The Prettiest Villages in Cornwall
Cornwall’s villages are the reason many people fall for the county: granite cottages tumbling down to a working harbour, sub-tropical gardens behind the pub, a fishing fleet that still goes out at dawn. These are the prettiest villages in Cornwall as our guides rank them, with a note on when to go so you beat the coach parties. Several sit on a Kernara tour.
Mousehole
A tiny granite harbour near Penzance, long celebrated as one of the loveliest villages in Cornwall. A cluster of cottages around a near-enclosed harbour, magical in the shoulder seasons.
Port Isaac
The north-coast harbour better known on screen as Portwenn. Steep, whitewashed and photogenic from every angle, with a working fleet still landing crab and lobster. It features on our From Coast to Castle tour.
Fowey
A south-coast harbour town of pastel houses and sailing boats, with Daphne du Maurier’s Cornwall all around it. A highlight of our Tors to Shore tour.
Polperro
A maze of narrow, car-free lanes winding down to one of the most perfect fishing harbours in the county. Leave the car at the top and walk in.
Charlestown
A Georgian port frozen in time, its harbour still home to tall ships. So unchanged it frequently doubles as a film set for period drama.
Cadgwith
Thatched fishing cottages around a shingle cove on the Lizard, about as unchanged as Cornwall gets. Come for the crab, the cellars and the quiet.
St Just in Roseland
Famous less for the village than for its church, which sits in a sub-tropical creekside churchyard so beautiful it is often called one of the most peaceful places in England.
Boscastle
A dramatic natural harbour on the north coast, wedged between high cliffs, with a witchcraft museum and coast-path walks straight out of the village.
St Agnes
A former mining village on the north coast where engine houses stand on the clifftop above St Agnes Head. Beaches, surf and a strong community feel, with far fewer visitors than its neighbours.
Portloe
A small, unspoilt fishing village on the Roseland, with a working slipway, a good pub and almost nothing to do but watch the boats, and that is the whole point.
Mevagissey
A busy, characterful working harbour of narrow streets and pasty shops, the gateway to the Lost Gardens of Heligan just inland.
Coverack
A gentle crescent of a harbour village on the eastern Lizard, with rock pools, a thatched former lifeboat house and views back along the coast.
Marazion
Cornwall’s oldest town in all but name, strung along the shore opposite St Michael’s Mount, with the causeway appearing and vanishing with the tide.
Planning your visit
Best time to go: shoulder seasons (May, June, September) to see the villages without the summer crush; some are tiny and fill fast. See our Cornwall vacation itinerary.
Where to stay: many villages have wonderful small hotels and inns. Our where to stay in Cornwall guide covers the best.
Getting around: the prettiest villages sit down narrow lanes with little parking. See travelling from London to Cornwall for reaching the county, then let a guide handle the lanes.
Visit the villages with Kernara
The prettiest villages are also the hardest to park in and the easiest to rush. On a Kernara guided tour you arrive with a local who knows when to come and where to walk, and you string several villages together in one unhurried trip. Enquire to plan yours.
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