Short answer: Perranuthnoe is a small sand-and-shingle cove with lifeguards in season, an honesty-box car park at about £2 a day, rock pools either end and The Cabin café on the front. Go at low tide — at high tide there's almost no beach.
Everybody stops at Marazion. Almost nobody turns off two miles later for Perranuthnoe, which is why it's one of the calmer beaches in Mount's Bay on a summer afternoon.
Perranuthnoe Beach is a cove rather than a stretch: sand at low tide with shingle and rock towards the top, rock pools at both ends that are excellent with children, and lifeguards through the summer. It's popular with surfers on the right swell and calm enough for swimming otherwise. The important thing is the tide — at high water the sea takes nearly all of it, so plan for the two or three hours either side of low tide.
Take the road east from Marazion and turn right at the sign; it's narrow but short. The car park by the beach is honesty-box, about £2 for the day, with toilets — exceptional value, but small, so it's full by late morning in August. Anything bigger than a campervan will struggle. From Marazion you can also walk it along the coast path, around 45 minutes with good views back to the Mount.
The Cabin sits right on the front and is much better than a beach hut has any right to be: proper lunches from late morning, cream teas, ice cream, an evening menu in summer, and staff who love dogs. There's a queue by noon in season. Up the lane, the Victoria Inn is a pink, log-burnered village pub with good burgers, real ales and a Sunday roast you need to book.
Dogs are banned on the beach in July and August; outside that they're fine, and the coast path and pub welcome them year-round.
Mount in the morning on the causeway, drive or walk round to Perranuthnoe for the afternoon low tide, Cabin for tea, Victoria Inn for supper. It's a very good day.
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