In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
St Ives
Porth Ia
Stay 2 nights, midweek, May–June or September: one beach-and-Tate day, one coast-path day. In August expect crowds and no parking.
St Ives is a small north-coast Cornwall town — harbour, four beaches, a Tate outpost and the Barbara Hepworth garden — that fills to capacity in summer. Two nights covers the galleries, Porthmeor and the walk to Carbis Bay; three nights adds a coast-path or Land's End day. Come by train via St Erth: driving into the centre is a mistake.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- Porth Ia
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds, parking), 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 £60–90 excl. bed · Mid £110–170 excl. bed · High £200+ 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
- Emergency 999 · Emergency (EU-style) 112 · 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 |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Beach café lunch | £10–18 |
| Burger or bistro dinner | £15–30 |
| Pint in a pub | £5–6.50 |
| Tate St Ives adult / combined with Hepworth | £10.50 / £14.50 |
| St Ives Museum adult / child | £3 / 50p |
| Leach Pottery museum adult | £8 |
| Town-centre car park, per day | £3–5 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- NQY · Cornwall Newquay
- About 48 km (30 mi) by A3075/A30, roughly 45 min by car; many flights are summer only and public transport onward is slow.About 30 mi (48 km) by A3075/A30, roughly 45 min by car; many flights are summer only and public transport onward is slow.
- EXT · Exeter
- Further but more year-round flights; hourly mainline trains from Exeter to St Erth.
- LEQ · Land's End
- Only flights to the Isles of Scilly; about 10 km (6.2 mi) west of Penzance.Only flights to the Isles of Scilly; about 6.2 mi (10 km) west of Penzance.
Typical fares
- St Erth → St Ives, branch train
- about £4, 12 min, every 30 min (check)
- Bus A17 St Erth → St Ives
- 10–15 min, every 30 min, last around 18:30 (check)10–15 min, every 30 min, last around 6:30 PM (check)
- Ride Cornwall Ranger day ticket
- £13 adult, off-peak trains and most buses
- Taxi St Ives → St Erth
- £15–20 (check)
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
Walk everywhere in the centre — the streets are too narrow for a car. The St Erth branch line shuttles every 30 min (12 min run, stops at Lelant Saltings and Carbis Bay); First Kernow bus A17 links St Ives and St Erth every 30 min. Buses A2 (Penzance via Marazion), A3 (Land's End via St Just and Zennor) and A1 (Penzance via Newlyn and Porthcurno) run hourly.
See and do
Known for
- Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Museum
- Porthmeor, Porthminster and Carbis Bay beaches
- The harbour and the narrow lanes
- The St Erth branch line
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Penzance and St Michael's Mount | Bus A2 hourly via Lelant, St Erth and Marazion | About 45 min to Penzance |
| Land's End and St Just | Bus A3 hourly along the B3306 via St Just, Pendeen and Zennor | About 1 h to St Just |
| Newlyn and Porthcurno | Bus A1 from Penzance hourly via Newlyn, Lamorna and Porthcurno | About 1 h from Penzance |
| Hayle | Branch line to St Erth, then bus T1 or A17 | About 30–40 min |
| Lizard | Train to Redruth or Truro, then bus | 2 h+ |
| Porthleven | Train to St Erth, then main line and bus | 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- St Ives town centre and The Warren
- Walk to harbour, Porthminster and the Tate; narrow lanes, no through driving.
- Porthmeor and The Island side
- North-facing beach and the headland; the Island car park usually has spaces, 10 min walk to the harbour.
- Carbis Bay
- Two miles south; quieter, sandy beach, branch-line train and the Tesco supermarket.
- Lelant and Hayle
- Cheaper, car-friendly bases on the main line with Park & Ride at Lelant Saltings.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Excuse me / Sorry | Sorry |
| Please | Please |
| Where is the beach? | Where is the beach? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is this seat free? | Is this seat free? |
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
- Parking in the centre fills very early; use the Island car park or Park & Ride at Lelant Saltings.
- Do not attempt street parking, even with a disabled badge, unless your accommodation confirms it.
- The last branch train is around 22:00 and the last A17 bus around 18:30 — check before a late day out.
- Swimming: Porthmeor faces the Atlantic with surf and currents; Porthminster is the sheltered, family beach.
- Mobile reception is patchy; use pub and café Wi-Fi.
A low-crime town; the real risks are traffic in the narrow lanes, crowded summer pavements, and the sea. Porthmeor has surf and currents — swim between the flags or use Porthminster.
One and two days
No timed day plan for St Ives yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Tate St Ives and the Barbara Hepworth Museum
- Porthmeor, Porthminster and Carbis Bay beaches
- The harbour and the narrow lanes
- The St Erth branch line
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- St Ives official visitor site: www.stives-cornwall.co.uk/
- National Rail — St Ives station: www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/SIV/details.html
- National Rail — St Erth station: www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/SER/details.html
- Tate St Ives: www.tate.org.uk/stives/
- Wikivoyage: St Ives, revision 5300898 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5300898
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
St IvesPorth Ia
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Cornwall; the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Ireland have embassies or high commissions in London. Check your own country's list.
Cornish (Porth Ia) is a revived language; English is spoken everywhere.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/st-ives). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.