Cornwall, GB

The Padstow restaurant that put Cornish seafood on the national map, serving impeccably fresh fish and shellfish in a bright, airy harbourside room. It remains a formative Cornish dining experience decades on. Best for a special seafood dinner; book well ahead as it has a long waiting list.

A warm, unintimidating Michelin-starred restaurant in a Padstow townhouse where everything, down to the bread, is made in house and the modern-British cooking is precise but generous. It's fine dining without the formality. Best for a celebratory dinner that's serious about food but easy to enjoy.

Nathan Outlaw's Michelin-starred Port Isaac restaurant serving a set seafood menu of pristine local catch with sweeping views over the fishing village and sea. It's widely rated among Britain's best seafood. Best for a special-occasion seafood tasting; reserve months ahead.

Paul Ainsworth's relaxed Padstow spot for Spanish- and Italian-leaning small plates, pasta, and pizza in a buzzy, all-day room. It's the easygoing, affordable end of the Ainsworth stable. Best for a casual lunch or dinner of shared Mediterranean plates.

Adam Handling's Michelin-starred restaurant at the Headland Hotel above Fistral Beach in Newquay, serving refined, sustainability-minded modern-British cooking with Atlantic views. It's the north coast's most ambitious dinner. Best for a special dinner overlooking the surf.

A well-loved independent Newquay coffee shop that started above a surf shop and now anchors the town centre with serious coffee and brunch. It's the local antidote to surf-town chains. Best for a proper flat white and brunch after a Fistral surf.

A beachfront cafe-restaurant on St Ives' Porthminster sand serving Mediterranean- and Asian-inflected seafood with one of the best views in Cornwall. The terrace over the turquoise bay is idyllic. Best for a long lunch on the terrace with the beach at your feet.

A smart St Ives restaurant serving refined modern-British plates built on Cornish produce and day-boat fish in a sleek room off the harbour. It's the town's go-to for a proper dinner beyond beach cafes. Best for an evening of considered cooking in St Ives.

A snug seafront pub-restaurant in Newlyn, right by Cornwall's biggest fishing port, serving whatever the day boats land in an unfussy, honest style. The proximity to the harbour means the fish could not be fresher. Best for a no-frills seafood lunch or dinner steps from the quay.

A Newlyn institution selling just one thing, exceptional vanilla ice cream made the same way for generations, topped with clotted cream and a flake if you like. The single-flavour purity is the point. Best for a cone after a harbour walk; cash only and seasonal hours.

A long-running vegetarian cafe above a health-food shop in Penzance, serving wholesome veggie and vegan plates, cakes, and good coffee in a relaxed, light room. It's a welcome change from the seafood circuit. Best for a wholesome veggie lunch or coffee-and-cake stop in Penzance.

A revered Lizard-peninsula pasty maker turning out proper handmade Cornish pasties with crimped pastry and traditional fillings, the real thing far from the tourist chains. A good pasty is a Cornish rite of passage and this is one of the best. Best for a takeaway pasty to eat on a clifftop walk.

A cult, no-frills crab-and-shellfish shack in Falmouth serving buckets of fresh crab, mussels, and a hammer to crack them with, in a tiny harbourside room. It's messy, cash-only fun for serious shellfish lovers. Best for a hands-on shellfish feast; book ahead as it's tiny.

A small, well-regarded Falmouth bistro serving short, daily-changing menus of modern-British cooking built on local produce and day-boat fish. It's the town's quietly excellent dinner spot. Best for a relaxed, ingredient-led dinner in Falmouth.

A beach cafe above Porthcurnick on the Roseland serving simple, excellent food by day and famous sell-out outdoor feast nights cooked over fire. The setting above the sand is unbeatable. Best for a beach lunch, or a feast night if you can snag tickets.

A long-running chef-owned restaurant in the heart of Truro serving refined, seasonal modern-British cooking in a calm room, a rare fine-dining option in the county town. It's a dependable special-occasion dinner. Best for a considered dinner in central Cornwall, away from the coast.

A friendly Truro coffee house serving carefully made coffee from local roasters with locally sourced milk, plus cakes and light bites. It's the county town's serious-coffee anchor. Best for a proper coffee break while exploring Truro and the cathedral.

A wild, rugged stretch of the South West Coast Path west from St Ives over heather, granite, and steep valleys to the tiny hamlet of Zennor and its ancient pub. It's one of the toughest and most rewarding day walks in Cornwall. Best for experienced walkers wanting raw, remote coastline.

A three-mile coast-path walk along the Lizard's serpentine cliffs linking the turquoise jewel of Kynance Cove to mainland Britain's southernmost point. The colours of rock and sea are extraordinary. Best for one of the finest short coastal walks in the county, with cafes at both ends.

A coast-path walk around the heather-clad clifftops of St Agnes, past the iconic Wheal Coates engine houses to Chapel Porth beach, deep in Cornwall's tin-mining heritage. The ruined mines against the Atlantic are unforgettable. Best for a moderate clifftop loop with mining history and big sea views.

A four-mile north-coast walk along the clifftops above the dramatic Bedruthan rock stacks to the surf beach at Mawgan Porth. The rock-stack views are among the most photographed in Cornwall. Best for a moderate coastal walk with show-stopping stack views.

A flat, traffic-free former railway path running along the Camel Estuary from Padstow to Wadebridge and on toward Bodmin, perfect for easy walking and family cycling. The estuary birdlife and woodland make it scenic as well as gentle. Best for a flat, accessible walk or bike ride suitable for all ages.

A gentle, mostly flat coastal walk from Penzance along the seafront through Newlyn's working harbour to the picture-perfect village of Mousehole. It's an easy, scenic way to link three very different waterfronts. Best for a relaxed walk ending with a cream tea in Mousehole.

A coast-path walk around the wooded headland at the tip of the Roseland peninsula, with a lighthouse, an old battery, and views across the mouth of Falmouth's harbour. It's quieter and greener than the wild west cliffs. Best for a moderate, less-crowded headland walk with estuary and sea views.

A Forestry England woodland near Bodmin with waymarked trails along streams and through conifer and broadleaf woods, plus a cafe and bike trails. It's a sheltered, family-friendly alternative when the coast is windy. Best for an easy woodland-and-stream walk inland, good in any weather.

A wooded creekside walk along a tranquil tidal inlet off the Helford River, immortalised in Daphne du Maurier's novel, with oak woods reaching down to still water. It's atmospheric and hushed. Best for an easy, romantic woodland-and-water walk away from the open coast.

The largest area of woodland in west Cornwall, near Camborne, with miles of easy surfaced trails through trees, lakes, and meadows, plus a cafe and resident wildlife. It's a flat, gentle inland escape. Best for an easy woodland-and-lake walk suitable for all ages.

A futuristic eco-attraction in a reclaimed clay pit near St Austell, with giant biome domes housing a steamy rainforest and a Mediterranean garden, plus outdoor gardens and seasonal events. It's Cornwall's headline family day out. Best for a full day exploring the biomes and gardens, whatever the weather.

An open-air theatre carved into the cliffs above Porthcurno, where you watch plays and concerts with the turquoise Atlantic as the backdrop. Even with no show on, the site and gardens are spectacular. Best for an evening performance on a clear night, booked well ahead.

A striking modern-art gallery overlooking Porthmear Beach in St Ives, celebrating the town's mid-century artist colony and showing major modern and contemporary work. The light and the sea views are part of the art. Best for an hour or two of modern art with a rooftop sea view.

The St Ives studio and subtropical garden of sculptor Barbara Hepworth, preserved with her works set among the plants exactly as she placed them. It's an intimate, magical counterpoint to the big Tate. Best for a contemplative wander among sculptures in the garden where they were made.

A modern museum on Falmouth's harbour exploring Cornwall's seafaring history, small boats, and the sea, with a tidal-view gallery below the waterline and a tower with harbour views. It's engaging and hands-on for families. Best for a family afternoon by the Falmouth waterfront.

A preserved tin mine on the wild Penwith coast near Pendeen, where you can tour the surface works and head underground into a real 18th-century mine shaft. It's a vivid, sometimes sobering look at Cornwall's mining past. Best for a hands-on heritage half-day, including the underground tour.

A conservation-focused zoo in Newquay's Trenance Gardens with big cats, lemurs, and a tropical house, compact enough for a relaxed family visit. It's a reliable wet-weather or with-kids option on the north coast. Best for a family morning, especially when the surf's not for swimming.

A heritage steam railway running restored locomotives through the Cornish countryside from Bodmin, with vintage carriages and special event days. The nostalgia and the scenery make it a hit with families and rail buffs. Best for a leisurely steam-train ride through inland Cornwall.

The county's main theatre in central Truro, a handsomely refurbished venue hosting touring drama, music, comedy, and dance. It's Cornwall's flagship indoor performance space. Best for an evening of theatre or a touring show when you're inland.

A working cider farm near Truro offering tours of the orchards and cellars, tractor rides, farm animals, and tastings of its Rattler cider and spirits. It mixes a family farm visit with grown-up tastings. Best for a family afternoon with a cider or country-spirit tasting for the adults.

A fairytale castle crowning a tidal island off Marazion, reached on foot across a cobbled causeway at low tide or by boat when the sea covers it. The castle, subtropical gardens, and the village at its foot make a full day. Best for crossing the causeway at low tide and timing the tides for the return.

The dramatic granite cliffs at the westernmost tip of mainland England, where the Atlantic crashes below the famous signpost. Skip the small commercial complex and walk the coast path for the real drama. Best for a clifftop walk away from the visitor buildings, especially toward Sennen or Nanjizal.

Evocative medieval ruins clinging to a mist-wreathed headland on the north coast, long linked to the legend of King Arthur's birth and now crossed by a striking footbridge. The setting is half the magic. Best for a dramatic clifftop wander; allow time for the steep steps and bridge.

A vast restored estate garden near Mevagissey, famous for its romantic 'lost' productive gardens, jungle valley with a rope bridge, and the moss-covered Mud Maid sculpture. It's one of Britain's great garden restorations. Best for a half-day wander through the jungle valley and walled gardens.

A jewel of a cove on the Lizard, with turquoise water, white sand, and dark serpentine rock stacks, reached down a path from the clifftop. It's one of the most beautiful beaches in Britain. Best at low tide when the sand and caves are exposed, with the clifftop cafe for after.

The southernmost point of mainland Britain, a wild headland of serpentine cliffs, a historic lighthouse, and a little cafe perched above the churning sea. The coast path either side is superb. Best for a bracing clifftop walk and watching for seals and choughs below.

A spectacular north-coast beach guarded by a line of towering rock stacks, one of the most photographed scenes in Cornwall, with a clifftop path and a steep stair to the sand. The stacks at sunset are unforgettable. Best for the clifftop view; descend to the beach only at low tide and never swim here.

A glorious white-sand and turquoise-water cove below the cliffs of the far west, with the Minack Theatre carved into the headland above. It feels almost tropical on a sunny day. Best for a beach afternoon combined with a Minack visit on the cliff above.

A pretty north-coast fishing harbour turned foodie destination, its quayside lined with seafood restaurants and bakeries around a working harbour on the Camel Estuary. It's compact, charming, and walkable. Best for a harbour wander, a seafood lunch, and the start of the Camel Trail.

A tiny, impossibly picturesque fishing village near Penzance, with a near-circular harbour, narrow granite lanes, and a famous Christmas-lights display. It's the postcard Cornish village. Best for a slow wander of the harbour lanes and a cream tea by the water.

A Tudor artillery fort built by Henry VIII on the headland above Falmouth, guarding one of the world's great natural harbours, with ramparts, a keep, and wartime tunnels. The sea views over the estuary are superb. Best for the headland views and the layered military history.

A trio of ruined tin-mine engine houses perched on the cliffs near St Agnes, the iconic image of Cornwall's mining heritage against the Atlantic. The clifftop setting is hauntingly beautiful. Best at sunset, walking the coast path between St Agnes Head and Chapel Porth.