The nearest beach to town is a flat sandy stretch, known to locals as Gylly. It's about half a mile south of the town centre and is backed by the popular Gylly Beach Cafe. There's also a water-sports centre.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
20.75 MILES
Looking like a cross between a lunar landing station and a James Bond villain's lair, the gigantic hemispherical greenhouses of the Eden Project have…
26.28 MILES
This magnificent manor, 2.5 miles southeast of Bodmin, offers a fascinating insight into Upstairs, Downstairs life in Victorian England. The house was…
18.28 MILES
Looming up in the middle of Mount's Bay and connected to the mainland at Marazion via a cobbled causeway, this abbey-crowned island is an unforgettable…
19.01 MILES
After an 18-month, multimillion-pound refit, St Ives' most illustrious gallery reopened its doors, complete with a monumental exhibition space that's been…
13.8 MILES
A mile north of Lizard Point, this National Trust–owned inlet is an absolute showstopper, studded with craggy offshore islands rising out of searingly…
12.89 MILES
This wonderful medieval house and garden was the family seat of the Godolphin family who, during the 17th and 18th centuries, were one of Cornwall's great…
15.03 MILES
This is Cornwall's real-life secret garden. Formerly the family estate of the Tremaynes, Heligan's magnificent 19th-century gardens fell into disrepair…
5.24 MILES
Grandly located at the head of the Fal estuary, 4 miles south of Truro, Trelissick is one of Cornwall's most beautiful aristocratic estates, with a formal…
Nearby South Cornwall attractions
0.43 MILES
South of Falmouth lies the popular beach of Swanpool, near a small inland lagoon populated by grebes, coots, ducks and mute swans. A coastal path runs…
0.6 MILES
Falmouth's most high-profile museum is located on the revamped area around Discovery Quay. It's the sister outpost of the National Maritime Museum in…
0.96 MILES
Designed in tandem with its sister castle in St Mawes across the estuary, this Tudor castle sits proudly on Pendennis Point, and was built as part of…
1.72 MILES
Maenporth is the quietest of Falmouth's beaches, with facilities including a cafe, kayak centre and restaurant, the Cove. The 1978 wreck of the Scottish…
1.85 MILES
Touting itself as Cornwall's 'true' jungle garden (a sly dig at Cornwall's famous Heligan gardens), this is really two gardens in one: exotic jungle…
2.12 MILES
Strategically sited to command an uninterrupted field of fire over the entrance to Falmouth Bay in tandem with Pendennis Castle, on the opposite side of…
2.39 MILES
The remains of a turn-of-the-century gun battery can still be seen along the point at St Anthony's Head. Just along the coast is the peninsula's 1835…
3.11 MILES
The definition of a secret garden (especially since it's only open three days a week), this handsome estate is said to be one of the oldest in Cornwall –…