Short answer: Check the tide first: St Michael's Mount is reached on foot by a cobbled causeway that is open for a couple of hours around low tide, and from 8 November there are no boats. Entry to the island is free, the castle summit costs £8 for adults, and parking starts at £2.50 for the first hour. Eat at The Godolphin or the Cutty Sark.
The thing that surprises first-time visitors to Marazion is that the main attraction is not a place you can simply walk up to. St Michael's Mount sits just off the shore in Mount's Bay, and whether you can reach it on foot depends on the tide. Everything else about a first visit to Marazion follows from that, so start there.
At low tide a cobbled granite causeway appears. Seaweed makes it slippery, so wear proper shoes, and the Mount says the walk takes about 15 minutes depending on your group. The Mount's own site says the causeway is open for a couple of hours around each low tide and that daily opening and closing times are on its walking times calendar, so check that the day before. In winter there are no boats: the Mount's winter page says that from 8 November access on and off the island is by the causeway only, so you cannot rely on a ferry home if you misjudge the tide. The island also closes to visitors in high winds and poor sea conditions, so look at the notices on the Mount's website on the day. Our causeway tide guide explains the timing in more detail.
Not for the island itself. The Mount's winter page says entry to the island, including the harbour and village, is free with no ticket, and the Island Café, shops and art gallery are open to all visitors. A ticket is only for the Summit Experience up to the castle: adult £8, child £4, family tickets £12 (one adult) or £20 (two adults), with up to three children, and National Trust members go free with a valid card. Summit tickets are booked online through the Mount's website, and the winter page does not list which days it runs, so check before you plan around the climb. The route up is a steep, cobbled path with no handrails in places. Everything else is in our St Michael's Mount visitor guide.
The Mount's own parking page names the Long Stay (Follyfield, TR17 0EG) car park as the main one: first hour £2.50, then 75p for each additional 30 minutes up to six hours, then £10 for six to nine hours. It uses ANPR cameras, so pay for the full time you need. The Short Stay car parks either side of the slipway have a three hour limit and cost £2.50 for the first hour, then £1 for each additional half hour. Reviewers warn about parking fines for staying even a little longer than you paid for, so use the JustPark app or the machine and set an alarm. Cornwall Council's station car park at Long Rock charges £2.50 for up to an hour, £5.10 for one to two hours and £7.50 for two to four hours between 9am and 6pm, and is free from midnight to 9am. See our Marazion parking guide for the full picture.
Walk the beach at low tide. Marazion is on a wide sheltered stretch of Mount's Bay with the Mount in view, and Cornwall Council's dogs-on-beaches order restricts dogs from Long Rock level crossing to Marazion between 10am and 6pm from 1 July to 31 August. Walk west along the seafront to RSPB Marazion Marsh (4.6 from 239 Google reviews), which has two viewing areas, one on the seafront pavement, and starling roosts that the RSPB says happen in some years between October and December. The Mount's own page describes the marsh as about half a mile along the coast from the Mount and free to visit, with donations welcome. Browse the galleries and shops on the main street. Walk east along the coast path to Perranuthnoe, covered in our Perranuthnoe guide. For other beaches see beaches near Marazion.
Pick by what you want from the window. For a view of the Mount over a meal, The Godolphin on the seafront (4.3 from 2,230 Google reviews). For a proper dinner, The Cutty Sark Restaurant and Bar on the Square (4.7 from 496 Google reviews). For a pasty on the beach, Philps Bakery in the Market Place. For coffee and cake, The Copper Spoon on Fore Street or Jordan's Cafe at Long Rock. The small cafes do not all open every day, so check opening times before you walk up. Fish and chips are covered in our Marazion fish and chips guide, and the cream tea is in our cream tea guide.
Yes, because the island is quiet and the pubs keep regular hours. CAMRA lists the Godolphin, the Kings Arms, the Cutty Sark and the Fire Engine with set weekly opening times, though it is worth ringing for food service on a quiet day. Winter is also when the starlings may roost at the marsh. What changes is the timetable. Sunset in Penzance is at 6:14pm on 24 October, the clocks go back that night, and by 31 October it is 5:01pm, falling to 4:19pm on 12 December, the earliest of the year (sunrisesunset.io). The island's hours are set by the tide. Start with our Marazion in winter guide and read what is open before you set off.
From Penzance there is a bus, and a flat coast path walk beside the bay; our Marazion without a car guide has the details. Penzance also has the train station, which makes it easy to combine with a day by the harbour.
Island access, including the harbour and village, needs no ticket. The Summit Experience costs £8 adult and £4 child, is booked online, and National Trust members go free with a card. Check the Mount's website for the days it runs.
The Mount says about 15 minutes each way, depending on your group. The causeway is cobbled and can be slippery, and it is open for a couple of hours around low tide.
The Mount's Long Stay (Follyfield) car park is the main one: £2.50 for the first hour, then 75p per extra 30 minutes up to six hours. The Short Stay car parks by the slipway have a three hour limit.
Yes for most of the year. Dogs are restricted on the beach from Long Rock level crossing to Marazion from 10am to 6pm between 1 July and 31 August. On the Mount, dogs on a short lead are allowed in the harbour and village in the Mount's winter dog window, but not on the castle route.
Yes. The island is quiet, the pubs keep regular hours, and starlings may roost at the marsh from October to December. Check the tide and opening times first.
Times, prices and dates are the businesses' and organisers' to change, so check before you travel. Spotted something we've got wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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