Looking for the best hotels in Penzance for your trip to Cornwall? You’ve come to the right place. This charming Cornish seaside town is like a home away from home to us. After checking out some of the best places to stay, we’ve compiled this selection of fabulous Penzance hotels to help you choose the right one for you. We’ve also thrown in some guest houses, hostels, and other places to stay nearby.
This site contains links to our recommended accommodation, from which we may make commission at no extra cost to you.
In this article:
Top hotels in Penzance
The first few hotels we pick out in this guide are Penzance’s finest luxury options if you are looking for somewhere that little bit extra special to stay.
1. Hotel Penzance
📍 Britons Hill · sea views · restaurant · pets allowed · swimming pool
Hotel Penzance is one of West Cornwall’s most impressive luxury hotels. Perched on Britons Hill just a short walk from the train station, it features glorious sea views, with many rooms in sight of St Michael’s Mount.
The hotel is set in an old Edwardian Townhouse that originally served as a merchants’ building. While much of the original character has been preserved, the spacious rooms also have a modern feel to them.
We’ve visited the hotel before just to have dinner at the restaurant. It has won awards for its cuisine, and we could see why! If you dine in, we definitely recommend going for one of the seafood options, with fish caught freshly nearby in Newlyn. (We’ve heard that the afternoon tea is fabulous too!)
Overall, Hotel Penzance is a great option if you want to treat yourself to a romantic couple’s weekend. It’s also very well equipped for taking a Cornwall workation, with free wifi throughout and work desks in all rooms.
View prices and book2. Artist Residence
📍 Chapel Street · central location · restaurant and bar · pets allowed · family rooms
Located closer to the town centre, Artist Residence is a characterful option that reflects Penzance’s creative spirit. It is set in a historic building at the heart of Chapel Street, right among the town’s independent shopping scene (and opposite the excellent Admiral Benbow pub!).
The bedrooms at Artist Residence are built into an old Georgian coach house, each decorated with unique artwork and upcycled furniture. It’s actually one of a chain of five hotels that began in Brighton, inspired by the art scene there – and those roots really shine through.
We stopped by recently to eat in the downstairs restaurant at Artist Residence, which has become one of our favourite spots to eat in town. We love the relaxed vibe and imaginative decor, and the food is great. Read more about it in our guide to the best Penzance restaurants.
View prices and book3. Queens Hotel
📍 Western Promenade Road · seafront setting · restaurant · pets allowed · hair and beauty salon
Queens Hotel has a prime location right by Penzance Promenade looking out onto the sea. It’s one of the town’s oldest active hotels, having first opened in the 1860s.
This is another Penzance hotel we’ve had the pleasure of dining in. We’ve frequented the restaurant quite a few times, sometimes for dinner and at others for an afternoon coffee and cake. Try and get one of the tables by the large windows at the front of the building and you’ll enjoy those epic ocean views while you eat.
The rooms are large and bright, all with en-suite, plus free wifi if you need to get any work done. It’s definitely worth paying a few extra quid for a room with a sea view to make the most of the setting.
View prices and bookSee also our guide to luxury Cornwall cottages, which features two beautiful stays in Penzance.
Mid-price Penzance hotels and guest houses
Our next few selections are some of the best Penzance hotels in a more affordable price bracket, still providing lots of comfort and characterful surroundings.
4. The Yacht Inn
📍 Green Street · sea views · open fire · restaurant · pets allowed
The Yacht Inn is a pub with rooms set in a bright-white art deco building by Penzance Promenade. As it’s a St Austell Brewery pub you can expect excellent local ales, perfect to wash down a delicious meal made from locally sourced ingredients.
With just seven rooms it’s a cosy place to stay, with breakfast in the restaurant included. The rooms all have a work desk, free wifi, and tea and coffee making facilities.
The setting is brilliant, looking out over the Jubilee Pool art deco lido, which almost feels as though it’s part of the same complex. From here you can walk along the promenade, or it’s just a couple of minutes up the road into the town centre.
View prices and book5. Union Hotel
📍 Chapel Street · restaurant and bar · live music · family rooms
The facade of Union Hotel exhibits the wear and character of a 17th-century period building, which is fitting as it has been an intricate part of the town’s history for centuries. Many dignitaries have stayed in its rooms over the years, from royals to prime ministers.
A theatre was built in the hotel’s grounds in the late 18th century, which today is the UK’s second-oldest surviving theatre building. Charles Dickens once stayed at the hotel and drank in the theatre bar, where you can still see playbills on the walls dating back to its early days.
Union Hotel’s restaurant features a plaque on the wall proclaiming it to be the first place where the victory at the Battle of Trafalgar was announced to the British public. So it has quite the back-story! Situated on Chapel Street, it’s also ideally located for exploring the town centre.
View prices and book6. The Dolphin Tavern
📍 Quay Street · restaurant and bar · en-suite rooms · beer garden
The Dolphin Tavern is not only one of Penzance’s best pub-restaurants, but also another window into the town’s fascinating history. Its stout stone building is unmissable on the promontory between the town’s south and east seafronts. Look out for the swinging sign and pub benches on the front courtyard.
The building dates back to the 16th century when it was used as a base for recruiting Cornishmen to fight at sea. Legend also has it that the first pipe of tobacco in England was smoked here by Sir Walter Raleigh.
The accommodation at the Dolphin Tavern is inn-style, with all rooms featuring a wardrobe, TV and kettle. Traditional breakfasts are available daily too.
Situated right on the main coastal road that skirts around the town, and with free parking available, this place is a convenient base for getting out and exploring beyond Penzance.
View prices and book7. Rosalie Guest House
📍 Alexandra Road · bed and breakfast · twin, double and family rooms · garden
If you are looking for guest houses or bed and breakfast style accommodation, Penzance has a huge amount to choose from. Rosalie Guest House is a classic example of friendly local hospitality set a little outside the town centre.
The guest house serves breakfast room in the bay-window room on the ground floor, where there is lots of space and light. The rooms all have contemporary furnishings, showers and free wifi.
With free street parking on a quiet road, this is a lovely base for enjoying Penzance and exploring the area.
View prices and bookHotels near Penzance
You can find many more fantastic places to stay in the pretty towns and villages of the surrounding area. In this section we pick out some of the best hotels near Penzance to try.
8. The Godolphin Hotel
📍 Marazion · St Michael’s Mount view · beachfront · restaurant and bar
Marazion is one of the UK’s oldest towns, most famous for being the location of St Michael’s Mount. The Godolphin Hotel has one of the best vantage points for experiencing this iconic landmark, facing directly onto the mount from the beach.
The Godolphin is a highly rated hotel with excellent facilities and a top-class restaurant. Some rooms have mount views, and you can walk directly from the hotel onto Marazion Beach. Read more about it in our guide to the best beaches in Cornwall.
Marazion is a short drive from Penzance on the coastal road, and also a great base for exploring eastwards and down onto the Lizard Peninsula.
View prices and book9. Mount View Hotel
📍 Long Rock · pub and restaurant · pets allowed · family rooms
The village of Long Rock is perched just between Penzance and Marazion on the coastline, at the middle of a three-mile-long beach that stretches between the two towns.
Mount View Hotel is a family-run pub and bed and breakfast situated on the main road through the village, just a few paces away from the beach. Pizzas are served at the bar, or alternatively you can cross opposite to the Mexico Inn for some gastropub-style cuisine – another one of our favourite local eateries!
This hotel is one of the best value options in the area. It’s also a brilliant spot if you’re travelling with dogs. Not only is the hotel pet-friendly, but Long Rock beach is one of the few in the area that welcomes dogs all year round.
View prices and book10. The Swordfish Inn, Newlyn
📍 Newlyn · pub with rooms · pets allowed · garden
Newlyn is a thriving fishing port situated right next to Penzance on the western arc of Mount’s Bay. It is home to one of the UK’s biggest harbours, and supplies shops and restaurants all over the county with fresh fish.
The Swordfish Inn faces right onto the famous harbour fish market on the Strand. It’s a typical friendly Cornish real ale pub with a boisterous atmosphere, and has been a local favourite for many, many years. We often pop in for a drink when we’re in town, especially at weekends when there’s live music on.
The pub has four double en-suite bedrooms with good facilities and very reasonable rates. This place is perfect for enjoying the charming local hospitality and witnessing the lively comings and goings of Newlyn Harbour.
View prices and book11. The Kings Arms
📍 Paul, near Mousehole · restaurant and bar · family rooms · cycle storage
The quiet, cosy village of Paul sits on a hill above Mousehole, just around the coast to the west of Penzance. While the village community has existed for hundreds of years, less than 250 people live here today.
The Kings Arms has been at the centre of village life in Paul for centuries. These days it serves delicious locally sourced food, real ales from St Austell Brewery, and a selection of over 150 gin varieties! You can also stop overnight in one of its four en-suite rooms, with breakfast included.
This place is particularly popular with travelling cyclists. It’s situated right next to National Cycle Network Route 3, and offers cycle storage facilities. Whatever your reason for visiting, you can expect a warm welcome.
View prices and bookCheap accommodation in Penzance
In this final section, we take a look at some places to stay if you are exploring Penzance on a budget.
12. YHA Penzance
📍 Castle Horneck Rd, just outside town · hostel · common room · free parking · kitchen facilities
Cornwall has surged in popularity as a backpacking destination in recent years, and so budget accommodation has become more readily available. Sadly, quite a few of the town’s hostels closed down after the pandemic, but YHA Penzance is still going strong.
Set a couple of kilometres uphill from town, YHA Penzance is a spacious hostel set in a repurposed Georgian mansion. It’s a great budget option and a place to socialise with other travellers in its common room and gardens.
What we really love about this place is that it’s a five-minute walk from Polgoon Vineyard. Make sure you stop by for a tour of the facilities, and see the gorgeous sea views from the sloping vineyards!
View prices and bookMore cheap accommodation options in Penzance
If you love the outdoors, camping in Penzance is a brilliant alternative to the town’s hotels and guest houses. Ponsandane Campsite is just ten minutes’ walk from the train and bus station, with amazing views of Mount’s Bay. The nightly rates are very reasonable by nearby standards, and it’s close to plenty of shops and facilities.
Find more cheap accommodation in Penzance on booking.com.
Map of Penzance hotels
You can see the locations of the Penzance hotels we have highlighted in this article on the map below:
Find out more about the concept of workations in our ultimate guide to workations.
Thinking of basing your self in St Ives as an alternative? Check our guide to the best places to stay in St Ives for a range of options.
Have you stayed in Penzance before? Let us know about your experience in the comments below.
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