Getting Around Carbis Bay
Carbis Bay is a sleepier holiday destination to St Ives but no less beautiful or attractive to visitors to the southwest of Cornwall. It has its fair share of restaurants including a well-known Fish and Chips takeaway, beauty spas, a stunning beach, a supermarket as well as a convenience store. There is a pharmacy, dentist, osteopath, three local churches and St Ives archive museum so, if you have booked self-catering accommodation in Carbis Bay, you may not want or need to leave during your holiday but we wanted to share how you can get around to explore other areas of Cornwall either by car or public transport.
Location – Porthrepta Road, TR26 2NZ, Spaces – 180, Just Park code – 8423
If you approach Carbis Bay via Lelant, Porthrepta Road is on the right as soon as you enter Carbis Bay. It is a short distance down the hill and to walk from this car park to Carbis Bay beach (downhill there and pretty steep uphill back!) It takes around 5 to 8 minutes to reach the beach.
This is the closest car park to Carbis Bay beach, it is privately owned by Carbis Bay Hotel which sets the daily rates which can be from £10.
It doesn’t have a huge number of spaces and so it can get full quickly but, if you get there and see there are no spaces, there is room to turn around without a charge.
Buses
If you’re staying in Carbis Bay you may find yourself looking to take a trip into St Ives without your carAlthough the walk from Carbis Bay to St Ives boasts the most incredible views over St Ives, getting the bus into St Ives (or back after a long day!) is quick and easy. With St Ives bus station located at the Malakoff above St Ives Railway station, it is only a few minutes walk down into the town and the harbour front. The number 17, 200 and T2 buses all pass through Carbis Bay and take approximately five minutes to get you from A to B. These run fairly regularly throughout the day, however, we recommend checking the First Bus website for live updates and times.
To find out about exploring further afield to places like Land’s End or heading to Penzance or Marazion, read our St Ives Guide for some helpful tips.
Rail
Carbis Bay has its own train station and is on the coastal route between St Erth and St Ives.If you are travelling to Carbis Bay by train you will need the Great Western Railway Penzance Train and change at St Erth for St Ives (do check the train you are looking to catch stops at Carbis Bay before getting on!). The coastal line has to be one of the most picturesque routes in the UK, the views are simply breathtaking.
If you fancy exploring further afield from Carbis Bay, take the branch line from Carbis Bay to St Erth and from here you can head south to Penzance or north towards Truro where you can then change along that line to go to Falmouth.
Air
If you choose to fly to Cornwall, the nearest airport is Newquay.It is approximately 24 miles from Carbis Bay and the easiest and most direct way to get to Carbis Bay is via car. This can be by taxi which can cost anywhere between £75 to £95 and takes around 50 minutes. You could choose to hire a car to give you the freedom to explore further afield once at your self-catering accommodation in Carbis Bay.
Car Hire
There are no car hire places in Carbis Bay or St Ives but there are collection and delivery optionsThere are a few car hire options between Newquay and Penzance and some also offer free collection and delivery making it a hassle-free and extremely convenient experience. You can also pick a car up if you fly into Newquay or arrive by train at Penzance train station. You can even get off the train at Liskeard and collect a car and explore Cornwall as you travel to your self-catering accommodation in Carbis Bay. Just remember your driving license and credit card!
Newquay Airport Car Hire offers a full range of new cars and their prices include insurance, VAT, unlimited mileage and breakdown cover.
They offer free delivery and collection anywhere in Cornwall when hiring for 3 days or more plus flexibility to leave the car at alternative locations throughout Cornwall.
Visit their website by clicking on their name above for more information or call them on 01637 850971
Car Hire Cornwall is a family-run business established in 1993.
Promising no cancellation fees or collision damage waivers, excellent customer service, £100 insurance excess, free collection and drop off service as well as being carbon neutral, you will feel like you are supporting a local Cornish family business by hiring a car through Car Hire Cornwall. You can collect a car from either Penzance or Liskeard train stations if this is more convenient to holiday plans.
Visit their website above for more information or call Alan, Linda or Callum on 07790039780
Enterprise Car Club in Longrock just a short distance from Penzance.
It offers the national car hire experience such as a large range of cars to hire, fuel and roadside assistance is included, free cancellation up to 5 hours before car collection, hourly rental charges are capped at day rates, physical damage/ liability is included with an excess of £750 as standard, 24/7 Clubhouse support.
Visit their website for more information or call them on 0345 266 9290
Europcar Penzance Train Station is located very conveniently as you exit the train station
All you need to do is get off the train, exit the station, and cross the road, their office is in the car park so a very short distance to walk with luggage. Their office is open 8 am until 4 pm but do charge an after-hours service between 4 pm and midnight. They can offer automatic cars, luxury, 4×4 and SUV cars. Choose their ‘Full Tank’ option and you will get a car which is fully fuelled up and you won’t have to return the car full either. To make the experience either more hassle-free, choose their ‘Deliver & Collection’ service for as little as £10 each way.
Visit their website above for more information or call them on 0871 384 9900
*(Calls to 0871 numbers will cost 10 pence per minute plus your phone company’s access charge)
Pedal Power
Make getting around from Carbis Bay an adventure by hiring an e-bikeWould you like to plan a day exploring the coastline to Zennor or perhaps be adventurous and plan a ride to St Michael’s Mount in Marazion or Mousehole and picnic on the sheltered harbour beaches? We highly recommend taking the strain out of the ride and hire an e-bike. It really does make pedalling uphill almost a pleasure! Enjoy the wind in your hair, the sun on your face and the freedom of the ride to explore coves, beaches and cafes of west Cornwall.
St Ives eBikes provide fabulous bikes for exploring spectacularly beautiful coastal routes and Cornish coves without the effort of too much peddling!
Hire an e-bike from St Ives Bikes and download one of their set routes from the Zennor Zoom which is a 10-mile bike ride to Land’s End Loop which is a whopping 55-mile bike ride (but so worth it!). Try their Cape Caper, Godrevy Gambol or Moorland Meander; they have rides for everyone and the sheer sense of being outdoors, inhaling the freshest of sea air and feeling the benefits of cycling (made easy) is a perfect way to spend a day in the saddle exploring beauty spots around West Cornwall while on holiday in St Ives.
Visit their website by clicking on their name above or call them on 07536 171214
Electric Car Charger Points
Many families are now choosing an electric car as their main family car and so these charger points may come in very handy!Choose to stay at Orange Roofs’ first self-catering accommodation in Carbis Bay that offers its very own charge point – Pencroft.
We thought we would share the nearest electric car charge points to St Ives and Carbis Bay to help with your holiday itinerary planning for a stress-free exploration of Cornwall. Visit the ZapMap website for more electric car charge points around West Cornwall.
50 kW, 43kW and 22kW charge points.
An electric vehicle charging point in St Erth. For more information and prices, please refer to Genie Point website
This is an open charge unit installed at the Tesco Superstore in Carbis Bay
4 x 7kW Charge points, Connector A and B, type 2 socket, single phase. Refer to Podpoint’s website for more information.
1 Tesla Connector, up to 22kW.
Available by reservation only. Please call ahead on 01736 795295
1 Tesla Connector, up to 22kW.
Available to the public. Self-park.
This is an open charge unit installed at the Sainsbury’s Superstore in Penzance
4 x 7kW Charge points, Connector A and B, type 2 socket, single phase. Refer to Podpoint’s website for more information.
This is an open charge unit installed at the Tesco Superstore in Penzance
4 x 7kW Charge points, Connector A and B, type 2 socket, single phase. Refer to Podpoint’s website for more information.
8 superchargers, available 24/7, up to 250kW, CCS compatible only
Taxis
Keep this list of taxi firms bookmarked for when you fancy a boozy night out or perhaps you want to get around but without the stress of parking in St Ives…
A local taxi firm in St Ives, give them a call for more information 01736 797700
A local taxi firm in St Ives, give them a call for more information 01736 797799
A local taxi firm in St Ives, for more information give them a call on 01736 796633
A local St Ives taxi firm, call their telephone number for more information 01736 799999
A local taxi firm in Hayle, for more information give them a call on 01736 754000
2 Harbour House | sleeps 4
Take a look at how many luxury holiday rentals we have with its own parking!
Holiday accommodation with parkingYou have reached the end of 'Getting Around' in our guide to Carbis Bay
Whether it's using a local bus, parking or getting around by bike, we hope this guide has been helpful.
Click on our Carbis Bay Guide for more local recommendations or choose from one of our other area guides to explore further afield.