Cornwall Without a Car: A Practical Guide

Updated 10 October 2026 · 7 min read

You don't need a car to have a brilliant time in Cornwall. With the main railway line, five branch lines, a capped-fare bus network, passenger ferries and traffic-free cycle trails, you can reach most of the famous towns and beaches, and skip the summer traffic and parking hunts.

Getting to Cornwall by train

• Great Western Railway runs direct trains from London Paddington to Penzance, calling at Plymouth, Liskeard, Bodmin Parkway, Par, St Austell, Truro, Redruth, Camborne and St Erth. The full journey takes around five hours.
• The Night Riviera sleeper runs overnight between London and Penzance on most nights except Saturdays. You go to sleep in London and wake up by the sea, and it's an adventure in itself.
• CrossCountry trains link Cornwall with Bristol, Birmingham and the north.

The branch lines: Cornwall's scenic railways

• St Ives Bay Line (St Erth to St Ives): a short coastal hop past Carbis Bay with stunning sea views.
• Maritime Line (Truro to Falmouth): handy for Falmouth's beaches, castle and ferries.
• Atlantic Coast Line (Par to Newquay): through the Luxulyan Valley and china clay country to the surf capital.
• Looe Valley Line (Liskeard to Looe): a pretty riverside ride to the seaside.
• Tamar Valley Line (Plymouth to Gunnislake): over the dramatic Calstock viaduct.

Buses

Cornwall's buses are run as one network under Transport for Cornwall. A single fare is capped at £3 until at least March 2027, with cheaper fares for short hops, and day and week tickets give unlimited travel across the county. Pay by contactless and fares are capped automatically. Useful routes link the main towns, Eden, the north coast and the far west, and open-top buses run along some coastal routes in summer.

• Tip: buses to smaller villages can be every hour or less, especially on Sundays and in winter. Check the last bus back before you set off on a walk.

Ferries

• Falmouth to St Mawes and Flushing, and boats up the river to Truro.
• Fowey to Polruan (all year) and the summer ferry to Mevagissey.
• Padstow to Rock across the Camel estuary.
• Penzance to the Isles of Scilly on the Scillonian (seasonal).

By bike and on foot

The Camel Trail, the Clay Trails around St Austell and the Pentewan Valley trail are all traffic-free, with bike hire nearby. The coast path links almost every coastal town, and you can often walk one way and catch the bus back.

The best car-free bases

• Penzance: end of the main line, with buses to Land's End, Mousehole and St Ives, and the Scilly ferry.
• Truro: the hub, with trains in every direction and the Falmouth branch.
• St Ives and Falmouth: everything is walkable, and both have branch lines.
• Par: main line and the Newquay branch, a bus to Fowey and a short hop to Eden.
• Newquay: beaches on the doorstep, buses along the north coast and a branch line.

Plan your trip