Truro (England)

Truro (Cornish: Truru) is a small cathedral city (population 22,000) in South Cornwall. It is the administrative capital of the County of Cornwall.

Understand
Queen Victoria designated Truro a city in 1876, but it is the size of a small town.
 * Truro visitor information from Visit Cornwall

By train
is on the Cornish Main Line from Plymouth to Penzance. The station is a fairly long, steep downhill walk to the city centre. If you've got luggage, plan ahead and know the buses or book a taxi. If you're travelling from elsewhere in Cornwall, you may well find the bus more convenient as it stops more centrally, and all branch line trains (except for the Falmouth branch) will require a change of train to get to Truro. There is no lift for the footbridge between platforms.

Generally, there are trains every half hour on the branch line from Falmouth. Trains on the mainline are more esoteric, but there's usually an hourly stopping train between Penzance and Plymouth calling at every station en-route, then usually at least one long distance train every hour calling at main stops only en-route to somewhere upcountry. All trains stop at Truro. There are direct trains from London Paddington (including the Night Riviera sleeper), Bristol Temple Meads, Birmingham New Street and beyond, including an agonising 13-hour direct service from Aberdeen (once a day) - which is not a sleeper.

When you leave Truro, if you are going to be taking an eastbound service (towards Plymouth / Exeter / London) then do not enter the main station building. Instead, cross the tracks at the level crossing. You can enter the eastbound platforms directly via the ramp in the car park.

By car
Truro is at the junction of the A39 and A390 arterial roads, some north of Falmouth. There is a park and ride system available, with a western car park off the A390 at Langarth / Threemilestone (sat nav postcode: TR4 9AN), and an eastern car park off the A39 at Tregurra (sat nav postocde: TR1 1RH). Parking free, shuttle bus £2

By bus
Almost all services passing through or terminating/starting at Truro will run through the main bus station at Lemon Quay, right in the middle of town. Municipal services and services within Cornwall are mostly run by either First Kernow or Go Cornwall. BusTimes.org is your friend.

National Express services provide sporadic services to and from places outside of Cornwall, including Heathrow Airport and London Victoria.

By plane
There's no direct public transport available; take the A9 bus to Newquay and change for one of several routes going to Truro.

Get around
Most attractions are within walking distance.

Lemon Quay is the hub for bus services, including shuttles for the Truro Park and Ride service. There are departure information screens, and inside the station building you can grab a Cornwall-wide printed timetable, where there are some comfy chairs and vending machines to ease the wait. The station building is an "island", and there are departure bays on both sides, so make sure you know where your bus is departing from, as it's easy to miss it if you're on the wrong side. The bus station is not anywhere near the train station, which is a long way out from the town centre.

Buy
There is a good number of shops, including a rather large Marks and Spencer's.



There are two covered markets. One leads off the Piazza with several small traditional stalls. The other leads off Lemon St (near the cinema): the little shops here would appeal more to the eco/organic minded, with a pleasant coffee shop and art gallery upstairs, where you can usually find a seat.

On Saturday mornings, a great farmers' market on the piazza has good local produce, including delicious Cornish ducks, cheeses, bread, rose veal and plants to take home. Wednesday's market, in the same place, is smaller.

The Lander Gallery is recommended for those wishing to purchase Cornish artwork, both old and new.



Eat

 * Cornish pasty: Bakeries include W.C. Rowe's on Victoria Square and Lemon Quay, Oggy Oggy on River Street, and Warrens on New Bridge Street and the cathedral square. All the pasty shops do a variety of different pasties, the traditional beef and vegetarian pasties and for the more adventurous there are the more unusual fillings to try. Particularly recommended to try are W.C. Rowes.
 * Saffron buns: Delicious sweet fruit buns flavoured with saffron, from the bakers above. Also "tea treats" (bigger than a bun) and saffron cake, like a fruit loaf, to be sliced, and sometimes toasted and buttered.
 * Saffron buns: Delicious sweet fruit buns flavoured with saffron, from the bakers above. Also "tea treats" (bigger than a bun) and saffron cake, like a fruit loaf, to be sliced, and sometimes toasted and buttered.

Sleep

 * St Mawes Hotel nearby on Harbourside is also part of Idle Rocks.
 * St Mawes Hotel nearby on Harbourside is also part of Idle Rocks.
 * St Mawes Hotel nearby on Harbourside is also part of Idle Rocks.
 * St Mawes Hotel nearby on Harbourside is also part of Idle Rocks.
 * St Mawes Hotel nearby on Harbourside is also part of Idle Rocks.
 * St Mawes Hotel nearby on Harbourside is also part of Idle Rocks.
 * St Mawes Hotel nearby on Harbourside is also part of Idle Rocks.
 * St Mawes Hotel nearby on Harbourside is also part of Idle Rocks.

Go next

 * The A390 trunk road leads into St Austell
 * First Devon & Cornwall number 14 & 18 buses run up to every fifteen minutes (this is very good for anywhere in Cornwall, even central Truro); destinations include Truro Railway Station, Camborne, and Redruth, and can be caught at the bus station on Lemon Quay or Victoria Square.
 * Truro Railway Station is a short but uphill walk from the centre. InterCity trains are frequently run to Penzance and Plymouth, and less frequently to London and the Midlands. There is a half-hourly service to Falmouth all day and hourly into the evening; a single journey takes half an hour and the return fare is £4 per adult. It is quite busy in the peaks, with traffic mostly living in Falmouth and commuting to Truro. Visitors will find Falmouth Town station the most convenient of the three in Falmouth (Penmere, Falmouth Town and Falmouth Docks); Penmere is a commuter stop at the back of the town on a steep hill and Falmouth Docks is beyond the town centre, though convenient for Pendennis Castle.