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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Lizard
An Lysardh
Give the Lizard two nights with a car, or one full day by bus #34 from Redruth; without a car, base in Helston and day-trip in.
The Lizard is the peninsula that holds Britain's most southerly point, plus Kynance Cove, a working lighthouse and the Goonhilly dishes. It is a village-and-coast destination, not a town: sights are 5–15 minutes apart by car and thin on the ground by bus. Two nights with a car covers the point, Kynance and one coastal walk without rushing.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- An Lysardh
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds, parking fills by mid-morning), school holidays
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–120 excl. bed · High £120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 999 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Pasty | £4–6 |
| Cream tea | £6–9 |
| Pub main course | £13–20 |
| Pint of beer | £4.50–6 |
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Lighthouse heritage centre entry | £5–8 |
| Kynance Cove car park, National Trust | £6–8 per day |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NQY · Newquay
- About 1 h 15 min by car to the Lizard; car hire at the airport
- LHR · London Heathrow
- Train to Redruth via Paddington, then bus #34; 6–7 h door to door
Typical fares
- Bus #34 Redruth → Lizard
- about £5, about 2 h
- Taxi Helston → Lizard
- £25–35
- Car hire, one day
- from about £45
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is the practical choice: the point, Kynance, Mullion and Goonhilly are 5–15 min apart, and lanes are narrow with passing places. Bus #34 runs hourly between Redruth and the Lizard via Helston and Mullion, about 2 h end to end. The South West Coast Path links the coves on foot.
See and do
Known for
- Lizard Point, Britain's most southerly point
- Kynance Cove
- Lizard Lighthouse heritage centre
- Goonhilly Earth Station dishes
- Serpentine stonework and pasties
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Kynance Cove | Car to the National Trust car park, then a 10–15 min walk down | About 30 min from Lizard village |
| Porthleven | Car via Helston, about 25 min | About 30 min |
| Penzance | Car via Helston and the A394, about 45 min | About 45–55 min |
| St Ives | Car via Hayle, about 1 h | About 1 h |
| Goonhilly Earth Station | Car across the downs, about 10 min from Lizard village | About 15 min |
| Helston | Car or bus #34, about 25–30 min | About 30 min |
Sleep
- Lizard village
- Walk to the point and the pasty shop; a handful of inns and guesthouses, books out early in summer.
- Mullion and Mullion Cove
- Bigger village, more beds and a cove; 10 min by car from the point.
- Coverack and St Keverne
- East side of the peninsula; quieter, good for walking, further from Kynance.
- Helston
- Best base without a car: bus #34 hourly, shops and more beds; 25–30 min to the Lizard.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Dydh da / Meur rasdeeth dah / mur rahss |
| Where is the car park? | Ple ma'n park kerri?play man park kerry |
| How much is it? | Pygemmys yw?pig-em-iss yoo |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Single-track lanes with blind corners: drive slowly and use passing places.
- Kynance Cove car park and the Lizard Point car park fill by mid-morning in summer; National Trust members park free at Kynance.
- Kynance beach is cut off at high tide: check tide times before walking down.
- Swimming and cliff edges: strong currents and no lifeguards on most coves.
- Mobile signal is patchy on the downs and around Kynance.
Very low crime; the real risks are cliff edges, tides at Kynance, narrow lanes and patchy phone signal. Tell someone your route on coast-path walks.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Lizard yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Lizard Point, Britain's most southerly point
- Kynance Cove
- Lizard Lighthouse heritage centre
- Goonhilly Earth Station dishes
- Serpentine stonework and pasties
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Cornwall — Lizard Peninsula: www.visitcornwall.com/
- Transport for Cornwall — bus #34: www.transportforcornwall.co.uk/
- National Trust — Kynance Cove: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/kynance-cove
- Trinity House — Lizard Lighthouse visitor centre: www.trinityhouse.co.uk/lighthouse-visitor-centres/lizard-lighthouse-visitor-centre
- Wikivoyage: Lizard, revision 5238541 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5238541
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
LizardAn Lysardh
Dhe'n chyf-address ma, mar pleg
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Cornwall; the US, Canadian, Australian and Irish embassies are in London.
Cornish phrases are a courtesy, not needed: everyone speaks English.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/lizard). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.