Falmouth (England)

Falmouth (Cornish: Aberfala) is a seaside town in South Cornwall. Famous for its beaches, it is home to the world's third largest natural harbour. The four main beaches in Falmouth are Gyllyngvase, Castle, Swanpool, and Maenporth. It is also known for its castles, Pendennis and St.Mawes, both built by Henry VIII as he fortified the south of England.

Understand

 * Falmouth visitor information website

By train
First Great Western trains run from all over the South of England to Truro, and CrossCountry trains will bring you there from Scotland, the North and Midlands.

At Truro station, make your way to the Falmouth branch line at platform 1 - the journey takes around 20 minutes and the trains run regularly. Falmouth has three stations:


 * – This station primarily serves the residential areas of Falmouth and is situated on the surprisingly named Penmere Hill.
 * – This station is situated on Avenue Road, 5 minutes walk from the town (to the North-East) and 7 minutes walk from Gyllyngvase Beach (to the south).
 * – As the name suggests, this station is close to Falmouth's economically important Dock, but is also the closest station to Pendennis Castle.

By bus
First Devon and Cornwall operate most bus services into the town, with half hourly services from Cornwall's capital Truro (U1) and Redruth (U2). During term-time, a 15-minute shuttle bus (U3) also operates between the town centre and the university campus (the U1 and U2 also stop there en-route). Various other destinations are also served, but timings tend to be less regular, and it's best to check before travelling, as most minor routes stop fairly early. While buses in Cornwall are usually reliable, lapses do occur and travellers used to using buses in large cities may be disappointed at the prospect of long waits. For timetable information, the Bus Times website is an invaluable resource. If you are going to be using the buses frequently, both a local Falmouth area weekly pass (£14) or an all-Cornwall pass (£30) is available. Buses accept contactless debit cards.

By car
Most travellers into Cornwall will come down the M5 and change onto the A30 at Exeter. To get to Falmouth, travellers must turn off the A30 on to the A39 at Fraddon, signposted as Truro. The A39 should be followed all the way through Truro until Falmouth is reached. A lot of accommodation in Falmouth doesn't have off-street parking, and on street parking is often in short supply.

By boat
Numerous ferries serve Falmouth, converging on the Prince of Wales Pier ferry terminal in the town centre. Ferries run year-round to St. Mawes and Flushing, and sesonally to Truro via Trelissick. Service is generally hourly but may skip a crossing when the tide is extremely low, when the ferries can't dock. Truro ferries run at all states of the tide, but have an alternative landing point in Truro during very low tides, when the ferry company provides a free shuttle bus to take you to the town centre. Just north of Falmouth, the King Harry Ferry runs year round as a chain-ferry providing a short-cut for cars crossing the Fal river. Single, return and season tickets are available. Details for all of the above (along with connecting ferry services from St. Mawes to Place, and along the Helford River) can be found on the Fal River website.

Get around
Falmouth is extremely hilly in places, and some roads (Killigrew Street, Trelawney Road) will have you cursing town surveyors. Fortunately, most of the attractions are between The Moor and Falmouth Docks, which is relatively flat. The town is generally cycle-friendly, though rush hour traffic can be very heavy.

Falmouth is also on the South West Coast Path, which makes for some excellent walks.

Falmouth Town Council contracts with OTS to provide a three line town bus service (see link for more info).

363 - Provides an hourly service to Old Hill and Acacia suburban areas, including the Sainsbury's supermarket.

366/366A "TownLink" - Provides a town centre loop line running every 20 minutes. Stops at Falmouth Town train station.

367 "ShoreLink" - Provides an hourly route serving the beaches and Pendennis point (inc the leisure centre and castle)

These buses are not a part of the main Cornwall bus services run by Kernow, and passes for Kernow buses aren't accepted on the Falmouth town routes.

Do

 * Boat trips - Regular services take you across the river Fal to surrounding villages and also in the direction of the city of Truro and west towards Helford. Ferries and tourist boat trips depart from the Prince of Wales Pier in the town centre. Ferries run to the Roseland villages of St. Mawes (hourly) and Flushing (half hourly) year round. Be sure to check times at the information office at the bottom of the pier, as during spring low-tides, services can be interrupted. To the north of town, a vehicle and foot passenger ferry (the King Harry Ferry) provides a vehicle shortcut to the Roseland peninsula.
 * Scuba diving - Falmouth Bay and the surrounding waters are regarded as some of the best in the UK for diving. Visbility is often more than 20 m and there is a rich array of life due to proximity to the pelagic environment of the Atlantic, and the wide assortment of reefs and seagrass beds providing shelter. There is also a bewildering array of wreck sites. Falmouth and Penryn are the hub for many dive operators, and several are based here:
 * Cornish Diving Centre provides PADI instruction, gas fills, servicing and equipment sales. Shop in Falmouth on Bar Road, near the Maritime Museum. Guided shore dives available. T: 01326 311265
 * Visit a beach  - Falmouth has two beaches;
 * Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival is next held on 14-16 June 2024.
 * Visit a beach  - Falmouth has two beaches;
 * Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival is next held on 14-16 June 2024.
 * Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival is next held on 14-16 June 2024.
 * Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival is next held on 14-16 June 2024.
 * Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival is next held on 14-16 June 2024.

Buy

 * There are a good range of shops for surfers in Falmouth: these can be found around Market Street. If it's Cornish merchandise ye be wantin', have a look round Church Street, which also has an excellent bookshop.
 * Farmers Market is held on The Moor every Tuesday.

Drink
Falmouth has a special place in every hardy drinkers heart. Its main shopping street runs in a straight line and has a pub every 50 metres on average: with more than 15 bars within a square mile, the town is designed for pub-crawling. Beginning at the Maritime Museum, bars include:

Here the road splits. Head up 'The High Street' to find:

Head towards the Moor to find:

Outside the main shopping street there are more pubs to be found including:

Sleep
As a tourist resort, Falmouth has many hotels and B&Bs.

Connect
Falmouth has 4G from all UK carriers. As of June 2022, 5G has not reached town.

Go next

 * Truro is a short train or car journey to the north.
 * The Lizard is to the south.
 * Redruth
 * Porthleven