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The Best Way To Spend a Short Break in Cornwall

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A short break in Cornwall is one of the best ways to spend a few days in the U.K. Travelling to Cornwall may be far for some but there’s a reason so many people visit Cornwall all year round and there are now so many amazing places to stay in Cornwall!

A break in Cornwall offers fresh sea air, plenty of coastal walks to do, secret beaches to find, world class restaurants to dine in, family activities and more. After one week in Cornwall, or a few days in Cornwall you will feel relaxed, refreshed and recharged and I bet you’ll feel like you’ve been there at least 2 weeks.

In this Cornwall travel blog, I’m going to give you my advice on how to spend a short break in Cornwall with some Cornwall travel tips, where to stay in Cornwall and incredible places to visit in Cornwall so you can make the most out of your short trip to Cornwall.

Short Break in Cornwall

Short break in Cornwall
Keep reading for help on how to plan a Short break in Cornwall!

Cornwall Travel Tips

My biggest advice for visiting Cornwall, is to be mindful of when you travel to Cornwall, especially in the summer months and over a weekend.

The traffic getting to Cornwall can get really busy during peak times like Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon so try to avoid these times if possible. 

Planning a short trip to Cornwall midweek is helpful not only for travel times but also because it’s likely attractions will be less busy and there will be more accommodation available to book.

When searching for accommodation, you could look for a Monday changeover date meaning you can travel Monday morning which won’t be as busy as a Friday. A Monday changeover date is less common but still possible to find like Sea Mist offers a Monday or Saturday changeover date and it’s a beautiful house for up to 6 people, with a hot tub!

To help make the most of your short break in Cornwall and to break up the journey of driving to Cornwall, be sure to plan some stops on the way to Cornwall. As detailed in my Cornwall road trip from London post, there are so many places to stop in the Cotswolds, Somerset, Dorset and Devon on the way to Cornwall.

Stopping and making the journey exciting is especially helpful if you are planning a family trip with children to Cornwall to get them out the car and see some new places in the UK. 

Getting Around Cornwall

Without a doubt, it is best to drive to Cornwall and drive around Cornwall rather than getting public transport because Cornwall is made up of a lot of country lane and small villages, and although there is bus and train access around Cornwall you will be very limited in where you can go and when, and on a short trip to Cornwall you don’t want to be waiting for public transport to arrive.

If you don’t have a car or are visiting from overseas, look at hiring a car. If you’re visiting from London or around London, hiring a car from Heathrow Airport and driving to Cornwall is a great idea.

Alternative options of getting to cornwall are flying to Cornwall Newquay Airport or getting a train to main line stations such as: Penzance, Truro, Newquay, Looe, St Ives and Falmouth and then basing yourself in the local area if you don’t have a car.

Short break in Cornwall, small corniche village

Where to Stay in Cornwall

For a short break in Cornwall I recommend staying in one place and using this as a base to see more of Cornwall from because changing accommodations every day can be exhausting and can cost a lot more.

Most people associate Cornwall with pretty cottages and whether you’re looking for a traditional town centre cottage well located and in walking distance to a harbour, shops and beach, or you want a big, rural, family cottage, perhaps with ocean views and a hot tub, you can get this in Cornwall!

Short break in Cornwall, view of St Ives
View of St Ives
Short break in Cornwall, Padstow Harbour
Padstow Harbour

Accommodation sites like Aspects Holidays are a great place to look for a wide range of cottages and accommodation in Cornwall especially if you want to spend one week in Cornwall. You can fully un-pack, get settled in and get to know the local area from a beautiful house or cottage in Cornwall.

Plus, a short break in Cornwall with self catering will help you feel like you really live in Cornwall for those few days and I think this really adds to the overall feeling of a relaxed and stress free holiday.

In regards to where to stay, it’s worth thinking about how long you are in Cornwall for and how long your journey to Cornwall will be.

Cornwall is a long county and it takes at least 2 hours to cross Cornwall from East to West. 

If you have travelled quite far, from Northern England for example, although St Ives in the very South West of Cornwall is beautiful, you’re going to have to add 2 more hours onto your journey than if you were staying in Bude or Padstow on the North Coast and in the Eastern side of Cornwall.

I stayed near Padstow a few years ago and really recommend it as a great area to stay in Cornwall. There are many things to do in Padstow and places to visit near Padstow.

Short break in Cornwall, St Ives Beach and Water
Beautiful St Ives
Short break in Cornwall, Padstow Town and Harbour
Padstow Town and Harbour

Best Places to Visit in Cornwall

If this is your first trip to Cornwall then below I have detailed some top places to visit in Cornwall which everyone likes to visit.

These are spread out around the county and remember what I said above about the county of Cornwall being quite big, so you might not get to visit them all but you can view them on a map of Cornwall and see where is easy for you to visit from your Cornwall accommodation.

  • Padstow
  • Harlyn Bay
  • Constantine Bay
  • St Michael’s Mount
  • Bedruthan Steps
  • Newquay
  • Fistral Beach
  • St Ives
  • Lands End
  • Eden Project
  • Tintagel Castle
Short break in Cornwall, views over Tintagel Castle,
Views over Tintagel Castle

If you have been to Cornwall before, or on your first visit to Cornwall you want to visit some hidden gems in Cornwall and unique places in Cornwall, add these places to your Cornwal itinerary:

  • Porth Nanven Beach
  • Botallack Mines
  • St Nectan’s Glen Waterfall
  • Kynance Cove
  • Restormel Castle
  • Charlestown Harbour
Short break in Cornwall, botallack mine

I hope this has helped you plan a short break to Cornwall and helps you travel to and around Cornwall with ease during your trip.