St Ives in Cornwall is the perfect family holiday destination with its stunning sandy beaches, coastal walks and art galleries. Located on the West coast of Cornwall, St Ives boasts 6 beaches and one of the most scenic train rides in the UK.
If you’re stuck for family activities to do on your St Ives holiday, here’re our top picks of what to do in St Ives:
Head to one of the many beaches
St Ives has arguably some of the best beaches in Cornwall, all within walking distance of one another. Famed for their golden sands and turquoise waters each beach offers something a little different. Here’s our top picks:
Porthmeor Beach
A Blue Flag awarded beach with a large stretch of golden sand and home to St Ives Surf School, this beach is perfect for all the family. The little ones can enjoy building sand castles whilst older children can take a surf lesson. (*Link to St Ives Surf School).
You can enjoy a Greek style lunch at West, located on the left side of the beach.
Porthminster Beach
Perfect for paddle boarding or simply a lazy day reading a book, Porthminster Beach is a little more sheltered so can be a nice beach to take a swim. Porthminster Beach Cafe has you covered for ice creams and drinks throughout the day.
Porthgwidden Beach
A small hidden gem, this beach is relatively sheltered and has beach huts to hire for the day or even the week. It’s the perfect spot for a quiet day. There’s a small cafe and shop located on the beach for all your beach day essentials.
Carbis Bay Beach
Located just outside of St Ives, Carbis Bay Beach is a picturesque, long sandy beach. The bay is relatively sheltered from the Atlantic swell so is the perfect place to soak up the sun for the day. There are also chances to hire paddle boards and kayaks for some fun on the water. Located behind the beach is the Carbis Bay Beach Club restaurant and nestled around Carbis Bay there are plenty of other bars and restaurants.
What to know more about St Ives beaches? Check out our blog.
Enjoy a Cream Tea in St Ives
No St Ives holiday would be complete without a Cornish Cream tea! There’re plenty of cafes in St Ives to enjoy a cream tea:
Yellow Canary
Situated on Fore Street this family run cafe serves up Origin coffee. With its relaxed decor it’s the perfect place for a cream tea pit stop.
Market Place Tea Room
This charming little tea room serves delicious homemade scones and cakes and is the perfect place to visit if you’re exploring the shops.
Tregenna Castle
If you fancy something a little more indulgent, you could opt for a full afternoon tea at Tregenna Castle which has gorgeous views over St Ives Bay.
Watch a film
Cornish weather can be unpredictable, so for a rainy day or an evening’s activity why not head to the cinema?
St Ives has a small, newly refurbished cinema called the Royal Cinema with plenty of blockbusters on as well as a good selection of independent films.
Go surfing
If you’re stuck for ideas of what to do in St Ives, then why not try a spot of surfing?
You can hire boards and wetsuits or take a lesson with St Ives Surf School
Lessons and board and wetsuit hire are located at Porthmeor beach, the largest beach in St Ives which benefits from the swells of the Atlantic as well as good protection from the wind. Choose from a private lesson or a group one with a friendly experienced team. All guests of Cornish Riviera Holidays can now take advantage of a 10% discount on all activities offered by St Ives Surf School and a valid discount code will be sent to you before your arrival date!
Take a boat trip in St Ives
Activities in Cornwall don’t get much better than taking a boat trip.
Here’s our pick of the best boat trips:
Seal Island
Taking a boat West along the coast from St Ives takes you to the infamous Seal Island, a small rocky island home to a colony of Atlantic Grey Seals. You’ll often find them basking on the rocks or bobbing up and down in the water. The perfect way to catch an up-close look at these wonderful creatures, it’s a day out all the family can enjoy.
Godrevy Lighthouse
Enjoy stunning views of the Cornish coastline as you make your way over to Godrevy Lighthouse, which is rumoured to be part of the inspiration for Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse.
Not only are you likely to catch a glimpse of some seals but you might see some Oystercatchers or if you’re very lucky some dolphins and even whales!
Why not combine both trips for an ultimate sea safari? There are plenty of boat trip companies located on St Ives Harbour that offer trips to both Seal Island and Godrevy Lighthouse.
Head to the Tate and Barbara Hepworth
The Tate St Ives is one of our top suggestions of what to see in St Ives. Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the gallery showcases some fantastic work from Cornish Artists as well as regular changing exhibitions.
Artists featured include: Marlow Moss, Naum Gabo, sculpture work from Barbara Hepworth (located in her previous studio) and many more.
There are monthly toddler Tate sessions for under-fives and their carers with local artist Kate Turner exploring themes such as colour, nature and sensory stories. Check out the Tate’s website to see if this coincides with your St Ives holiday.
You can also enjoy The Art Adventures trail with the family, following the map and learning about the artists who lived and worked in St Ives.
Have fun in the amusements
St Ives is home to harbour amusements, the perfect place to spend an afternoon as a family. Featuring dance machines, penny machines, a new VR machine and plenty of old favourites. Above, there’s even a pool and billiards club to enjoy. It’s the perfect place to let off some steam after a busy day of exploring.
Take a trip to Paradise Park
Situated in Hayle, a visit to Paradise Park is one of the many great family-friendly activities in Cornwall. Paradise Park is home to over 130 species of birds, as well as Harvest Mice, Pygmy goats, Red Pandas, Red Squirrels, miniature donkeys, penguins and Asian short-clawed otters.
The park also features the Jungle Barn Indoor Play Centre with giant slides and soft play.
Take a stroll in the exotic gardens or have a go at feeding the penguins, goats and donkeys or watch the Eagle of Paradise show.
Grab a Cornish pasty
No visit to Cornwall would be complete without enjoying a Cornish pasty! The perfect on-the-go lunch, there are plenty of places in St Ives to grab one.
Here’s our top picks:
- St Ives Bakery
- Cornish Bakery
- Yellow Canary
- The Slipway
Enjoy your pasty on the go or taking in the views at the beach, but be sure to watch out for those pesky seagulls!
Pitch and putt
Located in Hayle is the Penwith Pitch and Putt, a fun Cornwall activity for all ages. The Pitch and Putt features 18-hole crazy golf, 12-hole pitch and putt and a 9-hole football golf.
There’s also a small cafe with a small play corner and an outdoor play area.
There’s no need to book, you can simply just turn up and play.
Go for a coastal path walk
Activities in Cornwall don’t have to be expensive, with the beautiful and rugged Cornish coastline on your doorstep, St Ives is the perfect place to head out for a walk.
You can easily access the South West Coast path from St Ives with an easy walk to Carbis Bay for little legs or a longer coastal walk to Zennor where you might catch a glimpse of some seals!
If you’re willing to travel further afield, there are many parts of the South West Coastal Path with some stunning scenery. Why not try walking some of the coast path to the most south-westerly point, Lands End?
Looking for more walks? Check out our blog
Play some Skittles
If you’re stuck for what to do in St Ives in the evenings or on a drizzly afternoon, why not head for a game of skittles? Located in Hayle is Country Skittles which can facilitate a group of up to 8 players. You can easily enjoy a whole evening here with its selection of drinks and home-made food. Make sure you book your lane and table in advance to avoid disappointment.
What else to do in Cornwall
If you’re travelling by car and want some more family-friendly activities in Cornwall, here’s our pick:
Cornish Seal Sanctuary
Located in Gweek, the sanctuary is a charity that rescues and rehabilitates grey seal pups around the Cornish coastline. Guests get a real glimpse into behind-the-scenes of caring for the injured seals as well as getting to see some puffins.
Mega slip and slide
Fun for all ages, the Mega slip and slide is a 120-meter long slip and slide located in Blackwater. With an option of double or single rings, you ride the slide together and see who reaches the bottom quickest!
Geevor Tin Mine
A real Cornish tin mine, and a world heritage site. You can discover the museum, surface buildings and even have the opportunity to go underground in the mining tunnels of Wheal Mexico to see what it would have been like to be a Cornish miner.
Camel Creek Adventure Park
An adventure park complete with a variety of rides, an Indoor soft play area and array of animals to see, it’s a great day out for younger and older children alike.
If you’re looking for more inspiration for things to see in and around St Ives, check out our blog.
St Ives in Cornwall is the perfect place for a family holiday with a great balance of activities that all the family can enjoy. Looking for a place to stay during your St Ives holiday?
At Cornish Riviera we have an array of self catering family friendly holiday cottages to choose from with all the amenities you could need.
Let us make your St Ives holiday one to remember!
