1. St Ives — Art, Beaches & Harbour

St Ives is Cornwall’s most beautiful town — a maze of cobbled streets, whitewashed cottages, and four golden beaches wrapped around a working fishing harbour. The town has been an artist colony since the 1920s, and the Tate St Ives gallery (free for locals, £9.50 for visitors) showcases modern British art in a stunning building overlooking Porthmeor Beach. The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden is a must for art lovers. The beaches — especially Porthmeor (surfing) and Porthminster (family-friendly) — rate among the best in Britain.

2. The Eden Project

The Eden Project is one of the world’s most remarkable botanical gardens — a series of massive biodomes built in a reclaimed clay pit. The Rainforest Biome is the largest indoor rainforest in the world, with waterfalls, tropical plants, and a treetop canopy walkway. The Mediterranean Biome showcases plants from California, South Africa, and the Mediterranean basin. The outdoor gardens cover 60 acres with plants from around the world. Eden is as much about sustainability education as it is about plants — it’s an uplifting, inspiring day out.

Entry: £28.50 (advance online). Valid for unlimited return visits for 12 months.

3. South West Coast Path — Cornwall Section

The South West Coast Path runs 630 miles from Minehead to Poole, and the Cornwall section (about 300 miles) is its most spectacular stretch. The best day hikes include: St Ives to Zennor (6 miles, 3 hours, past the Zennor Head cliffs), Polperro to Looe (5 miles, 2.5 hours, along dramatic coves), and the Lizard Peninsula walk from Kynance Cove to Lizard Point (4 miles, 2 hours, past serpentine rocks and hidden beaches). The entire Cornish coast path is free and well-marked with the acorn symbol.

4. St Michael’s Mount

St Michael’s Mount is Cornwall’s magical tidal island — a medieval castle and chapel perched on a volcanic rock in Mount’s Bay. At low tide, you can walk across the ancient granite causeway (about 15 minutes) from Marazion. At high tide, boats ferry visitors across. The island has been a Benedictine monastery, a fortress, and now a private residence owned by the St Aubyn family. The castle tour includes armoury, drawing rooms, and a spectacular rooftop with 360° views of the Cornish coast.

Entry: Island and castle £14 (National Trust members free). Causeway free at low tide.

5. Land’s End & Minack Theatre

Land’s End is the westernmost point of mainland England — a dramatic headland with 60-metre cliffs and views across the Atlantic to the Isles of Scilly (visible on clear days). The visitor centre is commercial, but the coastal walks north to Sennen Cove and south to Porthcurno are spectacular and free. The Minack Theatre, just 3 miles south, is one of the world’s most dramatically situated theatres — carved into a granite cliff face overlooking the Atlantic. Even when there’s no performance, the theatre is open for self-guided visits.

Entry: Minack Theatre £10 for grounds visit. Land’s End car park £8.

6. Cornish Food — Pasties, Cream & Seafood

Cornish food is world-class. The Cornish pasty (a pastry filled with beef, potato, swede, and onion) has Protected Geographical Indication status — the real thing is only made in Cornwall. Cream tea is a sacred ritual: a scone with strawberry jam and clotted cream (the Cornish way is jam first, then cream — fight the Devonians on this). The seafood is exceptional — Newlyn and Looe are working fishing ports, and the catch of the day appears on menus within hours. Rick Stein’s seafood empire in Padstow is the most famous, but local pubs serve equally good fish at half the price.