Location: Newquay
Top Things to do in Newquay
The 10 Best Things to do in Newquay, England
Catch a wave in Cornwall! Beach, surfing, and scenery draw the crowds to Newquay every summer. Perfect your tan on the beach, paddle in the shallows, or join the surfers out at sea. Just out of town, the Holywell Bay Fun Park, Newquay Zoo, and Blue Reef Aquarium provide family fun, and dedicated cycling tracks offer an alternate way to tour nearby towns of Bodmin, Padstow, and Truro.
Restaurants in Newquay
1. Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 616 reviews
A great family tourist attraction. Informative - and interesting aviation heritage and activity museum. Ideal for young and old. Indoor and outdoor exhibits. Sit inside the cockpits of some fantastic aircraft...
Reviewed By glyn84 - Stoke-on-Trent, United Kingdom
Excellent place to spend a few hours looking at the aviation exhibition with very knowledgeable and friendly volunteers to explain the aircraft, even able to sit in the cockpits of quite a few even an amazing cold war Lightning to see .
2. Fistral Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4,365 reviews
This splendid beach offers excellent water for surfing and body boarding.
Reviewed By mummatash73
Love love this beach ... The facilities are fab.The Life Guards are highly trained & observant ..We are generally here most weekends .And while Covid has played havoc this season in Cornwall & UK .. Procedures are mainly respected with a one way system in place for restaurants /toilets ... Although it is a dog friendly beach.You wouldn’t know it the owners are in a huge majority of cases respectful
3. Polzeath Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 403 reviews
Only a ten-minute walk along a coastal path to Old Polzeath, the beach is well known for its surf, which makes it ideal for Malibu and body surfing.
Reviewed By TheNextDay - Sydney, Australia
Polzeath beach brought back many memories during our North Cornwall stay. It has that special place in my heart of windbreaks, beach cricket and Cornish ice-cream. Doesn’t seem to have changed much over the decades and the tide still goes out miles leaving a huge sandy beach. Easy to climb down to the sand or back up to the cliffs on the west side of the beach. Stunning properties adorn the other side with unrivalled views. Very picturesque surrounds which enhance its natural beauty. The town has your basic amenities, surf shops and cafes. Stay away!!
4. Lappa Valley
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,646 reviews
Lappa Valley is the only attraction in Cornwall that transports families on a exciting and nostalgic steam train ride into a secret world of traditional play and family adventures. Children will delight in the thrill of trains and boats, explore nature and let off steam in our huge outdoor play areas. Relax and refuel in our fantastic café — and return time and again, at any time of year.
5. Watergate Bay
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 815 reviews
Reviewed By JimB3453 - Lyndhurst, United Kingdom
I have been visiting Watergate Bay for 25 years. It’s a glorious beach, with miles to explore, great waves for surfing or body boarding, attentive and helpful lifeguards, a shop, a cafe, a restaurant and three good car parks. I would recommend the car park on the cliff top, which is reasonably priced and it’s not really a long walk, I did it daily with a rucksack and longboard. I can think of nowhere else I would rather be ❤️
6. Porth Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 871 reviews
Reviewed By AnneB194 - Bexhill-on-Sea, United Kingdom
Porth is a lovely beach plenty of walking when the tide goes out . Lifeguards are on duty here. The beach is very peaceful we could have spent hours there just watching the world go by. We took a walk to along the coastal path above the beach and ate our packed lunch watching the waves crashing and thundering against the rocks. We continued out walk to Porth Island and to the edge, the views were lovely up there. We also came across Whipsiderry beach with a steep climb down. Well worth the effort this is a pretty and quiet beach and not too far from Porth.
7. Holywell Bay Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 317 reviews
Reviewed By SammieA - Portsmouth, United Kingdom
If you visit here make sure you pack a picnic and make a day of it!! The stunning sandy beach is just magnificent and it’s the ideal place to give surfing a go, although be careful as the current is strong and the waves can get quite big. Having said that, the lifeguards are very vigilant and will tell you to get out of the water if the conditions get a bit rough. Our kids loved the rock pools and when the tide was out we wandered down to see the holy well in the cave. But their favourite part was rolling down the enormous sand dunes!!
8. Newquay Zoo
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 2,859 reviews
Set in lush sub-tropical gardens, Newquay Zoo is the place to discover some of the wonders of the world. From lions, lynx and lemurs to meerkats, marmosets and monkeys, you are never far away from a little animal magic. Just a short walk from Newquay's town centre and world famous surfing beaches, the Zoo is both one of Cornwall's most exciting visitor attractions and a leading conservation charity. Run wild in our play areas, explore our Oriental Garden, or visit our Village Farm and meet some of the loveable characters. Besides enjoying a great family visit, when you visit Newquay Zoo you'll also be supporting our vital education, research and conservation work, all designed to protect endangered animals from extinction.
Reviewed By 268cheryla
A great day out we all really enjoyed it. Smaller zoo we did it all (minus parks) in 3 hours, the exhibits are great loved the tropical house was fantastic, so great could have stayed in there for hours!! They have a great 7 day ticket I definitely recommend a visit there when near by! Thank you for lots of fun :D
9. Trerice
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 838 reviews
Reviewed By sandiea721
An absolute treasure of a place from the artifacts to the staff. We had always given it a miss in the past when visiting Cornwall as the NT Handbook does not portray much other than dressing up for children and brass rubbing but, as it was only a mile from where we were staying we decided to chance it. It turns out to be an immaculate small Elizabthan Manor House, packed with original features and with very helpful, friendly and knowledable guides - the dress up and brass rubbing is in a completely separate area by the restaurant. The gardens are not large being a Knot Garden design but perfectly in keeping with the property and they have a couple of mazes in the summer months. Well worth a visit.
10. Blue Reef Aquarium
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 1,740 reviews
From the local Cornish coast to the dazzling beauty of the Tropical Reef, Newquay Blue Reef aquarium has an exciting world of underwater adventure waiting to be discovered. More than 40 innovative displays vividly bring to life the sights, sounds and smells of the sea, whilst regular feeding displays, rock-pool workshops and informative talks provide a fun and fascinating day out. Visitors can enjoy the closest of undersea encounters with amazing aquatic life including seahorses, giant octopus, and fierce Piranha. At the aquariums heart is a spectacular coral reef display housed within a 250,000 litre ocean tank - home to exotic tropical species like reef sharks and Omiros the rescued loggerhead turtle. As well as hundreds of brightly-coloured reef fish and a huge Southern Stingray. Situated on Towan Promenade in the heart of Newquay, Blue Reef Aquarium not only offers a beach on its doorstep but also an amazing experience, whatever the weather!
Reviewed By Wahwahwiwah - Newquay, United Kingdom
Awesome aquarium although small,more tanks than I thought ,cool underwater tunnel stocked with many different fish,Inc sharks ,loggerhead turtle and a huge ray,spend a couple of hours or more here
