Truro (England)

Queen Victoria designated Truro a city in 1876, but it is the size of a small town.

By train

Trains go to Truro station from London Paddington → Plymouth → Truro.

By car

Truro is at the junction of the A39 and A390 arterial roads, some 14 miles north of Falmouth.

By bus

Coaches from various parts of the UK call at Truro; you may have to change at Plymouth, via a seriously grotty and unwelcoming bus station. Buses from Truro go to numerous Cornish towns and villages but can be infrequent. Most services end at the bus station at Lemon Quay. However, for some unfathomable reason, the information office here is often closed.

Most attractions are within walking distance. However, there are buses in Lemon Quay. Check timetables, as service can be patchy.

• Truro Cathedral

  phone: +44 1872 276782
  address: 14 St Mary's St, TR1 2AF
  Completed in 1910. There is a disabled ramp at the entrance and a disabled restroom near the restaurant.

• Royal Cornwall Museum

  phone: +44 1872 272205
  address: River Street, TR1 2SJ
  Includes the Courtney Library and exhibitions devoted to the history, culture and geography of Cornwall. Wheelchair accessible toilets and nappy changing facilities available

• Victoria Gardens

  phone: +44 1872 274766
  address: St. George's Road, TR1 1EA
  Created to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, Victoria Gardens is filled with exotic trees, shrubs & flowers.

• Trelissick Garden

  phone: +44 1872 862090
  address: Feock, TR3 6QL
  Garden under the care of The National Trust.

• Attend a performance at The Hall for Cornwall

  phone: +44 1872 262466
  address: Back Quay, TR1 2LL
  A wide variety of music, theatre, and dance productions rotate through the Hall for Cornwall continually. Its a regular stop for National Theatre productions. In downtown Truro, the signs are easy to spot.

• Watch a film at The Plaza Cinema

  phone: +44 1872 272894
  address: Lemon Street, TR1 2PN
  Courtesy of WTW Cinemas, opened in 1938 and now with four screens.

• Take a river trip to FalmouthEnjoy the sights of the river Fal

There is a good number of shops, including a rather large Marks and Spencer's.

• Marks and Spencer's

  phone: +44 1872 271511
  address: Lemon Quay, TR1 2LW

There are two covered markets. One leads off the Piazza with several small traditional stalls. The other leads off Lemon St (near the cinema): the little shops here would appeal more to the eco/organic minded, with a pleasant coffee shop and art gallery upstairs, where you can usually find a seat.
On Saturday mornings, a great farmers' market on the piazza has good local produce, including delicious Cornish ducks, cheeses, bread, rose veal and plants to take home. Wednesday's market, in the same place, is smaller.
The Lander Gallery is recommended for those wishing to purchase Cornish artwork, both old and new.

• Lander Gallery

  phone: +44 1872 275578
  address: Lemon Street Market, Lemon St, TR1 2QD

• Charlotte's Teahouse

  phone: +44 1872 263706
  address: 1 Boscawen Street, TR1 2QU
  This old fashioned tea room offers cream teas, sandwiches, cakes, savouries. The tea is grown in Cornwall.
• Cornish pasty: Bakeries include W.C. Rowe's on Victoria Square and Lemon Quay, Oggy Oggy on River Street, and Warrens on New Bridge Street and the cathedral square. All the pasty shops do a variety of different pasties, the traditional beef and vegetarian pasties and for the more adventurous there are the more unusual fillings to try. Particularly recommended to try are W.C. Rowes.
• Saffron buns: Delicious sweet fruit buns flavoured with saffron, from the bakers above. Also "tea treats" (bigger than a bun) and saffron cake, like a fruit loaf, to be sliced, and sometimes toasted and buttered.

• Tabbs Restaurant

  phone: +44 1872 262110
  address: 85 Kenwyn St,

• Old Ale House

  phone: +44 1872 271122
  address: 7 Quay Street, TR1 2HD
  The old ale house, is a great place to go for traditional ales and a quick game of pool.

• The City Inn

  phone: +44 1872 272623
  address: Pydar St, TR1 3SP
  Traditional pub under the viaduct on Pydar Street.

• The Rising Sun

  phone: +44 1872 240003
  address: Mitchell Hill, TR1 1ED
  A refurbished pub on Mitchell Hill.

• William IV

  phone: +44 1872 273334
  address: Kenwyn St, TR1 3DJ
  A nice gastropub in the centre of Truro, which serves good food and fine ale, considered among the best pubs in town.

• The Wig and Pen

  phone: +44 1872 273028
  address: 1 Frances St, TR1 3DP
  Spacious pub situated near Victoria Square, often open later at the weekends.

• Try Dowr

  phone: +44 1872 265840
  address: Lemon Quay, TR1 2LW
  No real deviation from the Wetherspoon formula; cheap and cheerful, with no shortage of cheer, open early and late.

• Bunters Bar

  phone: +44 1872 241220
  address: 58 Little Castle St, TR1 3DL
  A sports bar that shows the football and can get pretty lively at weekends, worth a visit.

• Mannings Hotel

  phone: +44 1872 270345
  address: 82 Lemon St, TR1 2QB

• County Arms

  phone: +44 1872 273972
  address: Highertown

• The Alverton Hotel

  phone: +44 1872 276633
  address: Tregolls Rd

• Premier Inn Truro

  phone: +44 871 527 9106
  address: Old Carnon Hill, Carnon Downs

• The A390 trunk road leads into St Austell
• First Devon & Cornwall number 14 & 18 buses run up to every fifteen minutes (this is very good for anywhere in Cornwall, even central Truro); destinations include Truro Railway Station, Camborne, and Redruth, and can be caught at the bus station on Lemon Quay or Victoria Square.
• Truro Railway Station is a short but uphill walk from the centre. InterCity trains are frequently run to Penzance and Plymouth, and less frequently to London and the Midlands. There is a half-hourly service to Falmouth all day and hourly into the evening; a single journey takes half an hour and the return fare is £4 per adult. It is quite busy in the peaks, with traffic mostly living in Falmouth and commuting to Truro. Visitors will find Falmouth Town station the most convenient of the three in Falmouth (Penmere, Falmouth Town and Falmouth Docks); Penmere is a commuter stop at the back of the town on a steep hill and Falmouth Docks is beyond the town centre, though convenient for Pendennis Castle.