What to Do in Penzance

Jubilee Pool is the large triangular art deco lido at the edge of Mount's Bay. It's the largest sea water pool in the UK, and the geothermal pool makes it a draw in any weather.

• Triangular art deco open-air lido on the edge of Mount's Bay
• Largest sea water pool in the UK
• Geothermal pool heated to 30-35°C by its own well
• Profits go back into running the pool

Jubilee Pool is all whitewashed walls and clean lines, an art deco shape that sits right on the water. It's the largest sea water pool in the UK, with a main pool, a learner pool and the newer geothermal pool. Children can swim and paddle safely here under the watch of lifeguards, which is why it's such a family favourite. You can even paddleboard in the main pool. The geothermal pool is the part people talk about. It holds natural salt water heated to 30-35°C by the pool's own geothermal well, and it's a completely different experience from the main pool, which sits around 16-20°C and first opened in 1935. The whole place runs as a social enterprise - for the community, by the community. All profits from tickets and the onsite cafe go back into running the pool. In the summer holidays, inflatables come out in the main pool. Tickets go through the Jubilee Pool website and they fill up fast over the summer, so book before you build your day around it. The pool closes over the winter months, which is worth remembering. Look out for the Summer Soaker event too, a swim-and-breakfast session that has run for two days in August. If you only have one morning in town, make the pool your first stop.

Morrab Gardens has been the subtropical heart of Penzance since 1888. It only covers three acres, but those acres hold a serious collection of sub-tropical plants.

• Bought by the council in 1888 and steeped in history
• Three acres of sub-tropical plants, including bananas and palms
• Free to enter and open all year round
• Bandstand, lawns and room for a picnic

Morrab Gardens is the kind of place you find by accident on the walk back through town. Families enjoy the lawns and the bandstand, and the garden holds a real place in the town's identity rather than just being a park. The planting is the point. Azaleas, camellias, magnolias, bananas and palms sit among sub-tropical trees and shrubs, many of which are unique to Penzance. Spread across three acres, the gardens work as an oasis in the heart of town, with secluded walks that are easy to lose an hour in. Entry is free and the gardens stay open all year round, which makes this one of the best free things to do in Penzance. Bring a book or a picnic and you can easily spend an hour here. Just beyond the town's borders, the garden trail continues to Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, and nearby Penlee Park has its own atmospheric walled garden. More on the history of the gardens is on the Morrab Gardens website. On a sunny day, this is where I'd sit with a book.

One of the most eccentric streets in Cornwall, Chapel Street stacks Georgian terraces against granite and redbrick shops. It's the street in Penzance where you're most likely to stop and stare.

• Georgian buildings, granite shops and piratey pubs
• Egyptian House, an art deco Egyptian Revival landmark
• Branwell House, once home to the mother of the Brontës
• Boutiques, antique shops and fish suppers

Chapel Street looks like an architect's cheese dream: stately Georgian buildings, granite and redbrick shops, and pubs that lean into the town's pirate past. It's an atmospheric, historic street, and on a warm summer night tourists and locals spill out of the pubs and restaurants together. The Egyptian House is the street's oddest sight, an art deco Egyptian Revival building that has belonged to the Landmark Trust since the 1970s. A little further along stands Branwell House, a brick-built, Rotterdam-style house where Maria Branwell, mother of the Brontës, once lived. Take a right-hand turn down Chapel Street and you land in a picturesque Regency Square. Shopping is a big part of the street's pull. From Chapel Street through Causewayhead to Market Jew Street, you get bookshops, clothes shops, artisan food shops, antique shops and small galleries. The Cornish Hen deli in the middle of Penzance sells coffee, patisserie and pasties, and the Artist Residence hotel on the same street has a smokehouse, a bar and a garden that's open to everyone. The Honey Pot Cafe, a vegan-friendly brunch spot with meat and veggie options too, comes with strong reviews. Give yourself time to wander - the side streets hide the best bits.

Newlyn Art Gallery has been bringing contemporary art to the south west for more than 125 years. Its sister site, The Exchange, sits back in Penzance.

• More than 125 years of contemporary art in the south west
• Work by regional, national and international artists
• The Exchange, a sister space with a full glass front
• Easy seafront walk from Penzance

The story of Penzance galleries starts with the Newlyn School in the 1880s, and Newlyn Art Gallery has kept it going for more than 125 years. The walk from Penzance along the seafront to Newlyn is part of the visit - the light across the harbour is exactly what drew artists here in the first place. Inside, the programme covers contemporary work in all media by regional, national and international artists, with a supporting line-up of events for all ages. The Exchange, the sister site back in Penzance, is a contemporary arts space with glass running the length of its facade. It offers a varied exhibition programme and also hosts workshops and events. The current programme is listed on the Newlyn Art Gallery website. Newlyn itself is a working fishing harbour, landing around 10,000 tonnes of fish a year across 40 species. When you come out of the gallery, Mackerel Sky Seafood Bar is open every day from 12-9 pm, takes no bookings and is worth the queue for its tasting plates. Penlee House Gallery and Museum, back in town, shows the earlier side of the story with Victorian masterpieces of local fisherfolk. The galleries are also the sensible answer to what to do in Penzance on a rainy day. Plan a full afternoon so you can see both sites without rushing.

Ten minutes' drive from Penzance, St Michael's Mount rises out of the water off Marazion, with a castle on the rocks that you can see from most of the bay.

• Visible from Penzance and most of Mount's Bay
• Walk the causeway at low tide or take the ferry at high tide
• Cobbled streets lead up to a castle on the rocks
• Sunset views from Marazion beach

St Michael's Mount is the island you notice first from Penzance. It sits off Marazion, ten minutes' drive away, with its fairy-tale castle on the rocks and cobbled streets climbing from the water. On a fine day, the family outing is to drive to Marazion and cross. There's also a two-mile walk from Penzance along a surfaced path with open views across Mount's Bay. The crossing depends on the tide. At low tide you walk the causeway on foot, following the legendary giant's steps. At high tide, ferries run from Marazion instead - but not in rough seas, so check the conditions before you set out. The castle and gardens appeal to all ages once you're across. Marazion beach itself is worth the trip. It's sand and pebbles with clear water, lifeguarded through the high season, and in the evening the sunsets draw a crowd of cameras, with the castle as the backdrop. If the tides don't line up with your plans, the view from the beach is still the show. For a closer look, Ocean High at Marazion runs Eco SUP paddleboard tours around the Mount and Mount's Bay.

Cornwall has only one Victorian promenade, and Penzance has it. It runs along the front of Mount's Bay and, after a multi-million makeover in 2020-2021, it pulls in walkers, cyclists, runners and skateboarders alike.

• Cornwall's only Victorian promenade
• Free all day parking along the full stretch
• Multi-million makeover in 2020-2021
• Start point for coastal walks east and west

The Penzance promenade is Cornwall's only Victorian promenade. After a multi-million makeover in 2020-2021, it works as a public space for everyone - walkers, cyclists, runners and skateboarders all share the same line of sea views. It's a stunning place to take the air, and on fine days it doubles as the social heart of the town. Parking is the quiet superpower here. There is free all day parking all along the promenade, which is as good as it gets for a town day out. Park once, then walk. The promenade is also how you reach Newlyn on foot - a 3.5-mile coastal path with tarmac and a cycleway runs through it and on to picturesque Mousehole. The other way, a two-mile surfaced walk leads to Marazion with views across Mount's Bay. The best time to visit Penzance is June to October, when the highest average temperature sits around 19°C in July and the Penzance weather works in your favor. Don't skip the small things: a path alongside Jubilee Pool leads down to Battery Rocks, a local swimming spot. On sunny days the seafront fills up fast - arrive early and grab your spot.