Cornwall in June or early July

Stay in touristy St Ives. It is hilly, beautiful, and has a lovely beach. A public bus makes a loop around that end of Cornwall, maybe hourly. Walk out to Saint Michael's Mount, an island on the south side of the peninsula, and enjoy the hike up to the top, then hike down and have some ice cream. I stayed in Penzance at the Shoreline Guest House last spring. Penzance is only lightly touristy, with train and bus connections to elsewhere. The Minnick Theatre is out there in Cornwall somewhere and seems to be very popular in the summer. There are hiking trails along the coast.

I don't think I'd paint an entire county as a "tourist trap". Yes there are tourist attractions, and some of them market themselves fairly aggressively, but most of the county is not that way. There is some exquisite countryside both there and next door in Devon and Dorset. Don't be put off.

You will enjoy Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset. not many tourists and very interesting scenery and villages. You will get more out of it if you can rent a car. otherwise there are bus services but you will need to rersearch those. I havent found many "tousit traps' (if any) other than the overly commecialized village of tintagel (and the castle away from the shops is still fascinating). there are of course typical seaside resorts, but easy to steer clear of these if thats not your thing. Amazingly RS endorses Bath which is probably more touristy than any place in england

We took the train from Paddington station to Penzance on a Sunday, then picked up a rental car the next day which gave us tremendous freedom in exploring Cornwall. WE LOVED CORNWALL! Other than the obvious touristy sites (Lands End, St. Ives, Tintagel - and they all are well worth a visit anyway) we found it to be rugged and beautiful. Recommendation for a place to stay if you have a car: Downs Farm B&B, a farmhouse just outside of Penzance where you can hike down to the water or visit the stone circle (Merry Maidens) just down the road. Minack Theatre is also close by. Loved the nearby seaside village of Mousehole. Recommendation for a place to eat: The Navy Inn in Penzance...mouth-watering fisherman's pie.

WE LOVED CORNWALL, TOO! Stayed in Penzance and would return in an instant. Lands End is touristy but we took the stroll from Sennen Cove - what a wonderful walk in such rugged terrain. Minack Theatre was a high light as was St Michaels. Don't miss this area of England!

Even at touristy sights like Lands End and Tintagel, you can get away from the vendors and have an awe inspiring experience.

Rubbish Mr Steves!!! what a sweeping statement to say Cornwall is a tourist trap. No more than every other highly visited place in the world. Go, you will love it. Cornwall and Devon and it's coastal areas are stunning. We stayed in Penzance and used public transport.

Cornwall is so lovely....you will love it, if at all possible when you get to St. Ives, if you can rent a car. There is so much to see and it would be easier if you had a car.

Sorry, ke, where does RS make that statement?

Actually he mentions four specific places in Cornwall that he considers tourist traps: the Devil's Toenail, Lands End, Tintagel castle, and a small town with a name like Clovelly or something like that. That leaves a whole lot of Cornwall that must be aorta seeing. I hear it is beautiful there, actually. We were considering a hike on the Cornish coastal trail and got lots of encouragement from friends who live in the UK.

Nigel: Here's where Rick Steeves makes less-than-favorable remarks about Cornwall: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/europe/traps.htm