Is St Ives A Good Family Friendly Holiday Destination?
Looking for a good fit for your summer holiday this year? Then you might be considering one of the most picturesque coastal towns in the entirety of the UK: St Ives.
One of the most visited seaside towns in all of England, St Ives is a popular destination for all kinds of tourists – but mainly those looking for somewhere sunny, with blue seas and skies in abundance.
And when you’re thinking about family friendly spots for your holiday plans, a town like this sounds like just what you’re looking for! But before you book anything, we should go through some of the family friendly criteria and see how St Ives performs.
You’ve been to Blackpool, you’ve visited Scarborough, and you’ve traipsed all over the Lake District. Now’s the time to head to the South West and see what St Ives has to offer! Here’s what you need to know about planning a family holiday down here.
What’s the Accommodation Like?
It’s good! We can tell you that straight out. The amount of accommodation on offer in St Ives is second to none, with many AirBnBs and private holiday rentals available throughout the year.
As such, if you didn’t want to stay in a chain hotel or have to pay for a resort room, you can get your own place for a week and have a cosy space for the whole family.
Average prices for private rentals like these tend to be between £70 and £170 per night, depending on where you want to stay, how long you’re staying, and how many people are in your party.
So it can get a bit pricey, but you can get discounts on large family groups – and there are plenty of cheaper B&B options to look around as well.
What You Can Get Up to as a Family
So, once you’re in St Ives, what can you actually get up to as a family?
There’s quite a few things to try out, as the tourism culture down in St Ives is very much alive and well. When coupled with the strong community culture the town also has, you get a very unique experience when you visit.
Even if you all have very different interests, you’re likely to find something for everyone to do. And if you’d like, you can take a look at Cool Cornwall and get a full breakdown of the best things to do for you and the kids!
But while you’re here, here’s what we recommend:
Hit the beach
There’s no better place to be when you’re in St Ives – or indeed, Cornwall as a whole.
It’s a region known for its beachy coastline, with beautiful golden sand and plenty of clear ocean waves crashing against the shore.
Buy spades and buckets, pool floats and beachballs, and even a good old kite, and you can have plenty of long days sitting on the beach and having fun. If the kids have somewhere to run around and use their imagination, they’re going to be enjoying themselves!
Try surfing
If you have adventurous members of the family, while you’re at the beach you can try your hand at surfing.
There should be plenty of surfing rentals around, as well as surfing classes you can sign up to, and then take to the waves and see how long you can stand.
And while you might not quite like the idea of trying out surfing for the first time, if you’ve got any teenagers in your travel group, they’ll probably be thrilled at the opportunity!
Try something creative
Museums, art galleries, craft classes, and even pottery evenings are all common in St Ives!
Explore!
St Ives is a great place to just put your walking boots on and set off. Plenty of headland, plenty of forested space, and plenty of quiet beachy areas that you can fish around for crabs and starfish.
If you want to, you can also go beach combing for shells (and rubbish, if you’re happy to), which can be a great family activity for winding down after a long day.
How Easy is it to Get Around?
Every family friendly adventure needs to be manoeuvrable. After all, you need to be able to get the kids from one point to another without losing anyone along the way! And no matter their age, kids tend to wander off when you’ve not got your eyes on them 24/7.
So, how easy is it to get around St Ives, as a family? You’re going to be travelling via car, most likely, as that’s the most painfree way to get around the UK as a whole.
St Ives isn’t the best place to take a car through, however. It’s quite a small town (as it used to be a fishing village), so you’ll need to drop the car off somewhere and then make your way round on foot.
And again, because it’s a popular tourist destination and everyone will need to drop their car somewhere, parking spaces can run thin if you don’t get there early enough.
Once you are on foot though, it’s quite a nice walkable destination. You shouldn’t lose sight of anyone for too long, and it’s easy enough to find your way again if you get lost.
Should St Ives Be Your Next Holiday Destination?
It’s certainly one of the best family friendly holiday destinations you’ll ever find! But is it for you?
If you like beaches, swimming, surfing, fishing, and the chance to try out some arts and crafts, both you and the kids are going to love visiting Cornwall. If you like going on wild hikes and looking out over breathtaking seaside vistas, again, you’re going to love St Ives and the surrounding area.
But make sure you keep in mind that the town can be a bit tricky to navigate, and if you’d prefer a few more indoor activities to do, you’ll have to go a bit more out of the area.
