The beaches
St Ives packs four distinct beaches within a few minutes' walk of each other, each with its own character and its own relationship with the tide. The town behind them — tiers of whitewashed cottages, the harbour, the clear light that drew the modernist painters — is half the reason to come.
Across the bay you can see the white tower of Godrevy Lighthouse, said to have inspired Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse. Tate St Ives sits above Porthmeor.
Planning your day
Families should head for Porthminster — wide, sheltered, lifeguarded, with level access from the station and the promenade and the café on the sand for lunch. Porthgwidden is the other gentle option: a small sun-trap cove with calm water and beach huts to hire.
Surfers want Porthmeor, facing the Atlantic beneath the Tate, with the surf school on the sand for lessons, boards and wetsuits. Low tide opens wide sand and rock pools at the western end.
Dog walkers need to watch the dates: the big two, Porthmeor and Porthminster, are off-limits 10am–6pm from mid-May to the end of September; the smaller two only across July and August. Year-round, Bamaluz Beach and the north side of Smeaton's Pier stay dog-friendly.
Getting in is the catch — town parking is tight. The St Ives Bay branch line is the nicest way in, a scenic train from St Erth that drops you near Porthminster and the harbour, and the park-and-ride at Lelant Saltings feeds it. In peak season, use it.
Good to know
Trenwith is the main long-stay car park; Porthmeor's own car park is small and fills fast. Summer rates run around £11.50 for the day, cheaper in winter.
The clear light made St Ives Britain's most important art colony outside London — Tate St Ives sits above Porthmeor and the Barbara Hepworth museum is in the town, so a gallery hour folds easily into a beach day.
Across the bay, Godrevy Lighthouse is visible from much of the town — the one said to have inspired Virginia Woolf.