St Ives

Travel Guide

St Ives showing boating, a bay or harbor and a coastal town
St Ives showing boating, a coastal town and rocky coastline
Porthmeor Beach featuring a coastal town and a sandy beach as well as a large group of people
Porthminster Beach featuring swimming and a beach
St Ives which includes general coastal views, a coastal town and boating
With its white-washed cottages and white-sand beaches, this seaside village is as pretty as a painting and a magnet for artists and artistic happenings.

The town of St. Ives curves around a harbor overlooking the clear waters of its eponymous bay. Beyond the shoreline lie a cluster of fishermen’s cottages and narrow cobbled lanes where galleries, cafés and craft shops proliferate. Splash around in the surf and explore the impressive artistic offerings in town.

Though once just a regular fishing village, St. Ives has attracted many prominent artists since the early 19th century, including J.M.W. Turner and James McNeill Whistler. The town’s reputation as an artistic hub still remains and many renowned galleries are now based here.

Stop by the Tate St. Ives near the popular swimming spot of Porthmeor Beach. See works from modern British artists, including painter Ben Nicholson. Another important figure in the art scene of St. Ives is modernist sculptor Barbara Hepworth. She is honored at the Tate-owned Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden. Continue your artistic explorations at the Leach Pottery museum, where displays are devoted to the work of the master British potter Bernard Leach.

For relaxation during the warmer months, hit the golden sands of Porthminster Beach. From here, admire views of the Godrevy Lighthouse, the inspiration for Virginia Woolf’s famous 1927 novel To the Lighthouse. Adventurers surf, kayak and paddleboard here too.

Explore the labyrinthine streets in the old heart of the town, known locally as Downalong. To learn more about the town’s history, visit the St. Ives Museum. Exhibits focus on its mining, fishing and boatbuilding industries.

When dining, seafood is the obvious choice. Eat beer-battered fish and chips at a cozy gastro pub or try some other delicious Cornish seafood. In between meals, snack on traditional Cornish pasties, savory baked pastries filled with minced meat and vegetables.

There is lots to keep you excited and amused in St. Ives, but consider a boat excursion out to Seal Island, where a colony of seals reside.

St. Ives is located in Cornwall on England’s southwest coast. Make the 3-hour drive from Bristol or use rail or coach services instead. Enjoy simple seaside pleasures and artistic delights at this picturesque harbor town.

Tregenna Castle Resort

Tregenna Castle Resort

3 out of 5
Tregenna Castle Estate, Treloyon Avenue, St Ives, England
The price is NT$5,070 per night from Sep 1 to Sep 2
NT$5,070
NT$6,084 total
Sep 1 - Sep 2
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 3-star spa hotel in St Ives. Enjoy free WiFi, free parking, and an outdoor pool. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean rooms in our ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (1,003 reviews)
Wonderful room, excellent views, lovely pool
"We had a lovely double aspect view of the sea and St Ives from our spacious hotel room with queen bed, the outdoor swimming pool was very clean. The grounds with flowers and trees were well tended and extensive. Plenty of fruit and cereals if you did not want a fried breakfast, but only sliced bread ..."

Reviewed on 2025/8/4

Tregenna Castle Resort
The St Ives Bay Hotel

The St Ives Bay Hotel

3.5 out of 5
The Terrace, Cornwall, St Ives, England
Fully refundableReserve now, pay when you stay
The price is NT$2,642 per night from Aug 31 to Sep 1
NT$2,642
NT$3,170 total
Aug 31 - Sep 1
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 3.5-star hotel in St Ives. Enjoy breakfast (surcharge), a 24-hour front desk, and daily housekeeping. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the ...
6.4/10 (594 reviews)
"Big room, comfy beds, decent bathroom a fan. Free WiFi. Short walk to carpark but steep hill or lots of steps. Ten minute walk into town. Didn't try any food or have our room serviced. Reception staff were pleasant on check in and check out."

Reviewed on 2025/7/28

The St Ives Bay Hotel
Harbour Hotel St Ives

Harbour Hotel St Ives

4 out of 5
The Terrace, St Ives, England
The price is NT$7,626 per night from Aug 11 to Aug 12
NT$7,626
NT$9,151 total
Aug 11 - Aug 12
includes taxes & fees
Stay at this 4-star beach hotel in St Ives. Enjoy free breakfast, free WiFi, and a full-service spa. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the property condition ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (630 reviews)
"Very pretty hotel with beautiful views and a particularly goos breakfast. Windows were a bit tricky to use and rooms got very hot in the night. Rooms were not made up well (bet made but rubbish not removed and dirty glasses not replaced)."

Reviewed on 2025/8/5

Harbour Hotel St Ives
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.
Beautiful and Cosy Garden Pod Saintives

Beautiful and Cosy Garden Pod Saintives

3 out of 5
St Ives
Stay at this 3-star cabin in St Ives. Enjoy free WiFi and a garden. Popular attractions Carbis Bay Beach and St Ives Harbour are located nearby.
9.6/10 Exceptional! (4 reviews)
"Cute little cabin although I didn’t see the property owners much"

Reviewed on 2025/7/23

Beautiful and Cosy Garden Pod Saintives
5 Lyonesse Apartments

5 Lyonesse Apartments

3 out of 5
5 Lyonesse Apartments Talland Road, St Ives, England
Stay at this 3-star golf cottage in St Ives. Enjoy free WiFi and free parking. Popular attractions St Ives Harbour and Carbis Bay Beach are located nearby.
10/10 Exceptional! (3 reviews)
"Property was perfect. Absolutely no complaints."

Reviewed on 2025/7/20

5 Lyonesse Apartments
Heron

Heron

2 out of 5
Flat 2, Tate Reach Barn A Woon Barnoon, St Ives, England
Book a stay at this golf cottage in St Ives. Enjoy free WiFi and free parking. Popular attractions St Ives Harbour and Carbis Bay Beach are located nearby.
Heron
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

Popular places to visit

Cities near St Ives