Short answer: Use the park and ride at Lelant Saltings. The train drops you in the middle of town, the coastal route is genuinely scenic, and you avoid St Ives' notoriously tight streets entirely.
St Ives is one of the harder towns in Cornwall to drive into, and the alternative is genuinely good rather than a compromise.
The branch line from Lelant Saltings runs along the coast into St Ives with views most people would pay for. It drops you centrally, and you skip the town's steep, narrow streets altogether.
Out of season, early morning, or if you have mobility needs that make the train impractical. Otherwise the maths rarely favours it in summer.
They exist, they're expensive, and they fill early on a sunny day. Trenwith is the largest and has its own bus link down into town.
St Ives' older streets are genuinely narrow, and drivers following satnavs into them is a well-known local frustration. Stick to signed routes.
Check the last train back before you settle into a sunset drink — the branch line doesn't run late.
For a family, the park and ride typically works out similar to or cheaper than a full day in a town car park — and you avoid the stress entirely. For a solo driver out of season the maths is closer.
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