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Town in Cornwall, England
Photo: Tony Atkin, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Penzance (Cornish: Pennsans) is the most south-westerly town in West Cornwall. Famous for its association with the Gilbert and Sullivan opera (now often played as a musical) The Pirates of PenzanceThe Pirates of Penzance, the town is an ideal base for exploring the Penwith area of Cornwall. It is increasingly attracting those interested in cultural tourism due to its long association with the arts.
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The Newlyn School was an art colony based in nearby Newlyn from the 1880s to the early 20th century. They sought naturalistic scenes of fishing and harbour life, their leaders being Stanhope Forbes and Walter Langley. Penlee House is a Victorian mansion adapted to showcase their work. Though the "School" no longer exists as an art movement, Newlyn continues to inspire art - see that page for classes and its own gallery.
A fine example of a sub-tropical public garden, opened in 1889. "Morreb" is Cornish for "besides the sea".
A village was made up of stone-walled homesteads known as 'courtyard houses', found only on the Land's End peninsula and the Isles of Scilly, dating from 100 BC-300 AD.
An abbey, then fortified home on an island offshore. At low tide, you can walk across a causeway. At high tide, frequent boats will take you across for £2 each way (£1 for children).
Open-air Art Deco lido, refurbished in 2021. The seawater main pool is a degree or two above sea temperature, the geothermally heated pool is separately ticketed.
The Penzance, Newlyn and Mousehole town trail maps are available from the Penzance Town Council offices and local outlets. These planned walks are an excellent way to see the unique history of the area.
Wildlife boat trip for a dolphin-watching and basking shark-watching sea safari tour on a sailing catamaran.
For those interested in all things book-related, Penzance has an excellent private library consisting of more than 60,000 volumes, archives and photographic collections. Think floor-to ceiling book cases, leather chairs, and sea views. A book-lover's paradise. Day membership available at £3. The library is in the Morrab Gardens.
Excellent facilities are available at the Penzance Tennis Club.
Guided walks. Historical and folklore-based tours of Penwith's ancient monuments.
There are helicopter flights from a helipad just off the A30 at Jelbert Way, Penzance, to St Mary's and Tresco in the Isles of Scilly (15 min), permitting day trips to the islands. 20-kg luggage allowance
Week-long festival every year at the end of June. The festival is part revival of ancient midsummer customs practiced in the Penzance area (and throughout Cornwall) and part arts festival. The two busiest days are Mazey Day and Quay Fair Day where many streets are closed to traffic and the town fills with tens of thousands of people for the processions, traditional dance, and musicians from many Celtic nations.
Montol is a celebration of the Cornish traditions of Christmas and midwinter, held on 21 December each year. Follow lantern processions of the costumed "guise dancers" beginning at 4pm and 6pm, then visit the pubs in the town centre to see appearances from the guise dancers performing music, plays and traditional games. Guise dancing is a tradition already called 'ancient' in its first mention in a newspaper in 1804. At 10PM a torchlit procession moves along Chapel Street down to the seafront beacon for a folk custom known as "Chalking the Mock". Expect fabulous costumes, fire, noise and dancing in the streets.
Cornwall's largest St Piran's Day parade. Watch thousands of people, including most of the local schools, parade through the streets in traditional costume and colours, accompanied by dancing and music, to celebrate the life of St Piran, Cornwall's patron saint. Starting at 10:15AM at the top of Causewayhead, it be seen from most of the major streets in the town. Follow the procession into the Morrab Gardens for a short play on the life of St Piran.
The ancient custom of "bringing in the summer". Watch and join in with the procession of people dressed in white and green, decorated with leaves and flowers as they make their way from Newlyn into Penzance making a great noise as they process with horns, whistles and drums to 'Drive out the Devil of Winter and call in the warmth of Summer'. Expect dancing, an appearance from the Queen of May, and the guise beast 'Old Ned'. In 2019 this begins at the Tolcarne Inn, Newlyn, at about 7:15PM. Ends in the Admiral Benbow for Cornish music and dance on the first floor. Visitors welcome.
Penzance's traditional celebration of the Harvest Festival. Gather outside the Yacht Inn for the "Crying of the Neck" ceremony followed by a procession of musicians to the Admiral Benbow where there is traditional Cornish music and singing on the first floor. Visitors welcome.
Cornish: Kalan Gwav or Nos Kalan Gwav
A Cornish festival that was traditionally celebrated on 31 October elsewhere known as Hallowe'en. Many of the Allantide traditions are celebrated in Penzance as part of the town's Apple Day celebrations in late October. Bobbing for apples is traditional, and candy Gilliflower apples have become a recent addition for the kids.
This converted chapel is home to Penzance's largest live music and theatre venue. There is a varied programme of events throughout the year.
at The Admiral Benbow
Every Thursday musicians gather to play traditional Cornish music in this atmospheric nautical pub. Hear tunes from Cornwall's rich musical heritage as well as those from today's Cornish Celtic music scene. Listen, dance, enjoy. Visiting musicians welcome.
At the Fountain Tavern
Cornwall has a rich traditional music scene. Listen to traditional Cornish, English, Scottish and Irish music performed informally in a pub by local and visiting musicians. Free to attend, just buy a drink and enjoy. Visiting musicians welcome. Buy a drink for the players and enjoy it even more! This is the session previously held at the Pirate Inn.
Held on alternate Wednesdays. See "Diary" section of the Penzance Folk Club website for dates.
Health-food store downstairs, vegetarian cafe upstairs, with home-cooked meals, cakes and refreshments. The café is also an art gallery.
Freshly sourced local Cornish produce for lunchtime and evening dining. Fish is from the nearby fish market in Newlyn.
Excellent Cornish pasties. A large pasty is very large, don't expect to do much after eating one!
Long-standing fish & chip shop, take-away with some cafe tables.
Meaderies are medieval-themed restaurants which have become a Cornish tradition. They serve simple food, such as "chicken in the rough" (chicken and chips in a basket), and serve jugs of mead and other fruit wines, all produced locally. Did we mention the serving "wenches"? No bookings, so you may have to queue. Other meaderies in the region are at Newlyn, Trewellard, Redruth and Newquay.
Popular restaurant serving Cantonese and Peking cuisine.
Serves Nepalese and Indian cuisine. Great food in a modern setting, just a stones throw from the sea front.
They've given up on being an American diner and shifted upmarket, though BBQ ribs are still on the menu. It's mostly Med cuisine nowadays.
Small Portuguese café and chocolatier serving great coffee, hot chocolate, pastries, cakes and hot cheese breads and chorizo breads with a friendly atmosphere. Free WiFi.
Eccentric and friendly pub and restaurant containing a jumble of maritime objects from boats or wrecks. The dining room at the rear of the pub is a replica of an 18th century ship's "mess" - ask if you wish to be seated there or just to look. Traditional British food.
Bar is full of character and has a great jukebox; restaurant; small hotel.
This small pub has its own brewery, "Cornish Crown", brewing seasonal beers. Popular with locals, on sunny days the crowds spill outside onto its terrace which catches the afternoon and early evening sun. It also serves meals made with local produce.
A tiny back-street pub serving a large array of craft beer, also with a huge selection of rums and bourbon whiskies. Quirky decor. A friendly place where you can meet with locals and visitors alike.
Guest house overlooking the sea and the promenade. Good breakfast.
5-star small, family-run park.
A central youth hostel. Reception is open 9AM-noon and 5-10PM.
Victorian style hotel at the beachfront. Parking £5 per day.
Stout 17th-century building steeped in history - which means no lift to upper floors. The same management run the White Hart in Hayle and the Angel in Helston.
Charming bijou hotel in an 18th C building, dinner available Th-Sa.
On the seafront near harbour.
Gorgeous stylish B&B with 5 rooms. No children under 4 or dogs.
Youth hostel, reception is open 8-10AM and 4-10:30PM.
Hostel with 24-hr reception which includes a light breakfast.
Lovely little hotel in 17th C house above the harbour.
B&B in splendid mansion 2 miles west of Penzance. Open Mar-Nov.
By train
Direct trains run to Penzance from London Paddington (8 daily, 5 hours), Exeter (8 daily, 2 hours) and Plymouth (15 daily, 2 hours).
By coach
National Express coach NX404 runs overnight from London Victoria (8 hr) via Heathrow Airport, Bath, Bristol Airport, Exeter, Torquay and Plymouth.
By car
Penzance is a 5- to 6-hour drive from London via M4, M5, and A30. It's a long way and at some point you'll need to refuel.
By boat
A ferry plies between Penzance and the Isles of Scilly, daily from mid-March to October.
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