Things to do in Cornwall – A Visual Guide
The Visual Guide to Cornwall
Cornwall is a ceremonial county located at the south-west side of England that is believed to have the longest coastline stretch in England. As a peninsula, the county has over 300 beaches and is one of England’s tourist attraction destinations. Millions of tourists flock the small county for its numerous tourist attractions including breath taking beaches, sceneries, animal centres, and plenty of heritage.
Whether you love swimming, are a food lover, nature lover, there is something for everyone in this beautiful county. The county has fine weather and friendly people and with the amazing tourist attractions, is one of the most sought after tourist destinations in England.
Below are the top things to do in Cornwall
- Surfing- With the extensive coastline, surfing has to be among the top things to do in Cornwall. There are numerous places to book surfing lessons and hire surfing equipment.
- Visit breath taking attractions- From parks, museums, animal centers, leisure centers, etc there are many breathtaking places you can visit in Cornwall. Some of the most visited places are crocadon farm, heartlands historic building, Jamaica Inn haunted establishment, among others.
- Art viewing- If you appreciate art, art viewing should be one of the things to do in Cornwall. Cornwall’s art is famous throughout the world. Some of the best places to view art galleries include Penlee house, Tate St Ives, among others. You will learn so much about England by just viewing the numerous exhibitions and galleries.
- Enjoy local delicacies- If you are a food lover, Cornwall has some great delicacies you can try out. Prepared by top chefs some of the delicious local foods in Cornwall include sea food, locally grown produce, Cornish pasty and delicious cream teas. Trying out local delicacies has to be among the top list priorities in Cornwall.
- Swimming- With over 300 beaches, swimming is a must in Cornwall. Whether you are an experienced or new swimmer you can choose to go for a dip in one the many golden beaches in Cornwall.
- Take a breath taking garden trip- Cornwall has a mild, favourable climate; as such gardens thrive with beautiful, warm and exotic flowers. Taking a trip to one of the county’s gardens can be a relaxing and exhilarating experience.
- Castles- Cornwall has excellent castles to visit, both from ruins and standing. Some of the castles have an amazing sea background, you can explore and learn as you enjoy the relaxing sea background
- Boat and train trips- Cornwall has interesting steam trains and boats to ride. Taking either a boat or train trip will give you an opportunity to view the beautiful county as you relax. In addition, there are tour guides to explain and answer any questions you may have about Cornwall
Cornwall is the delight of millions of tourists each year, move your mouse pointer across the hotspots on the map below and you will begin to understand Cornwall’s appeal. Cornwall mixes a rugged coastline, with beautiful fine sandy beaches. It has numerous small interesting towns and villages, but also features some of the UKS biggest tourist attractions.
The aim of this guide is to give you an overview of the top things to do and places to visit in Cornwall, which will help you plan your vacation and decide where best to stay.
Tourist Hubs around Cornwall
- Tintagle / Boscastle Tintagel is famous for its iconic castle, and nearby Boscastle has a stunning harbour vista.
- Padstow quaint harbour towntown
- Newquay Popular seaside resort town, with plenty for tourists and beautiful beaches
- Mevagissey / Portloe Harbour town, close to the popular victorian gardens, “The lost gardens of Heligan” Portloe is a beautiful small harbour town great for a day visit
- St. Austell / Fowey St Austell is one of the largest towns in Cornwall, Both St Austell and Fowey have great beaches and are popular for boating
- Bodmin centrally located, perfect for visiting Bodmin moor, and taking day trips to either side of Cornwall. Less busy than the seaside resorts.
- Looe Small town, with local?shops and great?beach
- Bude Bude has an award winning beach, and lots of tourist facilities
- St Ives Quaint cornish harbour town
- The Lizard Britains most southerly point both bleak and impressive
- Land’s End Dramatic piece of coastline, famous as the most southwesterly point of Britain
- Penzance Larger town perfect base to explore the southerly most portion of Cornwall
- Falmouth Amazing beaches and the 3rd largest natural harbour in the world.
Where to Go Rock Pooling?
The tides of Cornwall wash up some fascinating sea life that get trapped into the shoreline rocks, a favourite for the kids to explore and discover. To go rock pooling you will need a low tide, so check out the tide times first. To find out more about rock pooling In cornwall and the species you are likely to discover visit http://cornishrockpools.com/
Treyarnon Bay Near Padstow
A wide open bay where at low tide huge rock pools can be explored. Toilet facilities and “Treyarnon Bay Beach Store” make this a good option with lots of facilities. Be warned of the fast and strong tides on the left side of the bay.

Duckpool Beach near Bude
This generally quieter beach, a favourite with locals these pools are full of life, The beach has a small car parking area and also has toilet facilities. This beach is not suitable for swimming due to dangerous tides.

Port Isaac
Port Isaac is a small and picturesque fishing village. Rock pools around the harbour will provide lots of entertainment teeming with crabs and shrimp. Port Issac is a wonderful area to explore and has the usual small town facilities.

The Lizard
If you plan to explore the most southerly point of the UK, make sure you also take time to discover the rock pooling opportunities, the rugged coastline on The Lizard features?numerous rock pools, coves and caves to explore

Best Beaches in Cornwall
The millions of tourists visiting Cornwall all at some point take the time to enjoy the golden sandy beaches, perfect for sunbathing, windsurfing and swimming. Here we pick the best 4 beaches, chosen to suit different needs.
Natural & Historic Tourist Attractions
This section is a pick of the best castles, forts and scenic views. We have not included beaches which can be seen above.
Tintagel Castle
Attractive to day-trippers one of Cornwall’s most iconic castles, explore, the history, myths and legends of Tintagel Castle and its links to King Arthur.Stunning views.

Pendennis Castle
Impressive coastal fortress. Exhibition on the history of the castle, tearooms and the most impressive coastal views.

St Michael’s Mount
A causeway links St Michael’s mount to the mainland, this impressive sight and unique gardens will make the experience memorable.

Bodmin Moor
Most famous for its 80sq Miles of Granite moorland, Bodmin moor’s rugged landcape is a prime location for a days walking and hiking.
Boscastle Harbour
Picturesque harbour, the town itself features Museum of Witchcraft and access to the South West Coast Path.
Kynance Cove
Incredible and distinctive coastal scenery exists all around the Lizard, but Kynance cove can’t be missed.
Tourist Attractions
Tourist Attractions. This is our pick of the Tourist attractions you should visit when you?travel to Cornwall.

Eden Project
Two biomes, housing plants from many diverse climates make the eden project one of the UKS top attractions.

Trebah Gardens
25 acre sub-tropical garden, stunning countryside, and lots of diverse plants

Lost gardens of heligan

Minack Theatre

Maritime Museum

Newquay Zoo
Icecream and Cornish Cream Tea Shops
You can’t visit Cornwall without trying cornish tea, or without experiencing some great cornish icecream. The diet starts when you get back. Here are our 6 recommendations.

Pendennis Castle : Niki Walton [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
St Michaels Mount : By Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK (St Michael’s Mount 2Uploaded by tm) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Richard Johns [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Trevor Harris [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Francis C. Franklin / CC-BY-SA-3.0 [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
