Penzance

Penzance is the most south-westerly town in Cornwall. Famous for its association with the Gilbert and Sullivan opera The 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.

Penzance is also the home of a major link to and from the Isles of Scilly via the spring and summer-only ferry.

See

Throughout the town there are numerous examples of Regency and Georgian Architecture.

Penzance is home to a lengthy promenade built in the 1840s. Admire the cool white art deco Jubilee Pool and see the "ballet of the waves" as they crash into the sea wall (particularly spectacular opposite the handsome Queen's Hotel which is worth visiting for its splendid paintings from Newlyn School artists.)

Penzance has an array of interesting buildings including the Egyptian House, built in an Egyptian style and the Market House, described as one of the finest examples of regional architecture in the UK. The walk down Chapel Street towards St Mary's Church and the harbour is a delight! Look for the quaint Turk's Head Inn and the pirate on the roof of the Admiral Benbow pub!

• ⊙ Morrab Gardens (in the centre of town). a fine example of a sub-tropical public garden.
• ⊙St Johns Hall (Penzance's Town Hall). is one of the largest purely granite structures in the world 
• ⊙Penlee House Museum. Home to a wide selection of paintings from the Newlyn School of painters including Stanhope Forbes.

Do

• Hike town trails. 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. 
• Marine Discovery. Wildlife boat trip for a dolphin-watching and basking shark-watching sea safari tour on a sailing catamaran. 
• Morrab Library. For those interested in all things book-related, Penzance has an excellent private library consisting 60K+ volumes plus 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 located within the Morrab Gardens. (updated Feb 2017)
• Western Discoveries. Guided walks. Historical and folklore-based tours of Penwith's ancient monuments. 

Eat

For those seeking to eat a Cornish pasty, Lavenders and Pellows are excellent choices. Countless other bakeries, shops and cafés also sell them, hot and cold. (Tip: it is correct to eat pasties from the end, not in the middle!)

• ⊙Admiral Benbow, 46 Chapel St,  ☎ +44 1736 363448. Pub with restaurant offering traditional British food. Huge collection of historic maritime objects on display in every conceivable location. 
• ⊙Archie Browns, Bread St,  ☎ +44 1736 362828. Excellent range of healthily-made home-cooked meals, cakes and refreshments available in the café upstairs. Walk into the shop, turn right, and go up the stairs. The café is also an art gallery. 
• ⊙Blacks Dining Room & Bar, 12 Chapel St (Half-way down Chapel Street, you can't miss it.),  ☎ +44 1736 369729. Freshly sourced local Cornish produce for lunchtime and evening dining. Fish is from the nearby fish market in Newlyn. 
• ⊙Lavenders, 6A Alverton Street, TR18 2QW (Alverton Street). Excellent Cornish pasties. A large pasty is very large. Do not expect to do much after eating one! 
• ⊙Market Plaice Fish Bar. Serving the community with fish & chips for 50 years. 
• ⊙Waterside Meadery, Wharf Rd, Penzance TR18 4AB,  ☎ +44 1736 364424. 18:00-22:00. 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. No bookings, so you may have to queue. There are other meaderies in the area at Newlyn and Trewellard, as well as farther afield in Redruth and Newquay. (updated Feb 2017)
• ⊙Pellows, 95, Market Jew St, Penzance, TR18 2LE (Market Jew St),  ☎ +44 1736 331582. Excellent Cornish pasties, both made and baked on the premises. Also a good old-fashioned bakers selling bread, buns and cakes made on the premises. Try the Cornish 'hevva cake' or saffron buns.
• ⊙The Cornish Barn (The Cornish Barn), 20 Chapel Street, TR18 4AW (At the lower end of Chapel Street, close to the Methodist Chapel.),  ☎ +44 1736 874418. 18:00 - 23:00. American style food in a contemporary setting (think burgers, buttermilk chicken, gourmet hot dogs, craft beer and cocktails in jars). Very trendy and popular, with a newly opened garden (May 2015) at the rear with an outdoor bar. Meals from £5.