Short answer: Park at the top and walk down — you have no realistic alternative. The walk back up is genuinely steep, so buy anything heavy on the way down rather than carrying it up.
Port Isaac is a working fishing village with streets built long before cars, and that shapes the whole visit.
At the top of the village, and effectively the only sensible option. It fills early on a sunny day in season.
Steep, and cobbled in places. Fine going down; genuinely hard work coming back up, especially carrying shopping or a tired child.
Buy your pasty, fudge or anything heavy on the way down, not on the way back. It sounds obvious and people still get it wrong.
Honestly, Port Isaac is difficult on wheels. The gradient and cobbles make a wheelchair or buggy hard work, and there isn't a flat route in.
Before 10am gives you both a parking space and the village before the coach parties arrive. It's a genuinely different place at 9am.
Port Isaac gets significant filming-location traffic, and coach parties arrive mid-morning. If you want the village quiet, before 10am genuinely is a different experience — the harbour is a working one at that hour rather than a set.
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