Cornwall Tourist Attractions

Cornwall packs a remarkable range of days out into one county, from world-famous landmarks to small independent museums and gardens that reward a bit of local knowledge. The dramatic coastline provides the backdrop for attractions such as St Michael's Mount, the clifftop Minack Theatre and Land's End, while inland the county's deep mining history is preserved at sites including Geevor Tin Mine, Poldark Mine and the engine houses of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site.

Cornwall is also home to some of the country's finest gardens, many benefiting from the county's mild, sheltered microclimate. The Eden Project's giant Biomes and the Lost Gardens of Heligan near St Austell are the best known, but Trebah, Glendurgan, Trelissick and Trengwainton all reward a visit, alongside National Trust houses such as Lanhydrock, Cotehele and Antony House, and English Heritage sites including Tintagel, Pendennis, St Mawes and Restormel castles.

For a family day out, Cornwall's theme parks, wildlife centres and adventure attractions cater for all ages, from Paradise Park and the Cornish Seal Sanctuary to Camel Creek Adventure Park, Lappa Valley Steam Railway and Newquay Zoo, plus indoor options such as Kidzworld Cornwall for wet-weather days. Museums covering maritime history, witchcraft, telegraphy and rural life sit alongside touring and open-air theatres including the Minack and Sterts.

Use the region guides below — West, North and South Cornwall — to browse attractions by area, or jump straight to a category using the links above for family days, gardens, heritage sites or historic houses. Each listing links through to more detail on the individual attraction, including location and a short description to help you plan your visit.

Browse by region

West Cornwall

Mousehole

Sea, Salts & Sail Festival

Mousehole’s biennial festival celebrating Cornish maritime history, marking its 30th anniversary in 2026.

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Land’s End

Land’s End

Spectacular coastal location for Cornwall’s most famous landmark, with a visitor centre, craft workshops and galleries.

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Penzance

Kernow Coasteering

Cornwall’s (and the UK’s) most westerly coasteering centre — take a guided tour along the edge of the Cornish coastline.

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Land’s End

Geevor Tin Mine

Discover Cornwall’s mining heritage at this excellent museum, with guided underground trips and surface tours.

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Land’s End / St Just

Levant Mine & Beam Engine

A spectacular clifftop location for this beautifully restored engine house, complete with a working beam engine.

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Penzance

Marine Discovery

An exhilarating wildlife-watching boat trip from Penzance Harbour aboard the jet RIB Shearwater.

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Penzance

Minack Theatre

The world-famous clifftop open-air theatre — a spectacular location and a great place to visit or take in a show.

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Penzance

St Michael’s Mount

Explore the island world of St Michael’s Mount and discover legend, myth and over a thousand years of history.

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St Day

Autospeed - Stock Car & Banger Racing

Stock car and banger racing at United Downs Raceway — great fun for all the family, with pit-area access and refreshments.

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Penzance

Porthcurno Telegraph Museum

A fascinating museum on the site of the world’s biggest telegraph station, with hands-on science activities for all ages.

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Penzance

Penlee House, Museum and Gallery

The only Cornish public gallery specialising in the Newlyn School artists, including Stanhope and Elizabeth Forbes and Laura Knight.

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Penzance

Trengwainton Gardens

Plants from around the globe fill this ten-hectare (25-acre) garden, with something to inspire around every corner.

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St Agnes - Trevaunance Cove

Koru Kayaking

Guided kayak adventures that reveal a hidden Cornwall only accessible from the water.

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St Ives

Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden

An exhibition dedicated to the life, work and memory of the 20th-century sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth.

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St Ives

Barnoon Arts (formerly Barnoon Workshop)

A gallery, shop and studio for creative arts and crafts above Porthmeor Beach, a short walk from Tate St Ives.

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St Ives

Tate St Ives

Located in the beautiful harbour town of St Ives, Tate St Ives has become one of Cornwall’s leading attractions.

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St Ives

Kidz R Us Theatre

A youth theatre company based in St Ives, with regular shows in its own 300-seat theatre in the centre of town.

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Nr. St Ives

Paradise Park

Cornwall’s top wildlife sanctuary and JungleBarn indoor play centre — a day in Paradise whatever the weather.

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Nr. Helston

Poldark Mine

Follow in the footsteps of 18th-century Cornish tin miners on one of the most atmospheric mine tours in Britain.

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Nr. Helston

Cornish Seal Sanctuary

Set on the picturesque Helford Estuary by the village of Gweek, the Sanctuary is a busy seal rescue centre.

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Helston

Godolphin House

A beautiful and romantic historic house and garden, with a haunting air of antiquity across the surrounding estate.

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Falmouth

National Maritime Museum Cornwall

Sitting with a toe in the sea on the edge of Falmouth harbour, this multi-award-winning museum delivers more than you’d expect.

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Falmouth

Atlantic Scuba

Falmouth diving for everyone from complete beginners to experienced professionals.

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Falmouth

Cornish Maritime Trust

Founded in 1994, the Trust maintains four historic working vessels restored to sailing condition.

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Falmouth

Pendennis Castle

A great-value family day out at one of the finest of the mighty fortresses built by Henry VIII.

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Falmouth

Trebah Gardens

A sub-tropical paradise with a stunning coastal backdrop, the result of 160 years of inspired, dedicated creation.

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Falmouth

Glendurgan Gardens

One of the great subtropical gardens of the South West, set in a wooded valley dropping to the Helford estuary.

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Truro

The Royal Cornwall Museum

Cornwall’s oldest and most prestigious museum, founded in 1818, internationally known for its range of exhibits.

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Truro

Trelissick Gardens

A modern garden created within shelter belts planted 200 years ago, constantly evolving with new planting and ideas.

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Truro

Trewithen Gardens

A historic private estate with one of the loveliest gardens in England, internationally renowned for magnolias and camellias.

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Redruth

Mineral Tramways Cycle Routes

Six traffic-free walking and cycling trails tracing former railway routes between Hayle, Portreath and Devoran through Cornwall’s mining landscape.

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Redruth

Miracle Theatre

Cornwall’s touring Miracle Theatre productions are a highlight of summer, performed against the backdrop of our unique landscape.

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Redruth

East Pool Mine

At the heart of the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site sit two great beam engines, powered by boilers introduced by Richard Trevithick.

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North Cornwall

Tintagel

Tintagel Old Post Office

An atmospheric 14th-century yeoman’s farmhouse with a famously wavy roof, nestled among Tintagel’s high street shops.

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Tintagel

Tintagel Castle

Set high on the rugged North Cornwall coast, offering dramatic views, fascinating ruins and a beach cafe.

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Tintagel

King Arthur’s Great Halls

The story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, told through stained glass and illuminated halls.

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Boscastle

Museum of Witchcraft & Magic

Home to the world’s largest collection of witchcraft-related artefacts and regalia.

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Polzeath

Cornish Rock Tors

From half-day trips to multi-day courses in climbing, coasteering, kayaking and power boating.

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Newquay

Big Dunk’s Paintball & Outdoor Laser Tag

A purpose-built, UKPSF-accredited site with nine game zones set across 20 acres.

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Newquay

Blue Reef Aquarium

Be amazed by local marine species and hundreds of tropical species in the giant ocean display with its underwater tunnel.

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Newquay

Newquay Zoo

Get closer to over 130 species at the award-winning Newquay Zoo.

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Newquay

Trerice House

An intimate Elizabethan manor and a Cornish gem, little changed over the centuries thanks to long periods under absentee owners.

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Nr. Newquay

Lappa Valley Steam Railway

An old mineral line, now home to a narrow-gauge steam railway with plenty of fun things to do and discover.

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Nr. Newquay

Springfields Fun Park & Pony Centre

An action-packed day for all the family, with acres of space to run and play.

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Nr. Newquay

Cornish Birds of Prey Centre & Atlantic Play Park

A collection of over 50 birds of prey to see, with regular flying displays, plus an adjoining outdoor play park.

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Camelford

The Vale of Avalon (formerly the Arthurian Centre)

Near the medieval market town of Camelford, considered by some the site of Camelot — walk the fields where Arthur and Mordred are said to have met for their last battle.

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Nr. Portreath

Cornish Goldsmiths

Watch goldsmiths at work at the largest collection of gold jewellery in the South West, open seven days a week.

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Launceston

Launceston Castle

Dominating the surrounding landscape from a large natural mound — the ultimate status symbol of medieval wealth and power.

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Launceston

Hidden Valley – The Puzzle Park

One of Cornwall’s best-kept secrets — an extraordinary puzzle park unlike anything you’ve experienced before.

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Launceston

Trethorne Leisure Park

A large all-weather tourist attraction with something for everyone — a fun-filled family day out on the Devon/Cornwall border.

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Bodmin

Lanhydrock House

The perfect country house and estate, with the feel of a wealthy but unpretentious family home.

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Bodmin

Bodmin & Wenford Railway

The only standard-gauge railway in Cornwall still operated by steam locomotives, with breathtaking scenery.

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Bodmin

Pencarrow House & Gardens

For nearly 500 years the much-loved home of the Molesworth-St Aubyns, set in 50 acres of formal and woodland gardens.

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Bodmin

Bodmin Jail

An all-weather family attraction with a licensed bar and restaurant, housed in the last county jail in Cornwall, closed in 1927.

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Wadebridge

The Camel Trail

A hugely popular cycleway running from Padstow to Wadebridge and on to the foot of Bodmin Moor, along 17 miles of disused railway line.

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Wadebridge

Bridge Bike Hire

Established in 1983, the original Camel Trail cycle hire shop, located at the start of the trail.

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Wadebridge

The Sculpture Workshop

Have-a-go workshops tailored to suit all abilities, from complete beginners to professionals — great fun.

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Wadebridge

Camel Creek Adventure Park

A vibrant, welcoming Cornish visitor attraction open all year round, with big rides, indoor entertainment and outdoor adventures.

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Padstow

Prideaux Place

This stunningly beautiful Elizabethan manor house overlooks the picturesque fishing harbour of Padstow.

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St Columb

Screech Owl Sanctuary

Meet a large collection of owl species from around the world and learn about owl conservation.

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South Cornwall

Fowey

Lucy Daniel Guide

Get out and about in Cornwall’s coast, countryside and communities with this experienced, award-winning guide.

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Menheniot

Adrenalin Quarry

The UK’s biggest zip wire, largest swing and freshwater coasteering, including the UK’s only Blob.

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Saltash

Port Eliot House & Gardens

The stately home of the Earl and Countess of St Germans, set in stunning gardens with wonderful heritage and art. Dogs welcome.

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St Austell - Eden Project

SkyWire - Hangloose Adventure

From zip wires to high ropes courses, family days out to team-building and corporate events — an adventure for everyone.

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St Austell

Eden Project

A living theatre of plants in the heart of Cornwall — stunning botanical gardens and a great day out for the whole family.

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Fowey

Fowey River Hire

Self-drive boat hire on the River Fowey, plus guided canoe expeditions, kayak and stand-up paddleboard hire.

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St Austell

Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum

The UK’s only China Clay Museum, with a historic trail through 19th-century clay works, a nature trail and a children’s play area.

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St Austell

St Austell Brewery Visitor Centre

Walk through the Victorian brewery and experience the whole brewing process, from the secret spring to fermentation.

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St Austell

Kidzworld Cornwall

One all-inclusive price and over 54,000 sq ft of all-weather family fun — a leading indoor attraction in Cornwall.

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St Austell

The Lost Gardens of Heligan

Over 80 acres of magnificent gardens, lost and forgotten under seventy years of ivy, bramble and fallen timber until 1991.

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Fowey

St Catherine’s Castle

One of a pair of small artillery forts built by Henry VIII in the 1530s to defend Fowey Harbour.

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St Mawes

Caerhays Estate

History and beauty on the Cornish coast — a special place for lovers of camellias, magnolias and rhododendrons.

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St Mawes

St Mawes Castle

A charming, romantic castle defending the world’s third-largest natural harbour and one of Cornwall’s prettiest villages.

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Lostwithiel

Restormel Castle

A motte-and-bailey castle with a huge circular keep, sited on a hill above the River Fowey.

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Nr. Liskeard

Lower Lake Shooting Ground

Expert shooting tuition from English Open Champion Bill Moussalli.

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Nr. Saltash

Cotehele House

One of Cornwall’s finest country houses, full of stories and legends — a magical experience where little has changed over the years.

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Torpoint

Mount Edgcumbe House & Country Park

The former home of the Earls of Mount Edgcumbe, set in Grade I Cornish gardens within 865 acres on the Rame Peninsula.

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Torpoint

Antony House

Still home to the Carew Pole family after hundreds of years, this early 18th-century mansion holds fine collections of paintings, furniture and textiles.

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Torpoint

Antony Woodland Garden

Running along the Lynher estuary, one of only four internationally recognised camellia gardens of excellence, with magnolias, rhododendrons and sculpture.

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Nr. Liskeard

Sterts Theatre

An open-air theatre, gallery and craft shop — a fantastic venue for a summer evening.

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Frequently asked questions