Penzance

Penzance's accommodation reflects the shape of the town itself: grand Georgian and Victorian townhouses along the promenade and Chapel Street converted into hotels and guest houses, a handful of boutique newcomers that have leaned into the town's artistic reputation, and characterful coaching inns with centuries of harbourside history behind them. Sea views are easy to come by given the town's position on Mount's Bay, and several properties look directly across to St Michael's Mount from their upper floors, particularly those toward Marazion.

Because Penzance is a compact working town rather than a purpose-built resort, most places to stay are within easy walking distance of the station, harbour and Chapel Street, which suits visitors arriving by train for a car-free break. Parking is more of a consideration for anyone driving in during peak summer weeks, though most hotels and guest houses have arrangements nearby. The eight properties below span a boutique harbourfront hotel and an art-filled Georgian townhouse at the upper end, through a historic seafront hotel and a sixteenth-century harbourside inn in the middle, to well-run bed and breakfasts on the quieter Regent Terrace and Alexandra Road, both a short stroll from the promenade.

Penzance rewards a few unhurried days rather than a single afternoon. Highlights include:

• St Michael's Mount a tidal island crowned by a medieval castle and priory, reached on foot across a granite causeway at low tide or by small ferry when the sea covers it.
• Jubilee Pool a vast art deco lido on the seafront, restored with a geothermally heated section, and one of the best sea swims in Britain on a clear morning.
• Chapel Street the town's historic heart, with the Egyptian House, antique shops, independent galleries and some of the oldest pubs in Cornwall.
• Penlee House Gallery and Museum a compact but excellent collection of Newlyn School paintings alongside the story of the town itself.
• Newlyn a genuine working fishing harbour a short walk or drive from the centre, with fish landed daily and a scattering of artists' studios.
• Trengwainton Garden a National Trust subtropical garden just outside town, sheltered enough to grow plants found almost nowhere else in England.
• The Isles of Scilly ferry the Scillonian III sails from Penzance harbour in season, making the town the natural jumping-off point for the islands.
• Golowan Festival the town's midsummer festival, held every June, filling the streets with parades, music and Mazey Day, one of Cornwall's best-loved community events.

Being the main port for the Newlyn fishing fleet, Penzance takes seafood seriously. Restaurants along the harbour and Chapel Street serve whatever has come in that morning, from crab and mackerel to monkfish and John Dory, and several kitchens change their menus daily to match the catch. The Cornish pasty remains the everyday staple, and bakeries around Market Jew Street sell them fresh through the day, alongside Cornish splits and clotted cream teas.

The town's markets and delis are worth building a day around: the Wednesday and Saturday markets bring in local produce, and independent shops on Chapel Street stock Cornish cheeses, charcuterie and baked goods. For a drink, the Admiral Benbow and the Dolphin Tavern on the harbourfront are among the oldest licensed pubs in the county, both with genuine smuggling history, while a newer wave of microbreweries and gin distilleries around West Cornwall has found its way onto local bar menus. Jubilee Pool's café makes a good spot for a sea-view coffee or evening drink as the sun goes down over Mount's Bay.

Penzance makes an unusually convenient base for camping given how close its sites sit to the town itself. Rather than being tucked away in distant countryside, the options here range from a five-acre parkland pitch within walking distance of the station and beaches, to a hillside site in the neighbouring village of Gulval with views over Mounts Bay, to a leafy touring and camping park just outside Heamoor. All three put Penzance's harbour, galleries and Chapel Street pubs within easy reach without needing a car for the evening.

These are simple, traditional Cornish sites rather than large holiday parks: expect toilet and shower blocks, washing-up areas and a friendly, low-key atmosphere rather than swimming pools or entertainment programmes. That suits the walkers and coast-path visitors who use Penzance as a springboard for Land's End and the South West Coast Path, as well as families after a straightforward, well-located base for a Cornish summer. Bookings for July and August fill early, so plan ahead if travelling in peak season.