The best places to visit in Cornwall are aplenty, if you know where to look. There are few places in the United Kingdom more synonymous with magic and folklore than Cornwall, a land where mischievous pixies lead travelers astray, wild beasts roam the moorland, and glittering mermaids entice sailors to their doom. Cast away from the rest of the world on the country’s south-westerly finger, Cornwall can feel as though it’s on another planet entirely. Indeed, many have tried to illustrate the spellbinding power of the county through the ages, whether through the Gothic tales of Daphne du Maurier or the rugged romanticism of Poldark. However the true magic of Cornwall reveals itself slowly and in layers. Peel them back to uncover the hidden corners, wind-lashed headlands and off-kilter harbor towns.
North Cornwall is all about high-drama—think wild, dramatic coastlines, big swells, and looming tin mines—while the South coast laid-back, a place where postcard-perfect fishing villages give way to sheltered white-sand beaches with calmer waves and impossible azure waters. Then there’s artsy West Cornwall, a land full of treasures like epic landmarks, creative communities, and an unfiltered light quality that’s hard to find anywhere else. This is our insider’s guide to the best places to visit in Cornwall: the wild, the storied and the utterly bewitching.
A version of this article originally appeared in Condé Nast Traveller UK.