Forget London! This Coastal Town Offers Smaller Crowds & Medieval Charm

London is a bucket checklist vacation spot for hundreds of thousands of Americans, and pay attention, we completely get it: who would not need to danger a cheeky selfie with a crimson phone field, stroll alongside the Thames riverfront, or witness the change of the Royal Guard with Buckingham Palace for a backdrop?

The unhappy actuality is, there are two variations of London, one which exists within the minds of vacationers, and the fact on the bottom.

Yes, it’s a fascinating metropolis packed filled with iconic sights, however on the draw back, it is chaotic, fast-paced, more and more harmful, and most of the time, you not often really feel as when you’re truly in England.

We imply, good luck listening to some good outdated cockney round, and even English in any respect in elements of North London. Now, when you’re craving a few of that unspoiled English appeal, there’s this attractive coastal city, some 5 hours away by prepare, yet to be spoiled by the masses:

Welcome To Penzance, England’s Best Kept Secret

Located near the southwestern-most tip of England, within the Celtic-influenced Cornwall, Penzance is a small port city with round 21,000 residents that solely English (or ought to we are saying Cornish?) locals appear to find out about.

While St. Ives has grown in reputation lately, the equally fairly Penzance continues to be ignored, regardless of its plain cultural supply and coastal views.

For starters, it sits on Mount’s Bay, overlooking St Michael’s Mount, a medieval fort perched on a tidal island (yep, very like the French St. Michael’s Mount, besides it’s miles much less touristy).

Then there’s the truth that Penzance is the quintessential English harbor city, with a storybook cowl of an Old Town, peppered with Georgian semi-detached homes, elegant Regency-era buildings, and boasting a scenic promenade.

A Peaceful Fall Getaway

Penzance might not be almost as well-known as different coastal gems in England, like Brighton, Blackpool, or Bournemouth, however it is actually obtained lots going for it.

In summer time, it turns into one in every of Cornwall’s liveliest seaside getaways, with Cornish households flocking to its shingle-covered Promenade Beach, or the close by Wherrytown Beach, a stretch of sandy, light slopes wedged between Penzance city itself and neighboring Newlyn.

In the autumn, it continues to get pleasure from a temperate local weather, with thermometers hitting as excessive as 67°F, and dipping to nighttime lows of round 54–57°F in September.

It’s not precisely the Mediterranean, nevertheless it’s as heat because it will get in England within the low season. It’s a marvel that subtropical crops thrive right here, significantly on the Morrab Gardens, a Victorian verdant escape traversed with winding pathways by landscaped plantings.

Medieval Charm Without The Crowds

Mild fall climate apart, Penzance has obtained its fair proportion of medieval aptitude. While the city itself is not as outdated as St. Ives or Truro, having solely grown considerably within the sixteenth century, it is situated inside brief driving distance of a few of Cornwall’s oldest websites.

These embrace the aforementioned St. Michael’s Mount, clearly seen from Penzance’s waterfront, and roughly quarter-hour driving, the much-overlooked St. Maddern’s Church, which has Norman origins and an historic effectively locals deem holy, and the previous village of Gulval:

Historically its personal parish, Gulval has formally been absorbed into Penzance, although it nonetheless looks like a separate village, in a method: image quaint, stone-built townhouses, slender lanes, and an idyllic medieval church.

If you are into historic ruins, then you can also’t miss out on Chysauster Ancient Village, an Iron Age archaeological web site round a 30-minute drive up the coastal B3306.

Unspoiled English Charm

Atlantic views and medieval attract apart, Penzance’s best draw is its traditionalism. Whether you are professional or in opposition to London’s multiculturalism, we are able to all agree it isn’t precisely consultant of deep, unmistakably English England.

Though there may be the odd Chinese or kebab, the native chippy stays the popular takeout spot, and belief us after we say Penzance’s family-owned Fraser’s serves a killer fish and chips.

Freshly-caught fish, enveloped in that crispy batter we love, and melt-in-your-mouth-soft on the within, coupled with locally-farmed potatoes, and just for round $13.45.

If you’re keen on pub fare, you will be thrilled to know there are a few well-loved public homes serving Cornish pies and scrumptious beer proper on the harbor: we’re considering The Ship Inn, overlooking the fishing boats and with a vigorous really feel, and the nautical-themed The Admiral Benbow.

Penzance is famously featured in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance opera, and maintaining with the piracy custom, the Admiral has its personal ‘pirate’ fish pie, consisting of smoked haddock and hard-boiled egg, and topped with mashed potatoes and cheese sauce on the aspect.

Penzance Is Safer Than London

Last however actually not least, the principle motive for the nice exodus of Brits escaping London lately is the rising crime.

From knifing to pickpocketing to house burglaries, the English capital is more and more resembling Global South metropolises. Penzance, however, is lots safer compared, as is a majority of Cornish cities.

As of May 2025, the general crime price in London is 76 per 100,000 residents, as seen on CrimeRate UK, whereas in Cornwall, the general determine is 50 per 100,000. That’s decrease than the nationwide common of 70.

In different phrases, it isn’t essentially crime-free, however let’s simply say you are method much less prone to get mugged by a masked biker strolling Penzance’s usually-peaceful promenade than purchasing up Oxford Street.

From London Paddington To Penzance

Wondering learn how to get to Penzance this fall? Easy! Hop on a direct train at London Paddington:

Penzance lies alongside the Great Western Railway route (GWR), and the journey there from the capital takes round 5 hours. It travels largely alongside the coast, and because the prepare heads west, you are graced with epic views of the Atlantic and different sleepy English cities.

Off-peak, advance tickets begin from as low cost as $58 one-way, and they are often booked straight at GWR’s website.