Your Ultimate Guide to Visiting Mevagissey, Cornwall

Thinking about visiting Mevagissey on your trip to Cornwall? I went last year and thought it was a fab little village, full of character – and great food! Here’s my guide to Mevagissey to encourage you to visit this wonderful Cornish village too.

Last year I did a road trip in Cornwall, and Mevagissey was firmly on the itinerary. This little Cornish town has a beautiful harbour, cute shops in the labyrinthine streets and some great food options – couldn’t resist.

I spent the day visiting Mevagissey, taking advantage of the amazing viewpoints and the relaxed Cornish village vibes.

This harbourside village still has a working harbour, and if you sit on one of the well placed benches you can enjoy watching the fishermen come in with the day’s catch.

What to do in Mevagissey

The number one thing to do in Mevagissey, is to wander around Mevagissey Harbour. You’ll see the boats, some interesting knitwork and the seagulls coming in chancing a meal. It’s a lovely place to relax and watch harbour life unfold. Kind of mesmerising really.

Number two is to climb up these stairs to reach Polkirt Hill and the best viewpoint over the town. From here you can see over the harbour, and enjoy the ships coming in, too. You also get a bird’s eye view of the higgledy streets below.

There are some cute shops and craft workshops to explore in Mevagissey, if you follow the narrow streets around.

You’ll find traditional style sweet shops and fudge shops, in among trendy homewares shops. A hint at the clientele the village now attracts!

Look out for the artists galleries and jewellery shops, and check out She Sells for all your England souvenir needs.

You can just wander around and back on yourself to make sure you fit in all the shops. Just stay close to the walls as it’s a tight fit for the traffic coming through. Your best option is just to go from shop to shop – browsing as much as possible.

You don’t need long to look round Mevagissey Aquarium. It’s housed in the old lifeboat station and is run on donations so there’s not loads to see, but it’s worth a little look to see which marine life they’re currently showing off.

There’s also The World of Model Railways Exhibition in Mevagissey, with over 2000 model trains and 50 working locomotives. Visit and you’ll find a children’s favourites display, and train shop too.

From Mevagissey you can take a boat ride over to Fowey – it takes just 40 minutes and avoids all the traffic synonymous with a trip into Fowey at peak season. You can also book a shark fishing outing or deep-sea fishing trip at the pier in Mevagissey – a great way to get out and see the village from the sea.

Mevagissey has two beaches – one inside the outer harbour and only visible on a big spring low tide. The other is just outside the village and called Polstreath. You’ll need to climb down and back up a lot of stairs to get there though. You need dedication and enthusiasm but it’ll be worth it when you’re there!

You can see the other beaches near Mevagissey here.

Best restaurants in Mevagissey

Like most of Cornwall, ice creams and fish and chips are a big deal here. As you wander the streets you should have at least one of the two in hand.

The Ship Inn in Mevagissey and The Fountain in Mevagissey are both popular choices, if you’re looking for some pub grub. But my personal recommendation would be The Sharks Fin.

The Sharks Fin in Mevagissey remains some of the best fish tacos I’ve ever had, and I’ve eaten a lot of fish tacos around the world. The glass of wine goes down in history for me here too, as the last one before I found out I was pregnant a few days later when I was in Devon.

The other great thing about Sharks Fin is there’s a great view over the harbour. As you can see, it was quite overcast on the end of May day that I visited so it was a lovely, warm way to watch the harbour action go by.

If you want a quick bite in Mevagissey, then of course, a Cornish pasty is the way to go. The main two brands are Niles and Rowes here – enjoy!

Driving and parking in Mevagissey

You’ll find driving a tight fit in Mevagissey. I definitely did, and at the time I only had a VW Golf. Much of the village is one way and you need to be super careful of pedestrians. You can park in Sunny Corner car park, if you can find space.

Another often cited recommendation is to park in Willow & Coach car park just before you enter the village, and then walk in.

Mevagissey is very walkable once you’ve managed to ditch the car!

Where to stay in Mevagissey

If you’re looking for Mevagissey cottages Aspects Holidays has some great options. You can search by number of bedrooms, dog friendly cottages and sea view cottages too. Click to see all cottages in Cornwall and here are three of my favourites…

Apartment in Mevagissey

Look, you can stay by the Sharksfin Restaurant – tacos on tap! This two bedroom harbourside apartment is a great choice if you want to be right at the heart of the village. Dogs are welcome and you’ll be perched right at the centre of the Quay. It’s the perfect place to explore from, and you’ll even have a parking permit provided at the nearby Willow Car Park too!

Tiny house in Mevagissey

Or how about staying in this unique tiny home in Mevagissey? The Gig House has everything the two of you could need, just moments from the harbour – a king sized double bed, cute lounge, great kitchen and a fully fitted bathroom too.

There’s outdoor space on this one, and well behaved doggies are welcome too.

Modern apartment with view in Mevagissey

If you’d prefer your Mevagissey accommodation to have a view, then check out this great apartment overlooking the waterfront. This is a great place to watch the beautiful sunrise in this part of Cornwall. It’s just round the corner from Portmellion Beach, a quiet unspoiled cove with a sandy beach and slipway.

There are two bedrooms here, so it’s ideal for 4 people, especially as it has two bathrooms, too!

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