Penzance Harbour in Cornwall: Getting There, Harbour Info and Sailing Destinations

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Penzance lies at the far west of Cornwall on Mount’s Bay, a few miles from Land’s End and with a view of St Michael’s Mount. Here you can read how to reach Penzance for the start of your trip, where visiting yachts berth in Penzance harbour, where to park and shop, what sailing weather to expect, which sailing destinations are nearby and what skippers should bear in mind when entering and leaving the harbour.

Where is Penzance harbour?

Penzance harbour lies on the eastern edge of the town, between the promenade to the south and the railway station to the north. Visiting yachts moor in the Wet Dock, the harbour basin closed off by a gate in the south of the harbour. Right next to it is where the ferry to the Isles of Scilly berths. To the north lies the outer harbour with the long Albert Pier, which dries out at low water. The harbour office is at the North Arm on Wharf Road.

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The harbour is one of Cornwall's municipal harbours and is run by the harbour authority Cornwall Harbours. Alongside visiting yachts, it is used by fishing boats and cargo ships serving the Isles of Scilly, and it also has a dry dock for commercial vessels and a marine engineering business. Further southwest along the coast lies Newlyn, one of the biggest fishing ports in Great Britain, with its own visitor berths.

Arriving for the start of your trip in Penzance

Penzance is easy to reach by train, by car via the A30 or via Newquay Airport.

From the airport to Penzance

If you fly, you arrive at Cornwall Airport Newquay. Bus routes 56 (Newquay–Padstow) and 94 (Wadebridge–Truro) stop at the airport. At the airport there are three car hire companies right outside the arrivals hall and an official taxi service. By train, you travel from Newquay along the branch line to Par and change there to the train on the main line to Penzance.

Flights to the Isles of Scilly leave from the small Land’s End Airport, less than ten miles from Penzance.

By car, train and bus

By car, you take the M5 motorway to Exeter and then the A30 all the way through Cornwall to Penzance. By train, Penzance is the terminus of the Great Western Railway: direct trains from London Paddington take around five hours. The Night Riviera sleeper train runs overnight and takes around eight hours.

The railway station is on Wharf Road, right by the harbour, and taxis wait outside. The bus station is right next door, with buses to the towns and villages of west Cornwall and coaches to the country's major cities. It takes you less than 15 minutes to walk from the station to the Scilly ferry terminal.

Entry to the United Kingdom

If you are not travelling on a British or Irish passport, you will usually need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) or a visa for the UK. You apply for the ETA from the British government before your journey; it costs £20 and is valid for stays of up to six months.

Parking

From April to October, the harbour operates its own car park with 90 spaces within the harbour area, which is also suitable for day trips on the Scilly ferry. The nearest public car parks are on Green Street and Chapel Street, each around 200 metres from the Wet Dock. The Harbour Long Stay Car Park north of the harbour is around 400 metres away. The railway station itself has 90 parking spaces.

Showers and sanitary facilities

Beneath the harbour office at the North Arm there are two showers and toilets for harbour users; the showers work with a £1 coin. As things stand (November 2026), the sanitary facilities are being renewed as part of the harbour redevelopment: new toilets, showers and a laundry are being built in the Rank Building at the North Arm, with completion planned for the end of November 2026.

Shopping for the trip

Two Co-op Food stores are in town, around 450 and 500 metres from the Wet Dock, and the town centre has further shops, pubs and restaurants. For a big shop by car, there is a Lidl about 1 kilometre away, a Tesco about 1.3 kilometres away, a Sainsbury’s about 1.5 kilometres away and a Morrisons about 1.7 kilometres away. You can get diesel right in the harbour, and drinking water for pleasure craft is free of charge.

Doctor, pharmacy and emergency services

West Cornwall Hospital is about 1 kilometre from the Wet Dock, in town. Its Urgent Treatment Centre treats minor injuries such as minor burns, simple fractures and cuts. Pharmacies from Boots and Superdrug are in the town centre, each around 450 metres from the Wet Dock. The St Clare Medical Centre GP practice is about 1.2 kilometres away. The nearest accident and emergency department is at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro. If you need medical advice quickly, the NHS health service can help on 111 or online.

• 999: Emergency number for police, fire brigade and ambulance service
• 999 and “Coastguard”: emergency on the coast or at sea; HM Coastguard takes the call
• VHF Channel 16: Distress and calling channel at sea

What does Penzance harbour offer?

Penzance harbour has a Wet Dock with a gate and hydraulic drive, a tidal outer harbour that dries out, and five piers: Albert Pier, West Pier, North Pier, Lighthouse Pier and South Pier. For visiting yachts there are berths for 30 boats in the Wet Dock, plus around 240 permanent moorings in the outer harbour, which dry out and are allocated to long-term berth holders.

Today, around 16,000 tonnes of freight for the Isles of Scilly and around 120,000 Scilly ferry passengers pass through the harbour every year.

Equipment

In the Wet Dock, every berth has a pedestal with water and electricity. Diesel is available from two and a half hours before to one hour after each high water; the fuel station is at the entrance to the Wet Dock. Next to Albert Pier there is a public slipway with a pontoon where you can moor for up to half an hour to put crew and provisions on or off the boat.

The harbour has a dry dock for commercial vessels and, at West Quay, a marine engineering business that works mainly for the fishing industry. Next to Albert Pier you can have boats hauled out and stored ashore in both summer and winter.

Penzance harbour at a glance	Details
Operator	Cornwall Harbours (Cornwall Council), Harbour Office North Arm, Wharf Road, Penzance TR18 4AH
Phone	+44 1736 366113
VHF	Channel 11 (Penzance Harbour Radio)
Guest berths	30 in the Wet Dock, water and electricity at the berth
Gate to the Wet Dock	open from 2 hours before to 1 hour after high water, exact times according to the published schedule
Wet Dock for commercial vessels	up to 85 m length, 12 m beam and 4.5 m draught
Maximum speed	8 knots
Visitor berthing fee per night (uniform visitor tariff for all Cornwall Harbours harbours), 1 April to 30 September, incl. VAT (as of November 2026)	up to 12 m £18, 12 to 15 m £25, over 15 m £1.85 per metre
Showers	2, beneath the harbour office, with £1 coin

What are the sailing conditions like around Penzance?

The southwest of England is one of the windiest parts of Britain; only the west of Scotland sees stronger winds on average. The wind mostly blows from the southwest. When lows pass in from the Atlantic, it often sets in from the south or southwest and later veers to west or northwest. When lows move through the English Channel, easterly to northeasterly winds can also become strong, and in spring they come more often from the northeast.

From November to March the wind is strongest on average, and from June to August it is lightest. In its coastal forecast, the Met Office lists winds of force 6 and above separately and issues a gale warning from force 8. Because the Wet Dock gate opens only around high water, in Penzance you plan not just by the wind but always by the tide as well.

Which sailing trip destinations are near Penzance?

From Penzance, the Isles of Scilly lie to the west, Falmouth and Fowey are further east along Cornwall’s south coast, and St Michael’s Mount and Newlyn are close by. The distance is a rounded figure for the usual route over water; for precise planning, rely on the chart.

• Newlyn: around 1 nm. The neighbouring harbour has 20 visitor berths on an enclosed pontoon for boats up to 15 metres; larger boats lie at North Quay where possible. You can enter at almost any state of the tide and should call ahead on VHF channel 12, which is monitored around the clock. Animals are not allowed there because of the fish market, with the exception of assistance dogs.
• St Michael’s Mount: The tidal island with its castle, village and small harbour lies off Marazion in Mount’s Bay. At low water you can walk across on a causeway; at high water, small ferry boats make the crossing in around five minutes from mid-March to the end of October.
• Isles of Scilly: The island group lies around 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall; the main island and the ferry destination is St Mary’s.
• Falmouth: One of the deepest natural harbours in the world. The visitor harbour near the town centre has secure access and takes boats up to 16 metres, and there are also 22 visitor moorings in deep water, reachable at any state of the tide.
• Fowey: The sheltered deep-water harbour at the mouth of the River Fowey, further east, is also a cargo port, mainly for china clay. The lower harbour is busy with boat traffic, especially in summer; you can reach the harbour control on VHF channel 12.

You can also reach the Isles of Scilly without a boat of your own. The passenger ferry Scillonian III sails from Penzance harbour from March to November and takes around 2 hours 45 minutes to St Mary’s; freight runs all year round. Small 19-seater aircraft fly from Land’s End to St Mary’s all year round, and from March to October also from Exeter.

You can read more about the harbour further east in our profile of the Harbour of Fowey, and about the harbours on the border with Devon in the profile of the marinas in Plymouth.

What can you do on a harbour day in Penzance?

• Jubilee Pool: Between the harbour and the promenade lies the largest seawater lido in Britain, built in the Art Deco style of the 1930s. One of the pools is heated to around 35 degrees with geothermal energy and is open all year round.
• Chapel Street: The street is close to the harbour. Among small shops and cafés you will find the Egyptian House with its striking façade and the pirate-themed Admiral Benbow pub.
• Penlee House and Morrab Gardens: The museum shows paintings by the Newlyn School, a group of artists who painted in the fishing villages around Penzance around 1900. Thanks to the mild climate, banana plants and camellias grow in the Morrab Gardens in the middle of town.
• Promenade to Marazion: The seafront promenade is a good two miles long. On the South West Coast Path you walk around 2.7 miles (one way) to Marazion, opposite St Michael’s Mount.

For skippers: berthing and marine weather in Penzance

In Penzance harbour, the harbour byelaws and the harbour master’s instructions apply. Visiting yachts lie in the Wet Dock, which you can only reach through the gate when it is open around high water.

Reporting in and berthing in the Wet Dock

Before arrival, call the harbour office on VHF channel 11 (call sign Penzance Harbour Radio) or by phone. They will tell you whether there is space and which area of the dock you will be berthing in. Before every entry or departure through the gate, you also obtain clearance on channel 11.

Harbour rules

• A speed limit of 8 knots applies throughout the harbour. Over the sill of the Wet Dock, you stop the propeller.
• At the quay, you should always be securely moored with enough fenders, even when lying alongside another boat.
• You may not moor to buoys, beacons or other navigation marks.

Approach and gate

The gate to the Wet Dock opens from two hours before to one hour after high water. At these times the entrance is busy with leisure boats, fishing vessels and cargo ships. Light signals at the gate control the traffic; if the emergency lights flash, all boats stop. The harbour regularly publishes gate schedules as a notice to mariners, and outside these times the gate does not open. As things stand (November 2026), it remains completely closed at some tides, especially at night. The current times are given in the notices from Cornwall Harbours. The outer harbour dries out at low water. The harbour itself publishes a tide table for Penzance.

Entering the country with your own boat

If you arrive in Penzance directly from outside the United Kingdom (except from Northern Ireland), including from the Channel Islands, you report the passage online to the British authorities (Pleasure Craft Report) and hoist the yellow Q flag when you reach the 12-nautical-mile limit. If you are not coming from Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, everyone on board without a British or Irish passport needs entry permission from Border Force before going ashore. The rules are set out on the UK government's website.

Which marine weather forecast applies to Penzance?

For Penzance, the Met Office coastal waters forecast applies, in the section “Lyme Regis to Land’s End including the Isles of Scilly”. It is issued four times a day, is valid for 24 hours in each case and extends up to 12 nautical miles off the coast. BBC Radio 4 also broadcasts it at around 00:48 UK time at night. The Met Office also issues gale warnings at any time of day as soon as they become necessary.

Sailing trips from Penzance on Törnfinder

You'll find sailing trips along the coast of Cornwall, to the Isles of Scilly and in all other sailing areas in the trip overview.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get to Penzance by train?

Take the Great Western Railway direct from London Paddington in around five hours, or overnight on the Night Riviera. Penzance is the end of the line, and the station is right by the harbour.

Where do I park at the start of my sailing trip in Penzance?

From April to October you can use the harbour car park, which has 90 spaces. All year round there is parking on Green Street and Chapel Street, about 200 metres away, at the Harbour Long Stay Car Park, about 400 metres to the north, and at a car park by the station.

Are there showers in Penzance harbour?

Yes, there are two showers with toilets beneath the harbour office on the North Arm, operated with a one-pound coin.

Can I enter Penzance harbour at any time?

No, you can only enter the Wet Dock when the gate is open, usually from two hours before to one hour after high water. Call up on VHF channel 11 beforehand.

How long does the ferry from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly take?

Around 2 hours and 45 minutes to St Mary’s. The Scillonian III sails from Penzance harbour from March to November, and there are flights from Land’s End all year round.

What is the difference between Penzance and Newlyn?

They are two separate harbours, about one nautical mile apart. In Penzance, visiting yachts moor in the Wet Dock, which has a gate. Newlyn is a large fishing harbour with a visitors' pontoon that can be reached at almost any state of the tide.