The Perfect Cornwall Holiday Itinerary (7 and 10 Days)
Cornwall is one of those rare places where a week feels too short and a month could still leave you wanting more. This Cornwall holiday itinerary is designed to give you the best of it: coast, moor, food, history, and the quieter corners that most visitors drive straight past. We’ve written both a seven-day and a ten-day version, depending on how much time you have.
The 7-day Cornwall holiday itinerary
Day 1: Arrive and get settled. If you’re travelling from London, the train to Penzance takes just over five hours and is one of the great rail journeys in England. Base yourself in or around Penzance or St Ives for the first two nights.
Day 2: West Cornwall. Spend the morning on the West Penwith peninsula: Zennor, Gurnard’s Head, the Bronze Age village at Carn Euny. Afternoon in St Ives: the Tate gallery, the harbour, a table at a restaurant that does justice to the local catch.
Day 3: Head east to the Lizard Peninsula. The most southerly point in mainland Britain, the secret beach at Kynance Cove, and the village of Mullion. Stay near Helston or on the Roseland Peninsula.
Day 4: The South coast. Falmouth (the National Maritime Museum), the King Harry Ferry crossing, Trelissick Garden. Stay in or around Fowey.
Day 5: Fowey and the South East. Walk the coast path between Fowey and Polperro, two hours mostly downhill, one of the best sections of the South West Coast Path. Afternoon in Looe. Consider staying near Bodmin for the final nights.
Day 6: Bodmin Moor. Rough Tor, Brown Willy, the Hurlers stone circle, Jamaica Inn. The landscape is unlike anything else in Cornwall and is chronically undervisited.
Day 7: Tintagel and North Cornwall. The dramatic headland at Tintagel, the RNLI museum in Padstow, a crab sandwich on Rock beach. Depart from Bodmin Parkway or drive back through Dartmoor.
The 10-day Cornwall holiday itinerary
The ten-day version gives you time to add the North coast properly. After Day 3 (Lizard Peninsula), add three additional days: one on the Poldark coast between Portreath and St Agnes, one exploring the surfing beaches and cliffs between Newquay and Bedruthan Steps, and one based in Padstow for the full North Cornwall food and harbour experience. The Camel Trail, a converted railway line from Padstow to Bodmin, is one of the best family-friendly days out in Cornwall and fits naturally into the extra time.
What to know before you go
Roads in Cornwall are narrow. If you’re driving, allow more time than Google Maps suggests; a thirty-mile trip can take an hour. Parking in summer is competitive at the most popular spots; arrive early or use the park-and-ride services in St Ives and Newquay.
Accommodation books out months ahead for peak season (July and August). If you’re planning a summer trip to Cornwall, get your accommodation sorted before you do anything else.
The guided alternative
If building an itinerary sounds like more planning than you want to do before a holiday, that’s exactly what Kernara is for. Our tours are ready-made Cornwall holiday itineraries led by a local expert: six nights, five walking days, luxury hotels throughout, and every meal, transfer, and detail handled. Browse our tours or just get in touch and tell us when you want to travel.
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