St Ives Travel Guide

Tourist Guide

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

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 HepworthMuseum 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 novelTo 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 AU$156 per night from 9 Nov to 10 Nov
AU$156
9 Nov - 10 Nov
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 3-star spa hotel in St Ives. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and an outdoor pool. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean rooms in our ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (1,008 reviews)
"The location was fantastic!"

Reviewed on 6 Oct 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
The price is AU$111 per night from 9 Nov to 10 Nov
AU$111
9 Nov - 10 Nov
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 (634 reviews)
"Staff great, nice bar, superb breakfast, bed comfortable. 5 min walk from railway station and the town. Some parts a little dated but doesn't make the stay worse."

Reviewed on 26 Sept 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 AU$328 per night from 5 Nov to 6 Nov
AU$328
5 Nov - 6 Nov
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 4-star beach hotel in St Ives. Enjoy free breakfast, free WiFi, and a full-service spa. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the property condition ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (644 reviews)
"Lovely hotel Great staff so friendly and helpful Comfy beds Wonderful"

Reviewed on 6 Oct 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
Stay at this 3-star cabin in St Ives. Enjoy free WiFi and a garden. Popular attractions Carbis Bay Beach and St Ives Harbour are located nearby.
9.6/10 Exceptional! (5 reviews)
"A lovely, quiet and private location. The pod is compact and well appointed, with a lovely modern feel. Very well presented and some lovely welcoming touches. Communication was great from initial contact through to the welcome on arrival. Parking is up the road but only a couple of minutes walk. ..."

Reviewed on 12 Aug 2025

Beautiful and Cosy Garden Pod Saintives
Betty's Cottage St Ives. Grade II listed perfect getaway with secure parking.

Betty's Cottage St Ives. Grade II listed perfect getaway with secure parking.

St Ives
Stay at this cottage in St Ives. Enjoy free WiFi, patios, and cable/satellite TV service. Our guests praise the convenient parking in our reviews. Popular attractions ...
9.8/10 Exceptional! (165 reviews)
"Lovely, cosy cottage in an ideal location for the railway station, beaches and shops."

Reviewed on 19 Sept 2025

Betty's Cottage St Ives. Grade II listed perfect getaway with secure parking.
Trestenor Cottage St Ives town. Cosy Cottage.

Trestenor Cottage St Ives town. Cosy Cottage.

St.Ives
Stay at this cottage in St Ives. Enjoy laundry facilities, patios, and cable/satellite TV service. Popular attractions St Ives Harbour and Carbis Bay Beach are ...
9.6/10 Exceptional! (149 reviews)
"Enjoyable stay"

Reviewed on 24 Sept 2025

Trestenor Cottage St Ives town. Cosy Cottage.
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.

Popular places to visit

Reviews of St Ives

4.8
Top destination
5 - Excellent
10
5 - Excellent 83%
4 - Good
1
4 - Good 8%
3 - Okay
1
3 - Okay 8%
2 - Disappointing
0
2 - Disappointing 0%
1 - Terrible
0
1 - Terrible 0%

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

Still a strong arts community.

5/5 - Excellent

Verified traveller

St Ives is a lovely town and I would definitely go back if I ever got the chance

3/5 - Okay

Verified traveller

I was a little disappointed with St Ives, seems to have gone downhill over the last few years

Cities near St Ives

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