The Ultimate Newquay Travel Guide: 100+ Questions Answered

Newquay is Cornwall’s biggest, boldest seaside town, the self-styled capital of UK surfing, with more beaches inside its boundary than most entire counties. It’s also a genuinely good family destination, a historic fishing port, and home to one of the country’s best-known music and surf festivals. Here’s everything people actually ask about it, plus a video below, “Newquay: A Stormy Coastal Walk,” shot back in November 2019.

Below you’ll find quick answers to the essentials in each area, plus a link through to our full, detailed guide on that topic if you want the complete picture.

Getting to Newquay

Newquay is unusually well connected for a Cornish seaside town, with its own airport and train station.

Where is Newquay located?

Newquay sits on the north Cornwall coast, around 12 miles north of Truro and roughly 20 miles west of Bodmin, facing directly out onto the Atlantic.

How do I get to Newquay by car, train, or air?

By car, the A30 is the main route in. By train, Newquay has its own station on a branch line connecting to the mainline at Par. By air, Cornwall Airport Newquay operates domestic and some seasonal international routes right on the edge of town.

Read our full How to Get to Newquay guide for driving directions, the airport, parking, and getting around once you’re here.

Beaches & Surfing

This is the reason most people come. Newquay has more surfable coastline packed into one town than almost anywhere else in Britain.

Where is the best place to surf?

Fistral Beach is the famous one, hosting major surf competitions and offering the most consistent, powerful waves. Beginners often start at Towan Beach or Great Western Beach instead, where conditions are gentler.

Where is the biggest wave in the UK?

The Cribbar, a reef break off Towan Head just along from Fistral, is Newquay’s legendary big wave. Nicknamed “the Widowmaker”, it can rise to 30 feet under the right conditions and only breaks a handful of times a year.

Read our full Beaches & Surfing guide for lifeguard cover, dog-friendly beaches, and where to hire a board.

History & Sightseeing

Long before the surfboards arrived, Newquay was a working pilchard fishing port with a name that tells its own story.

Why is it called Newquay?

The town was previously known by its Cornish name, Towan Blystra. In 1439, the Bishop of Exeter funded a “new quay” for the fishing fleet, and the name stuck, eventually becoming Newquay.

What is the Huer’s Hut?

A small historic stone building on the headland where a lookout, the “huer”, once watched for shoals of pilchards and called out to alert the fishing boats below, a genuine piece of Newquay’s working past.

Read our full History of Newquay guide for the harbour, the Killacourt, and nearby prehistoric sites.

Family Attractions

Despite its surf-town reputation, Newquay is a genuinely strong choice for a family holiday.

Is Newquay good for families?

Yes, genuinely. Between the zoo, the aquarium, a steam railway, an adventure park, and beaches suited to every age, there’s a strong spread of family-friendly options alongside the surf scene.

Where is Newquay Zoo located?

Newquay Zoo sits within Trenance Gardens, a short walk from the town centre, alongside a boating lake and mini golf.

Read our full Family Attractions guide for the aquarium, Lappa Valley, Camel Creek, and rainy-day options.

Food & Drink

From clifftop pubs to harbourside street food, Newquay’s food scene has grown up a lot alongside its nightlife.

What is the Bowgie Inn?

A clifftop pub on West Pentire headland overlooking Crantock Beach, just along the coast from Newquay, famous for its views and traditional menu.

Read our full Food & Drink guide for seafood, ocean-view cafes, and where to watch the sunset.

Shopping & Lifestyle

Beyond the beaches, Newquay has a genuinely good independent shopping scene, especially for surf and lifestyle brands.

Are there independent surf boutiques?

Yes, the town has a strong run of independent surf and lifestyle shops, alongside the bigger surf brand stores you’d expect from the UK’s surf capital.

Read our full Shopping & Lifestyle guide for the high street, craft cabins, and local markets.

Events & Activities

Newquay’s calendar runs on tides and swells as much as it does on dates.

When is the Boardmasters Festival held?

Boardmasters runs across five days in early August, combining live music at Watergate Bay with a major surf competition on Fistral Beach. It’s grown into one of the UK’s best-known festivals since starting life as a small surf contest in 1981.

Read our full Events & Activities guide for coasteering, boat trips, and paddleboarding.

Day Trips & Practicalities

Newquay also makes a strong base for exploring the wider county.

How far is Padstow from Newquay?

Around 25 to 30 minutes by car, making it an easy day trip for two of Cornwall’s best-known food and beach towns in one visit.

Read our full Day Trips From Newquay guide for Trerice, the Eden Project, and Bodmin Moor.

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