdoor jungle, and a vast wider estate of woodlands, you’ll be spoilt for choice.
Ubicación: Pentewan, Saint Austell, Cornwall PL26 6EN, UK
Horarios: Daily from 10 am to 6 pm
Teléfono: +44 (0)172 684 5100
The Lost Gardens of Heligan
8. The Eden Project
Vast greenhouses of horticultural delight
Categoría: Familias, Foto
The Eden Project skilfully repurposed the remnants of Cornwall’s industrial past by turning a disused quarry into a series of enormous climate-controlled domes that house a mind-boggling variety of plants from across the globe. Inside, wander, and climb via raised walkways, through fascinating structures which resemble giant upturned bowls of bubble wrap.
Protected from the elements, these domes house plants that could never normally survive the British climate. Absorb the scent of the lemon trees and olive groves of the Mediterranean Biome, or enjoy the lush planting of the Rainforest Biome, dubbed the world’s largest greenhouse. Bring a refillable water bottle to cope with the warm temperatures inside and pack a picnic to make the most of the grounds.
Ubicación: Bodelva, Cornwall PL24 2SG, UK
Horarios: Hours vary by season
Teléfono: +44 (0)1726 811972
The Eden Project
9. Minack Theatre
The classics in an al-fresco setting
Categoría: Parejas, Historia, Foto
Minack Theatre is a clifftop amphitheatre that has much in common with the open-air theatres built by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Yet, this spectacular venue was born from more humble origins, the brainchild of am-dram enthusiast Rowena Cade. She moved to Minack Point and built herself a house. When the local theatre company were looking for somewhere more suitable to stage their productions than the village green, she offered them her garden.
The result was the dramatically beautiful Minack Theatre, hewn from granite in the early 1930s. Since then, performers delivering classics from the likes of Shakespeare and Dickens have had to compete with nature’s own spectacle, a magnificent, panoramic view over Porthcurno Bay.
Ubicación: Porthcurno, Penzance, Cornwall TR19 6JU, UK
Horarios: Hours vary by season
Teléfono: +44 (0)173 681 0181
Minack Theatre
10. The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow
Rick Stein knows a thing or 2 about fish
Categoría: Parejas, Gastronomía en , Vida nocturna
Cornwall has long attracted several celebrity chefs but none more so than Rick Stein: the county has been his adopted home since the mid-70s. These days he puts his name to no fewer than 10 restaurants in the county, including traditional pub fare at The Cornish Arms in St Merryn.
His flagship, The Seafood Restaurant, is in the heart of Padstow, causing locals to nickname the town Padstein. If you want to fit in, call it Padster. Regardless, the fish is freshly caught, making this as much of an essential stop for foodies as eating a Cornish pasty.
Ubicación: The Seafood Restaurant, Riverside, Padstow PL28 8BY, UK
Horarios: Daily from 12 pm to 10 pm
Teléfono: +44 (0)1841 532700
The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow
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