Falmouth cruise port guide
Why go?
Falmouth enjoys a supremely scenic setting on Cornwall's southern coast, just inside the entrance of the deep and indented Carrick Roads estuary.
As well as being an historic port and a holiday resort, thanks to the presence of its arts-focused university it's a lively and cultural place. The town is often selected as one of the best places to live in the UK.
Many cruise-ship passengers opt to stay in Falmouth. If you want to explore further afield, there are boat trips on the estuary, and some of Cornwall's celebrated gardens and quaint fishing villages, along with more dramatic coastal scenery, are easily reachable on road-based excursions.
Cruise port location
Some three dozen cruise ships visit Falmouth each year, dropping in from spring through to autumn. Most ships are relatively small scale, and these can berth at County Wharf in Falmouth Docks, close to the town centre. Some ships – especially larger ones – anchor offshore, and require passengers to take a tender.
Can I walk to any places of interest?
Yes. From County Wharf it's about 15 minutes on foot to the start of the town centre – you pass the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, 10 minutes from the dock. You can also walk to Pendennis Castle in 15 minutes, while Gyllyngvase Beach – the best of the town's beaches – is a very pleasant 20-minute stroll along the open seafront.
Getting around
Within Falmouth, you may well want to walk everywhere. However, free shuttle buses are laid on to transport cruise-ship passengers on the short journey from the dockside into town – normally to Events Square, outside the maritime museum. Local buses run in loops around the town centre and out to the castle and beach.
What can I do in four hours or less?
Potter around Falmouth. Wander along the town's main thoroughfare that runs parallel to the harbour from Events Square to the Prince of Wales Pier, partaking in a bit of window shopping – fishmongers and cafés sit side by side with art galleries. Look out for historical points of interest such as the King's Pipe, a freestanding brick chimney where contraband tobacco was once burnt. For a view over the harbour, from The Moor square climb the 111 steep steps of Jacob's Ladder to the upper town.
You could also visit Pendennis Castle, a gun fort built in the reign of Henry VIII to guard the important natural anchorage of Carrick Roads, and used as a coastal defence through to World War Two. It stands on a grassy headland, with commanding views over the estuary.
What can I do in eight hours or less?
With a full day in Falmouth, you'll also have time to explore the National Maritime Museum Cornwall. Housed in a striking oak-clad building, it has a vast main hall filled with craft from the National Small Boat Collection, engaging galleries focused on Falmouth's and Cornwall's maritime histories, and a Lookout Tower with view over the docks, where not only your cruise ship but also Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships are often moored. Museum tickets are pricey: allow two hours to get your money's worth.
If the weather's good and/or you have children in tow, head over to Gyllyngvase Beach, a lovely stretch of golden sands with Blue Flag status. Stand-up paddleboard rentals and lessons are available, and the Gylly Beach Café, a stylish hangout that champions local produce, presides over the beach.
Then pop across the Carrick Roads estuary on a little ferry to St Mawes, an idyllic and rather chic fishing village with its own Tudor castle. Ferries depart frequently from Falmouth's Custom House Quay and Prince of Wales Pier; the journey takes 20 minutes.
To explore Cornwall by road, take a cruise-ship excursion or sign up the services of a private driver guide. Head off to the Eden Project, where giant geodesic domes house rainforest and Mediterranean environments, or visit a nearby garden such as Trelissick, wonderfully set at the head of the Fal Estuary.
And why not tour the far west of Cornwall, taking in the tidal island of St Michael's Mount (on coach tours check whether you visit or just take in the view), Land's End (dramatic setting but tacky development) and arty St Ives with its Tate St Ives gallery.
Some cruise lines also offer coastal walking on the dramatic Lizard peninsula, and tours of Cornish places associated with the hit BBC TV series Poldark.
Eat and drink
For a cheap, filling lunch on the go, have a warm Cornish pasty – a D-shaped pastry traditionally containing beef, onion, potato and swede, but available with lots of fillings.
For top-notch fish and chips, go to the award-winning Harbour Lights on Arwenack Street; you can take away, or eat in the inviting restaurant overlooking the harbour. Rick Stein's Fish, the celebrity Cornish chef's Falmouth outpost, also has fish and chips at the heart of the menu; it's opposite the maritime museum (no views). The best local ice-cream is Roskilly's, made from milk and cream from a farm on the Lizard.
For a pint of locally-brewed St Austell beer, look no further than the Chain Locker, a sensitively revamped, atmospheric old inn overlooking Custom House Quay.
Don’t leave without…
Purchasing some edible Cornish produce – fairings (ginger biscuits), fudge, sea salt, tea (look for the Tregothnan label), jams, chutneys. Or local knitwear – perhaps a fisherman's jumper or woolly hat.
Delis and clothes boutiques are dotted along Arwenack and Church streets. Whistlefish (Church Street) sells affordable Cornish prints, and pretty tote bags emblazoned with pictorial maps of Falmouth.
Need to know
Safety
Falmouth feels salubrious and safe during the daytime. Gyllyngvase Beach has lifeguards on duty mid-May to September.
Best time to go
Summer, though pretty much everywhere in Cornwall gets packed with visitors in July and August. Falmouth holds lots of maritime and cultural events, including Falmouth Week regatta in mid-August.
More information
Falmouth Cruise Ship Ambassadors, a volunteer group, greet disembarking passengers and dispense advice on getting around and things to do. Download the town map, or pick up a copy from the Fal River Visitor Information Centre by the Prince of Wales Pier.