Penzance

Penzance (Cornish: Pennsans) is the most south-westerly town in West Cornwall. Famous for its association with the Gilbert and Sullivan opera (now often played as a musical) The Pirates of Penzance, the town is an ideal base for exploring the Penwith area of Cornwall. It is increasingly attracting those interested in cultural tourism due to its long association with the arts.

Penzance is the main link with the Isles of Scilly via the spring and summer-only ferry.



By plane
has flights from London (Gatwick & Stanstead), Dublin, Leeds Bradford, Bristol, Manchester and Cardiff. It's about 30 miles (48 km) away from Penzance by A3075 and A30, reckon 45 min by car. Its two disadvantages are (i) most flights are summer only; (ii) public transport is tricky as first you have to get the bus into Newquay (last bus around 6:30PM), then rely on an infrequent bus or branch-line train for connections to Penzance.

Exeter Airport is further but may be a simpler option. It has more flights year-round, the airport bus runs until 10PM, and mainline trains run hourly from Exeter to Penzance.

There are flights to the Isles of Scilly from at St Just TR19 7RL, 6 miles (10 km) west of Penzance. Flights operate year-round M-Sa and in summer are every 30 min; flight time is just 15 min so day-trips are feasible. The "Skybus" aircraft are small fixed-wing twin-props (e.g. Twin Otter or BNF Islander) so your total baggage limit is only 15 kg, and flights can be grounded by weather that wouldn't bother an Airbus or 737. There's also a helicopter service, using a 10-seater AW169. Adult fare is from £80 each way, day-trip £120 by "Skybus" and from £120 each way, day-trip £220 by helicopter. (For other transport routes, see Isles of Scilly "Get in".) A bus runs hourly between Penzance railway station and the airport to connect with flights: 20 min, £6 each way, book it along with your flight. By car follow A30 then B3306, long-stay parking is available.

By train
Direct trains run to Penzance from London Paddington (8 daily, 5 hours), Exeter (8 daily, 2 hours) and Plymouth (15 daily, 2 hours). There are frequent connections to Bristol (4 hours), Birmingham (5 hours) and the north, with one direct service to Sheffield, York, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

There is also an overnight sleeper train, The Night Riviera. This runs Sunday to Friday from London Paddington around 11:45PM, reaching Penzance by 8AM (on Su by M 9AM). The return train leaves Penzance Su-F around 9:30PM to reach Paddington at 5AM; you can stay aboard until 7AM. Book via Great Western (www.gwr.com), with airline seats, or single or double sleeper cabins available.

Other nearby destinations along the main line, served by hourly trains between Penzance and Plymouth, are St Erth (for St Ives), St Austell (for Eden Project), Par (for Newquay), and Bodmin. See National Rail for times and fares; advance booking is usually much cheaper. A Ride Cornwall Ranger is good value for local travel. It allows unlimited off-peak travel within Cornwall, and between Cornwall and Plymouth, by all trains and most buses. "Off-peak" means M-F after 9AM, and all day Sa Su & holidays. An adult day-ticket is £13, children and concessions around £10.

is at the bottom end of town by the bus station, and a short walk from the ferry terminal. There's not much within the station, but cafes and other facilities in town nearby.

By coach
National Express coach NX404 runs overnight from London Victoria (8 hr) via Heathrow Airport, Bath, Bristol Airport, Exeter, Torquay and Plymouth. NX315 runs daily along the south coast from Eastbourne via Brighton, Portsmouth, Southampton, Eastbourne, Exeter and Plymouth.

First Kernow bus T1 runs every 30 min between Penzance and Truro (1 hr 45 min), via St Erth, Hayle, Camborne, and Redruth. Change at Truro for Newquay, St Austell and Bodmin. Reaching Plymouth and Exeter by bus is not worth the bother, take the train.

By car
Penzance is a 5- to 6-hour drive from London via M4, M5, and A30. It's a long way and at some point you'll need to refuel. Don't be paying motorway prices, there's supermarket petrol at (amongst others) M5 jcn 28 (Cullompton Tesco), A30 Bodmin (Asda, Launceston Rd Bodmin) and A30 Penzance (Tesco).

By boat
A ferry plies between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly, daily from mid-March to October. The ferry (Scillonian III) leaves Penzance around 9AM to reach the main island of St Mary's at noon; it returns at 4:30PM for 7:15PM. Only foot passengers are carried. Day-trips allow enough time to visit Tresco, where the Abbey Gardens are the islands' main draw. Booking strongly recommended, and see Isles of Scilly: "Get in" for other ferry practicalities.

For long-stay parking in Penzance while you visit the islands, check Islesofscilly-travel for options, which include:
 * For a day-trip, the Council-run long-stay car parks at the Harbour and St Anthony's Gardens charge £8 for 24 hours. They're pay & display so you can't use them for longer stays.
 * IOS Parking and Scilly Parking are two firms offering secure long-stay parking, both near the harbour and off-site with shuttle transfer. They're about £5 per day.

Get around
Walking is the best way to get around town in Penzance. Newlyn, Mousehole and St Michael's Mount are within hiking distance for healthy adults, but use the bus for those places if there are children, luggage, or dodgy knees or hips involved. Take the bus for:
 * Land's End: bus A1 hourly via Newlyn, Lamorna and Porthcurno, one hour, from 7AM to 6PM.
 * St Ives: bus A2 hourly via Marazion, St Erth and Lelant, 45 min, from 9AM to 10PM.

(Bus A3 runs hourly between St Ives and Land's End along the B3306 via St Just, Pendeen and Zennor, but doesn't serve Penzance.)

These "A"-buses, operated by First Kernow, are blue open-top double-deckers in summer. For bus travel plus rail, a good deal is the Ride Cornwall Ranger (adult £13) described above. For bus only, buy a Day Rider for £12 (child £6) from the Bus Station or from the driver on boarding - contactless bank cards accepted. Bus drivers also issue Ride Cornwall Rangers, but only for full price, go to the station for concessions.

See
Penzance is a fine example of a Cornish granite working town. It's not touristy like St Ives, so there's space to enjoy its 18th/19th-century architecture, harbour and sea views. Grand buildings grace Chapel Street, Regent Square, Morrab Place, Market Jew Street and Alverton Street; and then there's the wacky Egyptian House on Chapel Street. The harbour area is busy with small fishing vessels and pleasure craft, and passenger and freight ships sail to the Isles of Scilly. The promenade, built in the 1840s, stretches all the way to Newlyn. Along it admire the cool white Art Deco of the Jubilee Pool, and the tumult of waves breaking at Battery Rocks.


 * See Newlyn, an hour's walk or ten minute bus ride, where the Gallery and Fishermen's Memorial Statue are the main sights.
 * Land's End is an overpriced tourist trap. If you've come all this way from John O'Groats (e.g. by unicycle, for charity) then you've no option but to continue to the bitter end. But for cliff-top walks and scenery, you'll do better elsewhere, e.g. towards Sennen Cove or the Lizard.
 * See Newlyn, an hour's walk or ten minute bus ride, where the Gallery and Fishermen's Memorial Statue are the main sights.
 * Land's End is an overpriced tourist trap. If you've come all this way from John O'Groats (e.g. by unicycle, for charity) then you've no option but to continue to the bitter end. But for cliff-top walks and scenery, you'll do better elsewhere, e.g. towards Sennen Cove or the Lizard.
 * See Newlyn, an hour's walk or ten minute bus ride, where the Gallery and Fishermen's Memorial Statue are the main sights.
 * Land's End is an overpriced tourist trap. If you've come all this way from John O'Groats (e.g. by unicycle, for charity) then you've no option but to continue to the bitter end. But for cliff-top walks and scenery, you'll do better elsewhere, e.g. towards Sennen Cove or the Lizard.

Do

 * Rugby Union: Cornish Pirates play in the Championship, England's second tier. Their home ground is Mennaye Field, southwest edge of town.
 * Rugby Union: Cornish Pirates play in the Championship, England's second tier. Their home ground is Mennaye Field, southwest edge of town.
 * Rugby Union: Cornish Pirates play in the Championship, England's second tier. Their home ground is Mennaye Field, southwest edge of town.
 * Rugby Union: Cornish Pirates play in the Championship, England's second tier. Their home ground is Mennaye Field, southwest edge of town.
 * Rugby Union: Cornish Pirates play in the Championship, England's second tier. Their home ground is Mennaye Field, southwest edge of town.
 * Rugby Union: Cornish Pirates play in the Championship, England's second tier. Their home ground is Mennaye Field, southwest edge of town.
 * Rugby Union: Cornish Pirates play in the Championship, England's second tier. Their home ground is Mennaye Field, southwest edge of town.
 * Rugby Union: Cornish Pirates play in the Championship, England's second tier. Their home ground is Mennaye Field, southwest edge of town.

Events
Penzance is home to many ancient folk customs and festivals. They can be a colourful spectacle, with costumed participants processing through the town, often accompanied by musicians.



Live music
Penzance is a centre for folk music, with many lively clubs and sessions playing tunes from Cornwall and the other Celtic nations. You will often find musicians in pubs, busking in the town, or processing during Penzance's many Cornish celebrations. The Acorn theatre provides a small (230 capacity) venue for live music and theatre, but many pubs will offer live music throughout the week.
 * Open mic session at the Crown (see below for details) each Monday. Very popular, with a range of folk and acoustic acts in this small local's pub.
 * Open mic session at the Crown (see below for details) each Monday. Very popular, with a range of folk and acoustic acts in this small local's pub.
 * Open mic session at the Crown (see below for details) each Monday. Very popular, with a range of folk and acoustic acts in this small local's pub.
 * Open mic session at the Crown (see below for details) each Monday. Very popular, with a range of folk and acoustic acts in this small local's pub.
 * Open mic session at the Crown (see below for details) each Monday. Very popular, with a range of folk and acoustic acts in this small local's pub.
 * Open mic session at the Crown (see below for details) each Monday. Very popular, with a range of folk and acoustic acts in this small local's pub.

There are several other folk sessions in Penzance, which are listed on the Folk in Cornwall website, and at the events listed above.

Buy


Penzance has a reasonable selection of shops including national retail chains and small independent outlets.


 * Good secondhand bookshops in Chapel Street. New books from shops in Market Jew Street and Chapel Street.
 * Penzance has an increasing number of retro and antiques shops. Most of these can be found along the picturesque Chapel Street and at the lower end of Market Jew Street.
 * Art galleries (shops) in Causewayhead, Market Jew Street and Chapel Street.

Eat
For those seeking to eat a Cornish pasty, Lavenders is an excellent choice. Countless other bakeries, shops and cafés also sell them, hot and cold. (Tip: it is correct to eat pasties from the end, not in the middle!)


 * Admiral Benbow, see "Drink" listing.

Drink
Penzance and the surrounding area have a large number of pubs. Particularly good is the Turk's Head in Chapel Street, Penzance's oldest pub. Live music happens at the Acorn Theatre, and there's an excellent monthly comedy night there as well. Late night drinking is normally confined to a handful of night clubs which are normally open until 3-4AM at weekends.



Sleep
Various B&Bs all over the town, the best are in Regent Terrace facing the sea and some in Alexandra Road. Penzance Tourist Information Centre (TIC) +44 1736 335530 can check availability for you.



Connect
As of May 2022, Penzance has 4G from EE, O2 and Vodafone, but only a basic mobile signal from Three. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next
Good base for trips to Hayle, St Ives, St Just, Marazion, Porthleven, Helston, Truro, Redruth, and Camborne.
 * Isles of Scilly - day trips or longer stays available via ferry or fixed-wing aircraft.
 * Sennen Beach - about from Penzance - lovely beach, busy in summer.