2nd June 2026
You’re busy. We’ve got eight day trips in Cornwall to cover. Let’s agree to park the pleasantries and skip straight to the fun.
Looking for a family day out? Need some date-night inspiration? Here are eight day trips in Cornwall that will lodge in your memory banks forever.
1. Spend the day learning to surf
Stay at the Pentire Hotel and you’ll have one of the best day trips in Cornwall on your doorstep.
See, Newquay is known as the surfing capital of the UK – and our hotel overlooks the best surfing spot in the country, bar none.
Fistral Beach attracts hundreds of thousands of surfers each year. They come for its powerful, consistent waves, fantastic facilities and prestigious surf school.
If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to hang ten, now’s your chance. Take a short stroll to the surf school and sign up for one of its beginner sessions. You won’t regret it.
2. Enjoy a day of family fun in Newquay
You don’t have to surf to have fun in Newquay. Our town has plenty of family-friendly attractions that will keep you thoroughly entertained and thoroughly dry.
Why not start by soaking up some morning sun at Towan Beach? This sheltered strip of sand attracts smaller waves than Fistral, so it’s perfect for a paddle.
Blue Reef Aquarium overlooks the beach, so that’s a shoo-in. And you’ll be mere minutes from Pirate’s Quest Adventure Golf: another popular family attraction that promises piratical fun for all ages.
Or how about a trampoline park? Or our beloved local zoo? We could go on – but you’ll have more fun discovering it all for yourself.
3. Tour Doc Martin’s TV town
Cornwall is more ‘surf and seafood’ than ‘glitz and glamour’. However, we do have a few small-screen credits to our name.
Take Port Isaac, for instance. This fishing village enjoyed another lease of life as the TV home of Doc Martin: the grouchy GP played by Martin Clunes from 2004 to 2022.
Why not treat yourself to a guided tour of the town and enjoy one of the few day trips in Cornwall with a celebrity flavour? You’ll see all the famous filming locations, from the Doc’s surgery to Mrs Tishell’s village pharmacy.
Not a fan of the show? Port Isaac is too gorgeous for its own good, so it’s worth a trudge in any case.
4. Take a day trip in Cornwall by train
Devon and Cornwall boast some of the most scenic railway journeys in the world. So, if you’re a free spirit with a free afternoon, why not hop on a train and see where it takes you?
Newquay Station is a great place to start. From here, you can clatter your way along the whole of the Atlantic Coast Line, taking in the Polaroid-perfect scenery of the Luxulyan Valley as you go.
These are modern trains with modern diesel engines, mind. If you’d prefer good old-fashioned steam, head to Lappa Valley where you can ride the historic Newquay to Chacewater line aboard a miniature steam locomotive. It’s one of the most enjoyable day trips in Cornwall for railway fans of all ages.
5. Hike from Constantine Bay to Magwan Porth
This walking route takes you across seven miles of rugged clifftop terrain. It’s not for the faint of foot – but if you’re blessed with strong longs and a clear day, you’re in for a treat.
Why? Two reasons: beaches and scenery. The trail is part of the South West Coast Path, so it has more sand than an hourglass factory and views that will take your breath on a six-week vacation.
If you rush, it should only take a few hours to conquer the route. However, if you stop to admire the landscape – and explore the pretty towns at either end – it’s easy to lose track of time.
Our advice: go slow, stop for lunch and take your time enjoying one of the most scenic day trips in Cornwall.
6. Discover the Lost Gardens of Heligan
The history of the Lost Gardens of Heligan is worthy of a Hollywood blockbuster.
Before World War I, the garden thrived. But many of its 22 gardeners were lost at the front – and in the decades that followed, it fell into disrepair.
Eventually, the garden became so overgrown that it became effectively invisible. Its existence was only known to a select few – one of whom, Tim Smit, led efforts to restore the garden to its former glory.
And restore it they did. Today, the Lost Gardens of Heligan are a time capsule of 19th-century horticulture. Every inch of its 200 acres has been lovingly repaired and replanted, from its pretty sundial garden to its timber summerhouse, which was built before the 1770s.
Fancy a relaxing day trip? Family tickets are available for a very reasonable price, so it’s a great way to turn a quiet stroll into something unforgettable.
7. Go on a sea safari
When you think ‘day trips in Cornwall’, you probably picture something like this. You wake up early, hop in the car and spend a pleasant few hours exploring the towns, tors and beauty spots of our rich and fertile land.
But there’s more to Cornwall than just land. See, some of the best day trips in Cornwall can only be enjoyed by boat.
Our seas are home to many rare and beautiful creatures. That includes grey seals, basking sharks and dolphins, as well as avian life like razorbills, skuas and gannets.
Take a sea safari and you might be lucky enough to spot a few. Several tour operators ship out from Newquay and offer hours of seafaring family fun accompanied by expert guides.
8. Treat yourself to a spot of R&R at the Pentire Hotel
OK. This is less of a day trip and more of a stay trip – but our coastal hotel offers just as memorable an experience as any of these activities.
Stay with us and you’ll enjoy plenty of perks, including a heated indoor pool, a comfy modern room and two restaurants that take full advantage of our fresh local produce.
But it’s our location that will win your heart forever. The Pentire overlooks the surf paradise of Fistral Beach, so you’ll fall asleep to lapping waves and wake to one of the UK’s best sea views.
Oh, and here’s a bonus: you’ll be in easy reach of all these day trips in Cornwall. How’s that for convenience?
