Short answer: Penzance itself has very little beach — Long Rock is the closest at under two miles. Sennen Cove is the one worth the nine-mile drive. Pedn Vounder is the most photographed but involves a genuine scramble down rocks.
Penzance is a working harbour town rather than a beach resort, so the honest answer is that you drive. The compensation is that some of the best beaches in Britain are within twenty minutes.
Under two miles out, a long dog-friendly stretch with genuinely good views across to St Michael's Mount and cheap parking. Note the surf end is the no-dogs section.
Nine miles, and possibly the best beach in the UK by many accounts — crystal-clear blue water, a huge stretch of sand even at busy times, and a genuine surf scene with a shop and café on site.
Seven miles, wide and clean, dog-friendly, with bars and a restaurant nearby. Genuinely good for bodyboarding, though the toilets get consistently poor reviews.
Turquoise water that genuinely looks more Thailand than Cornwall. Access involves scrambling down rocks, it's a well-known naturist-friendly beach, and it's cut off at high tide. Not one to take small children or a pushchair to.
Next along from Sennen and far quieter, because the twenty-minute climb back up puts people off. No facilities, so pack accordingly.
Nanjizal is genuinely beautiful — a rock arch, seals, isolated — but it's a thirty-minute walk and steep steps. Lovely for a walk, wrong for a beach day with kit.
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