Attractions Nearby St. Ives, Day Trips and Excursions

(St. Ives, Cornwall, England, UK)

Many visitors staying in St. Ives choose to travel outside of the town, since so many top attractions stand so nearby. Many of these attractions are especially family friendly, such as the Legendary Land's End, home to play areas and a motion theatre.

Other attractions in close proximity to St. Ives include the Industrial Discovery Centre in Camborne, the beachfront at Marazion, the golden sands of Hayle beach and also the elevated views at the Sennen village.

Penzance

The town of Penzance enjoys an attractive coastal setting, around 13 km / 8 miles south-west of St. Ives. Full of attractions, Penzance is much more than just a seaside resort and features many impressive examples of Georgian architecture, with a number of prominent town houses around the town's Chapel Street area. Also worth a look here is the stunning Minack Theatre, perched on the side of a cliff face, the exhibits at the Trinity House National Lighthouse Center along Wharf Road, and the Newlyn paintings at the Penlees House Gallery and Museum on Morrab Road. Nearby, views of St. Michael's Mount and its 12th-century fortress are hard to miss.

Camborne

Camborne is a large town situated approximately 20 km / 12 miles to the east of St. Ives. With a strong industrial and mining past, Camborne was at its busiest in both the 18th and 19th centuries and was once home to the deepest mine of the whole planet. Today, one of the main attractions in Camborne is the Industrial Discovery Centre, where working mine engines, exhibits and videos covey the town's interesting past.

Marazion

Roughly 11 km / 7 miles south of St. Ives, Marazion is a traditional Cornish town with a number of interesting features and attractions. Just 3 km / 2 miles east of neighbouring Penzance, Marazion is reputed to be the oldest town in the whole of Great Britain. Marazion Beach is always popular, especially during the summer months, while Marazion Marsh is a great spot for bird watchers, being classed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Land's End

England's most westerly point, Land's End is one of the most famous locations in the whole of Cornwall and lies just 31 km / 19 miles southwest of St. Ives, being reached in around 45 minutes by car. Featuring a truly awe-inspiring coastline, Land's End is a much-visited attraction and as a result, has become somewhat commercialised in recent years, following the arrival of the Legendary Land's End theme park development, which always draws large crowds.

Sennen

Close to Land's End and just 29 km / 18 miles south-west of St. Ives, the village of Sennen is worthy of a visit and enjoys an elevated, cliff-top position. Beneath the village, Sennen Cove is amongst the main attractions here and features a superb surfing beach, with strong waves from the Atlantic Ocean. It is possible to hire a range of surfing equipment at the beachfront.