Places to stay in Cornwall

Welcome to Cornwall

There's so much to do, see and explore while on holiday in Cornwall. With the longest stretch of continuous coastline in Britain, you’ll discover tiny Cornish fishing villages, smuggler’s coves, countless spectacular beaches and sweeping bays, dramatic cliffs and coastlines, plus beautiful moorland and countryside.

With its whitewashed seaside villages and greener-than-green countryside dotted with Celtic ruins, the Cornish peninsula is a hybrid of historical attractions and natural beauty. From its subtropical gardens to its steep cliffs that cascade into the Atlantic, Cornwall has an island feel, and is, in fact, almost an island, nearly separated from the rest of Britain by the Tamar River.

Late spring or summer is the best time to tour Cornwall, as the region's gardens are in full bloom. With the longest stretch of continuous coastline in Britain, this is a land whose history is intricately bound up with the sea, and all around the county’s shores you’ll discover remnants of its maritime heritage.

There are tiny fishing ports, old smuggler’s inns and sturdy granite breakwaters, not to mention countless beaches and sweeping bays once filled with pilchard boats, gill netters and seagoing schooners. Although fishing is still an important industry, these days tourism is by far the biggest trade, and it’s not hard to see what keeps the visitors coming back year after year.

From the secluded coves and tree-clad creeks along the county’s southern coast to the wild grandeur of the north coast cliffs, Cornwall is one of Britain’s most breathtakingly beautiful counties. It’s also an intriguing mix of old and new, where futuristic greenhouses and world-class galleries meet crumbling mines and ancient market towns. Although many of the old industries may be gone, there’s a real buzz in the Cornish air these days – after years of economic hardship, this is definitely a county on the up.