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Arriving in Penzance

Travel distances

Falmouth to Penzance

Falmouth to Penzance on the map

Start and finish

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Distance

34 miles

by road

By car

About 55 minutes

in normal traffic

By bike

About 3 hours 20 minutes

steady pace

By foot

About 11 hours

on foot

Before you set off

The A394 between Helston and Penzance can slow in summer, particularly on Saturday mornings when the changeover traffic passes through Helston. Outside summer the road is clear at almost any time of day.

Which way to go

The fastest route

Take the A39 north from Falmouth to Penryn, then pick up the A394 west through Helston and Penzance.1 The road runs just south of the Lizard peninsula and is fast and well maintained throughout. It is the most direct line.

The scenic route

Go north on the A39 to the B3291 or B3297, dropping south onto the Lizard peninsula to visit Helford, Coverack or Kynance Cove before looping back through Helston to rejoin the A394 into Penzance.1 The Lizard is the southernmost point of mainland Britain and worth the diversion. Add an hour or more depending on stops.

Caravans and motorhomes

The A39 and A394 are both suitable for caravans and motorhomes. Helston's town centre is tight but avoidable on the A394 bypass. Penzance is one of the more caravan-friendly Cornish towns, with a large seafront parking area at Wherry Town near the railway station.

Stops along the way

  1. Start

    Falmouth

  2. Penryn

    0.3 miles off the A39, adds roughly 4 minutes

    The older of the two estuary towns, with a granite high street and the ruins of Glasney College a short walk away.

  3. Helston

    on the A394, no detour needed

    The gateway to the Lizard peninsula and home to the famous Flora Day Furry Dance each May.2

  4. Marazion

    0.5 miles off the A394, adds roughly 5 minutes

    The causeway village opposite St Michael's Mount, crossable on foot at low tide — one of the finest sights in Cornwall.3

  5. Arrive

    Penzance

Practical information

Parking

Penzance is easier than most Cornish towns for parking. The Wherry Town long-stay car park is large and close to the seafront; the Harbour car park is convenient for the town centre. If you are catching the Scilly ferry or helicopter, use the station car park.4

Train and bus

By rail it is Falmouth Docks to Truro, then the main line west to Penzance5 — about an hour and ten minutes all told.6 The last section from Truro to Penzance passes through Hayle and Marazion with Mount's Bay and St Michael's Mount in view, and is one of the finest rail approaches to any town in England.

The best time to travel

Any time outside summer Saturday mornings on the Helston stretch. This is not a heavily trafficked route and flows well for most of the year.

About the Falmouth to Penzance journey

Thirty-four miles around the bottom of Cornwall, from one great harbour to another, with the Lizard peninsula sitting between them like an argument for taking the longer way round. Falmouth faces the Channel from the third-deepest natural harbour in the world; Penzance faces Mount's Bay and the offshore outline of St Michael's Mount, and beyond it the Isles of Scilly on a clear day. The A394 does the job directly and without drama. The Lizard diversion is for people who understand that the drama is the point, and that the southernmost tip of mainland Britain on a clear afternoon is worth every extra mile.

What to do in Penzance

Walk the promenade west to Newlyn — an easy mile along the front — and swim in the Jubilee Pool, the restored 1935 art deco lido with a geothermally heated section.7 Penlee House on Morrab Road holds the best collection of Newlyn School painting in the world.8 The Isles of Scilly ferry and the helicopter service both leave from Penzance.4 St Michael's Mount is a short bus ride east along the bay and is worth the tide chart.3

Read the Penzance guide

Going the other way: Penzance to Falmouth

Penzance to Falmouth is the same thirty-four miles in the opposite direction. The A394 runs east and the A39 south, and both are clear outside the summer. Allow a little extra for the Helston stretch on summer Saturdays.

Related journeys

Falmouth to Truro12 miles

Falmouth to Truro

25 mins by car (About 25 minutes)1hr 10mins by bike (About 1 hour 10 minutes)

Falmouth to Truro is 12 miles and about 25 minutes by car. Compare the A39 direct route, the Fal estuary scenic road, bus times, parking and the best time to travel.

Falmouth to St Ives36 miles

Falmouth to St Ives

55 mins by car (About 55 minutes)3hr 30mins by bike (About 3 hours 30 minutes)

Falmouth to St Ives is 36 miles and about 55 minutes by car. The A30 direct route, the coast road alternative, the branch line, parking and when to travel.

Truro to Penzance26 miles

Truro to Penzance

40 mins by car (About 40 minutes)2hr 45mins by bike (About 2 hours 45 minutes)

Truro to Penzance is 26 miles and about 40 minutes by car, or 35 minutes by direct train. Routes, the Marazion approach, parking and where to stop.

See every Cornwall journey →

Article Sources
  1. OpenStreetMap contributors (2026). Road network, road classifications and place names. Copyright and licence [online]. Available at: https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright OpenStreetMap[↩]
  2. Visit Cornwall (no date). Cornwall events calendar [online]. Available at: https://www.visitcornwall.com Visit Cornwall[↩]
  3. St Michael’s Mount (no date). Home page [online]. Available at: https://www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk St Michael’s Mount[↩]
  4. Isles of Scilly Travel (no date). Ferry and flights to the Isles of Scilly from Penzance [online]. Available at: https://www.islesofscilly-travel.co.uk Isles of Scilly Travel[↩]
  5. Great Western Railway (no date). Plan your journey: timetables and branch-line services in Cornwall [online]. Available at: https://www.gwr.com/plan-journey Great Western Railway[↩]
  6. National Rail Enquiries (no date). Train times and journey planner [online]. Available at: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk National Rail[↩]
  7. Jubilee Pool (no date). Home page [online]. Available at: https://jubileepool.co.uk Jubilee Pool[↩]
  8. Penlee House Gallery & Museum (no date). Home page [online]. Available at: https://penleehouse.org.uk Penlee House[↩]
  9. Project OSRM (no date). Open Source Routing Machine: route shape and detour calculations [online]. Available at: https://project-osrm.org Project OSRM
  10. Ordnance Survey (no date). National Grid references used to position each place on the route map [online]. Available at: https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk Ordnance Survey
  11. Google (no date). Google Maps: live traffic and turn-by-turn directions [online]. Available at: https://www.google.com/maps Google Maps