Short answer: Truro is the answer to a wet day in Cornwall. The cathedral is free, the museum is free, both markets are covered, and it has the county's densest run of independent shops and cafés.
If the forecast is genuinely bad, Truro is where to go. It's the only place in Cornwall with enough indoors to fill a full day comfortably.
Free to enter, three spires, and one of the better organ acoustics in Cornwall. Guided tours often run free too. A genuinely calm hour.
Free, and well laid out — Cornish history, myths and art in a way that helps make sense of everywhere else you'll visit in the county.
Lemon Street Market and the Pannier Market are both covered — proper independent stalls, a cheese monger, local produce, and somewhere to browse without getting wet.
Happy Piranha for board games and trading cards is a genuinely good rainy afternoon. Illustrated Living for contemporary homewares.
108 Coffee is widely rated the best coffee in Truro. The Old Ale House has sawdust on the floor and free monkey nuts. Sip does Persian food in an intimate setting.
Truro's central car parks fill on a wet Saturday. The city is on the main line, so if you're staying anywhere on the network the train genuinely removes the problem — and puts you a short walk from the cathedral.
See the full Truro guide, filtered by who's with you.
Plan your day near Truro →