St Ives Travel Guide

Tourist Guide

St Ives featuring a sandy beach, a coastal town and a bay or harbour
St Ives showing rugged coastline, boating and a coastal town
Porthmeor Beach showing a beach and a coastal town as well as a large group of people
Porthminster Beach featuring swimming and a sandy beach
St Ives featuring boating, outdoor eating and a coastal town

With its white-washed cottages and white-sand beaches, this seaside village is as pretty as a painting and a magnet for artists and artistic happenings.

The town of St. Ives curves around a harbour overlooking the clear waters of its eponymous bay. Beyond the shoreline lie a cluster of fishermen’s cottages and narrow cobbled lanes where galleries, cafés and craft shops proliferate. Splash around in the surf and explore the impressive artistic offerings in town.

Though once just a regular fishing village, St. Ives has attracted many prominent artists since the early 19th century, including J.M.W. Turner and James McNeill Whistler. The town’s reputation as an artistic hub still remains and many renowned galleries are now based here.

Stop by the Tate St. Ives near the popular swimming spot of Porthmeor Beach. See works from modern British artists, including painter Ben Nicholson. Another important figure in the art scene of St. Ives is modernist sculptor Barbara Hepworth. She is honored at the Tate-owned Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. Continue your artistic explorations at the Leach Pottery museum, where displays are devoted to the work of the master British potter Bernard Leach.

For relaxation during the warmer months, hit the golden sands of Porthminster Beach. From here, admire views of the Godrevy Lighthouse, the inspiration for Virginia Woolf’s famous 1927 novel To the Lighthouse. Adventurers surf, kayak and paddleboard here too.

Explore the labyrinthine streets in the old heart of the town, known locally as Downalong. To learn more about the town’s history, visit the St. Ives Museum. Exhibits focus on its mining, fishing and boatbuilding industries.

When dining, seafood is the obvious choice. Eat beer-battered fish and chips at a cosy gastro pub or try some other delicious Cornish seafood. In between meals, snack on traditional Cornish pasties, savoury baked pastries filled with minced meat and vegetables.

There is lots to keep you excited and amused in St. Ives, but consider a boat excursion out to Seal Island, where a colony of seals reside.

St. Ives is located in Cornwall on England’s southwest coast. Make the 3-hour drive from Bristol or use rail or coach services instead. Enjoy simple seaside pleasures and artistic delights at this picturesque harbour town.

Tregenna Castle Resort

Tregenna Castle Resort

3 out of 5
Tregenna Castle Estate, Treloyon Avenue, St Ives, England
The price is Rp2.485.330 per night from 1 Sept to 2 Sept
Rp2.485.330
Rp2.982.396 total
1 Sept - 2 Sept
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 3-star spa hotel in St Ives. Enjoy free Wi-Fi, free parking and an outdoor pool. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean rooms in their ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (1,002 reviews)
Tregenna Castle hotel
"Superb grounds, and views over to St Ives and the sea.worthy of stately home gardens. Fabulous building, great food and comfortable room if tired, single glazed, blinds broken and hot water system not up to standard. If sorted it could be 5*. Very steep walk to the beech and town"

Reviewed on 2 Aug 2025

Tregenna Castle Resort
The St Ives Bay Hotel

The St Ives Bay Hotel

3.5 out of 5
The Terrace, Cornwall, St Ives, England
Fully refundableReserve now, pay when you stay
The price is Rp1.438.875 per night from 31 Aug to 1 Sept
Rp1.438.875
Rp1.726.650 total
31 Aug - 1 Sept
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 3.5-star hotel in St Ives. Enjoy breakfast (surcharge), a 24-hour front desk and daily housekeeping. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the ...
6.4/10 (595 reviews)
"Big room, comfy beds, decent bathroom a fan. Free WiFi. Short walk to carpark but steep hill or lots of steps. Ten minute walk into town. Didn't try any food or have our room serviced. Reception staff were pleasant on check in and check out."

Reviewed on 28 Jul 2025

The St Ives Bay Hotel
Harbour Hotel St Ives

Harbour Hotel St Ives

4 out of 5
The Terrace, St Ives, England
The price is Rp4.269.391 per night from 17 Aug to 18 Aug
Rp4.269.391
Rp5.123.269 total
17 Aug - 18 Aug
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 4-star beach hotel in St Ives. Enjoy free breakfast, free Wi-Fi and a full-service spa. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the property condition ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (629 reviews)
"We asked for a bit more with this local and hotel and got it. It is a nicer place for a higher level stay. The front staff were obsequious and pleasant."

Reviewed on 29 Jul 2025

Harbour Hotel St Ives
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
Beautiful and Cosy Garden Pod Saintives

Beautiful and Cosy Garden Pod Saintives

3 out of 5
St Ives, England
Stay at this 3-star cabin in St Ives. Enjoy free Wi-Fi and a garden. Popular attractions Carbis Bay Beach and St Ives Harbour are located nearby.
9.6/10 Exceptional! (4 reviews)
"Cute little cabin although I didn’t see the property owners much"

Reviewed on 23 Jul 2025

Beautiful and Cosy Garden Pod Saintives
5 Lyonesse Apartments

5 Lyonesse Apartments

3 out of 5
5 Lyonesse Apartments Talland Road, St Ives, England
Stay at this 3-star golf cottage in St Ives. Enjoy free Wi-Fi and free parking. Popular attractions St Ives Harbour and Carbis Bay Beach are located nearby.
10/10 Exceptional! (3 reviews)
"Property was perfect. Absolutely no complaints."

Reviewed on 20 Jul 2025

5 Lyonesse Apartments
Heron

Heron

2 out of 5
Flat 2, Tate Reach Barn A Woon Barnoon, St Ives, England
Stay at this golf cottage in St Ives. Enjoy free Wi-Fi and free parking. Popular attractions St Ives Harbour and Carbis Bay Beach are located nearby.
Heron
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

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