How to Spend a Full Day in St Ives for £50 or Less

The places in this guide, by the numbers

These are the Google ratings and practical details we hold for the places named above, from our St Ives guide. Review counts change, so treat them as a guide to how well established each place is rather than a league table.

• Porthmeor Beach (rated 5.0 from 24 Google reviews, free, 0.2 mi from the centre). St Ives' main surf beach, overlooked by the Tate — soft golden sand, lifeguarded in season, though watch for sharp rocks at either end. Good with children.
• Bamaluz Beach (rated 4.6 from 537 Google reviews, free, 0.2 mi from the centre). A tiny, clean beach near the town centre, dog-friendly all year round and a good spot for an early morning swim before the crowds. Good with children.
• Porthgwidden Beach (rated 4.8 from 1,391 Google reviews, free, 0.3 mi from the centre). A small, sheltered sandy cove close to the harbour with a beachside café — gets busy quickly given how compact it is. Good with children.
• St Ives Harbour (rated 4.7 from 1,787 Google reviews, free, 0.05 mi from the centre). The picturesque, working heart of the town — narrow streets, small galleries and a genuinely lovely spot to just wander. Dogs welcome, good with children.

More places worth knowing near St Ives

Not every good option fits in one guide. These are the next places near St Ives we would point you to for this kind of day, with the rating, price band and distance from the town centre as listed on our St Ives page.

• Porthmeor Beach Cafe (rated 4.6 from 2,095 Google reviews, £££, 0.3 mi from the centre). Right on Porthmeor with heated outdoor booths and blankets — genuinely excellent tapas-style seafood and one of the best sunset spots in town. Dogs welcome, good with children.
• Sloop Inn (rated 4.4 from 2,472 Google reviews, ££, 0.05 mi from the centre). A proper old-school harbourside pub with live music some evenings and a genuine welcome for well-behaved dogs. Dogs welcome, good with children.
• Tate St Ives (rated 4.2 from 3,356 Google reviews, ££, 0.15 mi from the centre). A modern art gallery right above Porthmeor Beach — interactive activities for children and a café with genuinely excellent views. No dogs, good with children.
• Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden (rated 4.7 from 1,209 Google reviews, ££, 0.05 mi from the centre). The sculptor's actual house, studio and garden — free for children, and a genuinely moving stop even for those who aren't art regulars. No dogs, good with children.
• Scoff Troff Cafe (rated 4.5 from 1,316 Google reviews, ££, 0.1 mi from the centre). Loads of genuinely good plant-based options including a full vegan breakfast with scrambled tofu — dog-friendly and welcoming. Dogs welcome, good with children.

Make a day of it around St Ives

If this guide is one stop in a longer day, these are the highest-rated options in each category on our St Ives page that are not already mentioned above.

• A beach: Porthminster Beach (rated 4.8 from 687 Google reviews, free, 0.3 mi from the centre). A calmer, more sheltered beach right by the train station, good for swimming and paddleboarding, with cafés on the sand itself. Good with children.
• A day out: Blue Thunder Boat Rides (rated 4.9 from 472 Google reviews, £££, 0.05 mi from the centre). A fast, thrilling RIB trip out to see seals and the lighthouse — genuinely exciting for older children, book ahead in season. No dogs, good with children.
• Somewhere to eat: Porthminster Kitchen (rated 4.6 from 1,111 Google reviews, ££, 0.05 mi from the centre). A balcony restaurant with genuinely excellent fish and chips and scallops — busy but staff are accommodating even with delayed arrivals. No dogs, good with children.

Before you go: St Ives practicalities

Parking. Use the park and ride at St Erth station. The train drops you in the middle of town, the coastal route is genuinely scenic, and you avoid St Ives' notoriously tight streets entirely. Full guide: St Ives Parking: Why You Should Use the Park and Ride.

Winter. Tate St Ives and the main galleries run year-round, and the town keeps a real winter trade. Beach cafés and some seasonal shops close. Parking becomes possible again, which alone changes the visit. Full guide: St Ives in Winter: What's Open, and That Famous Light.

Rainy days. St Ives has more indoor culture per street than anywhere in Cornwall: Tate St Ives above Porthmeor, the Hepworth museum (free for children), the Leach Pottery, hands-on chocolate workshops at I Should Coco, and galleries in every lane. Full guide: What to Do in St Ives When It Rains.

Common questions

What is the highest-rated day out near St Ives?

Of the places on our St Ives page with at least 100 Google reviews, Tiger Lilly Boat Trips has the highest rating at 5.0 from 176 reviews, 0.05 mi from the centre.

Is St Ives good for dogs?

25 of the 54 places on our St Ives page are marked dog friendly, including St Ives Harbour, Porthmeor Beach Cafe, Sloop Inn. The 'Dog with us' filter on the St Ives page shows them all.

Where do you park in St Ives?

Use the park and ride at St Erth station. The train drops you in the middle of town, the coastal route is genuinely scenic, and you avoid St Ives' notoriously tight streets entirely.

How far is Porthgwidden Beach from St Ives?

Porthgwidden Beach is listed at 0.3 mi from St Ives town centre on our St Ives page.

Ratings and review counts are from Google as recorded on our St Ives page and will drift over time; opening hours, prices and dog policies are the businesses' to change, so check before a special trip.