The 10 best holidays in Cornwall for 2024

From surfing with the whole family to dining on fresh seafood, these are the top ways to experience Cornwall this year

By and large, there’s little to it when it comes to holidaying in Cornwall. Pick a nice spot near a nice beach, drive down the A30 until you reach it, then the rest will take care of itself until it’s time to go home again. 
A little oversimplified, perhaps, but that’s the tried-and-tested method adopted by millions of visitors each year. And while there’s nothing wrong with lounging beside the sea for a fortnight, Cornwall has so much more to offer.
The vast majority of tourists head for the coast, and with good reason. There are incredible beaches of course, as well as the ever-wonderful South West Coast Path, picturesque seaside towns, and the best fish and chip shops in the country.
But there’s a whole hinterland full of wonderful places to explore – and which is largely overlooked by visitors. Here you’ll find spectacular trails for walking and cycling, ancient heritage sites, and plenty of beautiful scenery, and you’ll often have them entirely to yourself, even in the height of summer.
Of course, picking and choosing where to go is often the tricky part, but there’s no shortage of travel companies (many of them Cornwall-based) to help you sort out an itinerary, whether you’re after a long weekend break in the shoulder season or a summer escape with the family. To get you started, here are 10 top Cornish holidays to try this year.
The north coast of Cornwall is one of the best surfing destinations in the UK, with dozens of great beaches to suit all ability levels. One of the best for families is Watergate Bay, a quiet little spot just up the coast from Newquay, where the Wavehunters surf school offers two-hour group sessions for ages six and up. 
They provide all the kit and a brief introduction to the basics, before heading out into the water to catch some waves. The school is partnered with the Watergate Bay Hotel, a breezy beach resort with 80 comfy rooms, three restaurants and the Swim Club spa and fitness centre.
How to do it: Wavehunters (01637 860840) provides two-hour surf lessons from £45pp; rooms at Watergate Bay Hotel (01637 860543; watergatebay.co.uk) from £220, B&B.
If you’re looking to walk a stretch of Cornwall’s 422-mile coastline, you can’t really go wrong. Varied as it is, every inch of the way offers boundless beauty. That said, the path that runs from Mounts Bay to Lizard Point is particularly acclaimed for its breathtaking scenery – a riot of vivid gorse on one side; the sea pounding against granite cliffs on the other. 
Western Discoveries runs a four-night walking tour, starting in Marazion and finishing 35 miles away in Coverack, with stops in the honeypot villages of Porthleven and Mullion. Five nights’ bed and breakfast is included, as are bag transfers.
How to do it: Western Discoveries (01736 362763; westcornwallwalks.co.uk) offers the Marazion to Coverack walking holiday from £620, B&B.
The bustling harbour town of Falmouth has a rich maritime history, and to this day it is one of the premier sailing spots in the South West. For those looking to share a little of this seafaring tradition, VentureSail Holidays is offering berths aboard its traditional sailing yawl, Escape, for the Falmouth Classics Regatta this June. 
The four-day itinerary also coincides with the town’s annual Sea Shanty Festival, which sees acts from all over the world gather for a weekend of rousing nautical music and fun festivities.
How to do it: VentureSail Holidays (01872487288; venturesailholidays.com) offers a four-day Falmouth Classics & Sea Shanty Festival voyage from £595pp, departing June 14 2024.
Cycling enthusiasts have always been drawn to Cornwall’s wild west, with its windy coastal roads, rugged landscapes and sweeping sea views. It’s not for the faint of heart, with plenty of steep climbs and hair-raising descents, but there are a few companies to help ease the way. 
One such is Cornish Cycle Tours, which offers a five-day West Cornwall itinerary, starting in Porthleven and following the coast clockwise through Penzance, Sennen, St Ives, Redruth and Falmouth. The package includes accommodation at each stopping point, as well as the option to ride an electric bike.
How to do it: Cornish Cycle Tours (01637 889 156; cornishcycletours.co.uk) offers the five-night West Cornwall Cycle Tour from £717pp, including accommodation.
Cornwall is full of beautiful places where you can attend a meditation workshop or a yoga retreat, but Cabilla does it a little differently. This year, the rural retreat on Bodmin Moor is running Dirty Weekend packages, which takes an earthier approach to reconnecting with nature. Alongside yoga sessions and sound baths, guests also get stuck into some vital conservation work, helping to replant temperate rainforest (while learning all about this beguiling but sadly threatened habitat) and getting a close-up look at Cabilla’s species reintroduction project (including an audience with the two resident beavers, Sigourney and Jean-Claude).
How to do it: Cabilla (cabillacornwall.com) offers two-night Dirty Weekend packages from £425pp, including accommodation and all meals.
With such a wealth of places to see and things to do, the hardest thing about a Cornish holiday is packing everything in. To help ensure you cover as much of your wishlist as possible, Experience Cornwall Tours offers a 5 Day Deluxe Tour Package, which allows you to pick and choose from a list of preset day excursions, with some of the county’s top attractions – St Michael’s Mount, the Eden Project, Tintagel – included as options. 
A tour guide and transportation are included, as are entry fees and lunch each day (although accommodation is not provided).
How to do it: Experience Cornwall Tours (01872 396143; experiencecornwalltours.co.uk) offers the 5-Day Deluxe Tour Package from £113 per person, per day.
With an abundance of marine life and rare bird species, Cornwall is a paradise for wildlife enthusiasts. To help get the most out of a creature-spotting adventure, Naturetrek offers five-day holidays centred around Cornwall’s native species.
It includes a twilight tour in search of Eurasian beavers, a seven-hour catamaran voyage for sightings of dolphins and minke whales, and coastal walks in areas where the rarely seen chough – the symbol of Cornwall – might be glimpsed. The package is based in and around Falmouth, with accommodation at the Penmorvah Hotel included alongside most meals.
How to do it: Naturetrek (01962 733051; naturetrek.co.uk) offers the five-day Cornwall – Beavers, Choughs and Cetaceans holiday from £1,295 per person.
When it comes to an old-fashioned family getaway by the sea, there are few hotels to match Carlyon Bay. The stately art deco resort near St Austell has something for everyone: a championship golf course with sea views, an alluring spa, an attractive outdoor pool, tennis courts, a 250-acre garden, a private beach and mesmerising countryside for miles around. 
There are lots of different packages to choose from, but families looking for summer holiday inspiration should consider the Family Summer Breaks offer, which includes unlimited use of the spa and leisure facilities, as well as a complimentary daily round of golf.
How to do it: Carlyon Bay Hotel (01726 812304; carlyonbay.com) offers Family Summer Breaks from £185 per person per night, room only.
Since the early 19th century, artists have flocked to Cornwall in their droves, attracted by the dramatic landscapes and unique light. That trend continues to this day, and a vibrant artistic scene flourishes throughout the county, safeguarded by institutions such as the Newlyn School of Art. This year, the school is running a series of painting holidays on Tresco, the second largest of the Scilly isles, and home to the famous sub-tropical gardens of Tresco Abbey. The four-day courses include daily painting tuition, a visit to the Abbey gardens, an excursion to one of the neighbouring islands and half-board accommodation at the New Inn.
How to do it: Newlyn School of Art (01736365557; newlynartschool.co.uk) offers the four-day Tresco Painting Holiday from £675 per person.
The North Coast town of Padstow has established itself in recent years as a hub for fine seafood dining. At the centre of it all is Rick Stein’s collection of restaurants (four in Padstow alone). 
Anyone who’s enjoyed the tantalising cookery segments on the popular BBC series, Rick Stein’s Cornwall, and is eager to learn some of his culinary skills should consider the Gourmet Break package at the Seafood Restaurant. It includes a two-night stay on a B&B basis, with a three-course dinner and a Cook Your Own Dinner course at the on-site cookery school.
How to do it: The Seafood Restaurant (01841 532700; rickstein.com) offers the Gourmet Break package from £686 for two adults.