Falmouth's own four beaches step south-west along Falmouth Bay from Pendennis Point: Castle Beach under the headland, Gyllyngvase below Queen Mary Gardens, Swanpool in front of its nature-reserve lagoon, and Maenporth in a wooded valley further down the coast path.
Gyllyngvase, Swanpool and Maenporth are designated bathing waters and all three were rated Excellent in 2025; Castle Beach is not on the Environment Agency's list.
Gyllyngvase is the only one with RNLI lifeguards (daily 16 May to 27 September in the 2026 season), and it also carries the longest dog ban, 10am to 6pm from 15 May to 30 September. Castle Beach, Swanpool and Maenporth, like Summers Beach at St Mawes and Kynance Cove, ban dogs only from 1 July to 31 August, 10am to 6pm. Porthcurnick on the Roseland is not on the council's list at all, and its beach café says dogs are welcome all year.
For rock pools, go to Castle Beach on a low tide, because the beach all but vanishes at high water. Swanpool and Maenporth each have a car park beside the beach and watersports on the sand, and Maenporth's level boardwalk and borrowable beach wheelchair make it one of the easier beaches for wheelchair users. Summers Beach is a ferry ride across the harbour; Porthcurnick and Kynance Cove are day trips, and Kynance's limited parking is extremely busy from July to September.
Lifeguards: the 2026 season. Water: the latest official bathing-water classification. Every fact links to the page it came from, checked 27 October 2026.
Summer dog ban Lifeguards in summer Excellent water (2025)
Falmouth's main beach: a broad, gently sloping crescent of sand below Queen Mary Gardens, with the Gylly Beach Café built over the sand and paddleboard hire alongside. It is the one to choose for lifeguarded swimming and for families who want toilets, showers and food close to the sand, and the rock pools at its southern end are worth a look at low water.
Surface
sand
Dogs
Banned 10am–6pm from 15 May to 30 September under Cornwall Council's dogs-on-beaches order; no restriction outside those dates and hours. Source
Lifeguards
RNLI lifeguards daily 10am–6pm in the 2026 season (16 May–27 September). Source
Facilities
Beachside showers and toilets open all year, and a café serving hot and cold food on the beach. Source
Access
Gently sloping ramp from the car park through the gardens onto the sand; accessible spaces in the car park and an accessible toilet. A sand chair can be hired (01326 312884). Source
Parking
Cornwall Council long-stay pay-and-display car park on Queen Mary Road (107 spaces), charged all year; the 1 April–31 October tariff runs up to 24 hours and weekly. The same page says the car park is locked 8pm–7am. Source
Tides
Usable at any state of the tide; any surf tends to come at low tide. Source
Water quality
Excellent in 2025, the Environment Agency's classification for Gyllyngvase. Source
Summer dog ban No lifeguards Not a bathing water
A long, narrow strip of sand and shingle below Pendennis Point, named after the castle on the headland above it. At low tide the reefs and scattered rocks open into rock pools, and the deeper water offshore draws divers and snorkellers; at high tide there is very little beach left, so timing matters more here than anywhere else in town.
Surface
sand and shingle
Dogs
Banned 10am–6pm from 1 July to 31 August under Cornwall Council's order; allowed at other times. Source
Lifeguards
Not lifeguarded. Source
Facilities
Castle Beach Café on a sundeck above the bay, with a small shop for buckets and spades; listed as open Easter to September. Source
Access
A sloping path from the road, then a few steps down to the beach. Source
Parking
No car park of its own: roadside parking nearby, and the Pendennis Point car park a short walk away. Source
Tides
The beach all but disappears at high tide; plan a visit around low water. Source
Water quality
Not a designated bathing water, so it is not sampled.
Summer dog ban No lifeguards Excellent water (2025)
A small sand-and-shingle cove on the edge of town, with Swanpool lake behind it, a brackish lagoon that is a nature reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest. Elemental UK runs sailing, kayaking and coasteering from the beach all year, and there is a café, kayak hire and a crazy golf course by the car park, which makes it a busy, activity-led beach rather than a place to spread out.
Surface
sand and shingle
Dogs
Banned 10am–6pm from 1 July to 31 August under Cornwall Council's order; allowed at other times. Source
Lifeguards
Not lifeguarded. Source
Facilities
Public toilets with disabled facilities beside the car park, open every day except Christmas Day; beach café, kayak hire and crazy golf. Source
Parking
Large pay-and-display beach car park, charged all year, with tariffs up to 24 hours and an evening session; no overnight caravans, campervans or motorhomes. Source
Tides
Usable at any state of the tide. Source
Water quality
Excellent in 2025, the Environment Agency's classification for Swanpool. Source
Summer dog ban No lifeguards Excellent water (2025)
A sheltered sandy cove in a wooded valley south of the town, quieter than Gyllyngvase and Swanpool, with a shallow, gently shelving inlet that suits young swimmers and paddlers. The wreck of the Ben Asdale shows offshore at low tide, the beach café lends a beach wheelchair, and Falmouth Surf School & Watersports, next door, runs kayaking, paddleboard and surf lessons.
Surface
sand
Dogs
Banned 10am–6pm from 1 July to 31 August under Cornwall Council's order; allowed at other times. Source
Lifeguards
Not lifeguarded. Source
Facilities
Café, public toilets, car park and watersports hire (kayaking, sailing, scuba). Source
Access
Level promenade and boardwalk straight onto the sand, accessible bays near the beach entrance and accessible toilets; a beach wheelchair can be borrowed from the café. Source
Parking
Car park directly behind the beach. Source
Tides
Usable at any state of the tide; the Ben Asdale wreck shows at low tide. Source
Water quality
Excellent in 2025, the Environment Agency's classification for Maenporth. Source
Summer dog ban Lifeguards not stated Not a bathing water
A small, very sheltered beach in St Mawes village across the harbour from Falmouth, close to shops, pubs and toilets. Going by the St Mawes ferry from Prince of Wales Pier turns it into a half-day out with St Mawes Castle, and it is at its best in the hours either side of low water.
Surface
sand
Dogs
Banned 10am–6pm from 1 July to 31 August under Cornwall Council's order; allowed at other times. Source
Facilities
Public toilets in St Mawes village; shops and pubs close by. Source
Access
From Falmouth, by the St Mawes ferry; the beach is in the village, a short way from the quay. Source
Parking
About 30 spaces on the quay in St Mawes; from Falmouth the ferry is the simpler way over. Source
Tides
Best within four hours either side of low water. Source
Water quality
Not a designated bathing water, so it is not sampled.
Dogs allowed Lifeguards not stated Excellent water (2025)
A wide, National Trust-owned sandy cove just north of Portscatho on the Roseland, sheltered by cliffs and backed by fields, with rock pools at low tide and a slipway onto the water. Most visitors walk in along the coast path from Portscatho, and the Hidden Hut café above the beach serves food cooked outdoors.
Surface
sand
Dogs
Not on Cornwall Council's seasonal ban list; the beach café says dogs are allowed on the beach all day, all year. Source
Facilities
A slipway, and a shop and toilets in the summer; the Hidden Hut café has no accessible toilet, and the nearest public disabled toilets are in Portscatho. Source
Access
On foot along the coast path from Portscatho, with rugged ground and steep granite steps up to the café; people with limited mobility can be driven down to the beach via Rosevine. Source
Parking
Portscatho & Porthcurnick Beach car park at the entrance to Portscatho, then a short walk along the coast path; proceeds go to the parish. Source
Tides
Best within four hours either side of low water. Source
Water quality
Excellent in 2025, the Environment Agency's classification for Porthcurnick. Source
Summer dog ban No lifeguards Not a bathing water
The National Trust's cove on the Lizard, a longer drive from Falmouth than the others, known for white sand, serpentine rock stacks and caves that open up at low tide. It is a low-tide beach with a steep walk down from the car park, though a flatter track runs round the back; the cove has a café concession open all year, weather permitting, but it gets extremely busy in July, August and September and the road in is closed when the car park is full.
Surface
sand
Dogs
Banned 10am–6pm from 1 July to 31 August under Cornwall Council's order; allowed at other times. Source
Lifeguards
Not lifeguarded. Source
Facilities
Toilets in the car park and at the cove; café concession at the cove. Source
Access
No vehicle access to the cove: a walk of about 10 minutes from the car park, steep in places with steps onto the beach. A flatter pushchair route round the back of the beach takes 15–20 minutes and is the one to use at high tide. Source
Parking
National Trust car park on the cliffs above the cove, paid by machine or JustPark (location 80599), free for members; limited spaces and very busy July–September. Source
Tides
The beach almost completely disappears at high tide; plan around the tide and watch for being cut off in the caves and stacks. Source
Water quality
Not a designated bathing water, so it is not sampled.