Considered the major south coast resort, Falmouth is Cornwall’s center of maritime heritage due to its location. At Falmouth beautiful scenery, wonderful beaches, water sports facilities, shops, and art whether local or antique are all available to you.
The official history of Falmouth began in 1660 when King Charles II by way of a royal decree had the town renamed Falmouth. It became the second busiest port in the British Empire and this lasted for well over 150 years. The railway came into Falmouth in 1863 and this bought many more people to the town thus tourism began to flourish in the town necessitating the offering of accommodations and the building of hotels. It also caused the development of the beaches in Falmouth into family oriented beaches.
The natural harbour found at Falmouth is considered the worlds third deepest. This harbour provided a picture perfect backdrop to the hustling and bustling of Falmouth as people move about. If you take a look between the buildings or simply take a walk along the numerous walkways that can be found snaking throughout the town you will have fantastic views of Flushing, Falmouth Bay and beyond. Once you are in the Main Street of Falmouth, you will see a quaint mixture of shops ranging from individual specialist shops to well known name brands.
There are many pubs, restaurants, hotels and cafes to be found in Falmouth all offering wide and varied options for dining, from international cuisine to the more cultural Cornish food. You can have your choice of a Cornish cream tea, locally caught seafood, traditional ice cream, organic produce and the world famous Cornish Pastry. There is always something to satisfy every palate available.
You can also go sightseeing in Falmouth, as there are many small ‘pleasure boats’ or pedestrian ferries available to take you around as they go about the waters of Falmouth and traverse to Flushing, St Mawes, Tolverne, and other villages along Cornwall’s coast. There is also an open top bus that travels during certain seasons to the different towns villages, beaches and other interesting spots in and around Falmouth.
Some of the more popular beaches in Falmouth include the Gyllyngvase beach, which is the main beach in the town and is ideal for the family to visit and to enjoy water sports. There is also the Swanpool beach, which is close to Gyllyngvase, it offers water sport and an area for the children to play. Castle beach is a fairly beach located on the seafront and has a lot of rock pools.
The National Maritime Museum in Falmouth is an award winning attraction, and is home to a treasure trove of maritime information and artifacts. It has a natural underwater viewing section, one of only three in the world today. The museum also boasts a ninety-foot viewing tower, interactive displays that are hands on, audiovisual simulators, many exhibitions, and talks. Also the museum gives you the opportunity to go onto the water and view the marine life that is present along the coastline and in Falmouth Bay.
