You don’t have to spend hundreds of pounds to visit Cornwall. You can keep your holiday cost to a minimum and still have an amazing time.
See Cornwall for less
Here are our top tips for planning a visit to our pretty coastal town of Falmouth, on a budget:
- Set an overall holiday budget, and a daily budget and monitor your spend. Make sure you start planning your holiday budget early. Plan your expenses including accommodation, transport, food, and activities, and have a contingency fund. Determine how much you can spend and track your spending. Try using a free holiday budget planner.
- Plan the sights you want to see before the trip. Research discounted activities. When you arrive pick up a Best Days Out Cornwall voucher book in Glasney Lodge Reception for numerous discounts on great days out. We’ll also provide a Saver Card when you stay with us, which will give you access to discounts and special offers locally and across Cornwall.
- Check out the local events. Free festivals are organised in Falmouth from the Sea Shanties in June, to Falmouth week in August. It is incredible to see the amazing Red Arrows display, watch the sailing, marching carnival and browse the craft stalls in the festival tent. From 15 August to 18 August 2023, the Tall Ships race will be coming to Falmouth, and Falmouth will be buzzing with plenty to do and see! The race will be preceded by a visually stunning Parade of Sail and several days’ worth of celebratory shoreside events, during which time you’ll have the opportunity to board some of the historic tall ships.
- Immerse yourself in local history. A visit to Pendennis Castle is great, but if your budget won’t stretch to this, it’s still a lovely walk around the castle moat and free to do! You can even detour to Pendennis headland, pick up an ice cream, and climb down the cliff to see Little Dennis – an iconic defensive fort. Find out more about the local history by researching historical information in the Falmouth town library.
- Coastal walk and a swim. A swim in the turquoise sea will cost you nothing and the walk along Falmouth’s seafront is breathtaking! Take a dip at Gyllyngvase beach, do some rock pooling, admire the adjoining Queen Mary Gardens, and if you stroll along the cliff path for 10 minutes you’ll reach Swanpool beach. If you’re up for a longer hike, you can walk 1.7 miles further along the South-West cliff path from Swanpool to Meanporth beach. There is a café at each beach in Falmouth and toilets as well. Pack your swimming kit, and a bottle of water and get set to enjoy the physical beauty of Falmouth for free!
- Try our local food. For an authentic satisfying Cornish meal for under a fiver….you can’t beat a takeaway pasty in town, there are numerous pasty shops to choose from! Sit and eat it admiring the yachts in Falmouth’s harbour, the third deepest harbour in the world! If you do want to eat out in the evening, keep an eye out for local restaurant happy hours. Before 7pm, our Koofi café by Glasney Rooms offers some fantastic pizza-sharing meal deals.
- Self-catering. There is no need to eat out every night. In Glasney Rooms, you’ll have access to a communal, fully equipped kitchen to rustle up a hot meal. With a well-stocked Shop on-site you can easily find ample ingredients to prepare a tasty evening dish.
- What to pack. The air temperature is warm in summer, but it may rain so take a light waterproof. Don’t forget your sunscreen, but you can buy this in our campus Shop if needed. A towel and linen are supplied in Glasney Rooms, but you may like to pack your own towel for the beach.
- Check out the local bus, train and ferry deals – go car-free! When you stay with us you can go green! We have excellent public transport links with a bus stop on campus and Penryn train station is nearby. First Bus run the main bus lines across Cornwall. You can download the First Bus App to get access to bus times and receive live bus arrival updates. Penryn Station is a 10-minute walk from Glasney Rooms. Visit gwr.com for more info. You can also get unlimited travel by ferry, train or bus with the Fal Mussel Card Visitor pass.
- Our university rooms are an affordable option in Falmouth in the peak of summer. If you have a group of more than 10 people, why not book a 7-Bed large self-contained Flat?
