Places to visit on the Isles of Scilly
The best places to visit on the Isles of Scilly, island by island: Tresco Abbey Garden, Star Castle and the Garrison, Bronze Age tombs, Hell Bay, the St Martin's Day Mark, Troy Town Maze and the finest beaches.
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Key takeaways
- Each of the five inhabited islands has its own character, and most of the places worth seeing are free and open all year.
- St Mary's has the most history: Star Castle and the Garrison walls, Bronze Age tombs and Peninnis Head.
- Tresco has the Abbey Garden, the off islands have the wildest coast and the best beaches, and the boats link them all from St Mary's quay.
- Check the tides before heading for Gugh, White Island or the sandbars, and the boat times before any day trip.
The Isles of Scilly are small enough to see a lot in a week and varied enough that every island feels different. Here are the places we would send a friend, island by island, with a line on why each is worth the trip. Every name links to its page in our directory, with walking times, opening details and a map pin.
Places to visit on the Isles of Scilly at a glance
| Island | Don't miss | Also worth it |
|---|---|---|
| St Mary's | The Garrison walls and Star Castle | Bant's Carn, Peninnis Head, Old Town Church |
| Tresco | Tresco Abbey Garden | Cromwell's Castle, Pentle Bay, Piper's Hole |
| Bryher | Hell Bay | Watch Hill, Rushy Bay, Samson |
| St Martin's | The Day Mark and Great Bay | Par Beach, the vineyard, White Island |
| St Agnes and Gugh | Troy Town Maze and the Gugh bar | St Agnes Lighthouse, Beady Pool, Wingletang Down |
St Mary's
The largest island and the one most visitors start from. Hugh Town sits on a narrow neck of land between two beaches, and almost everything below is within a walk or a short bus or taxi ride.
The Garrison walls and Star Castle
The headland above Hugh Town is ringed by walls and gun batteries built up over three and a half centuries, starting with Star Castle in 1593, built against the threat of a second Spanish Armada. A full lap takes around two hours with stops, and the views reach every island. It faces west, so this is the place to be at sunset. Our guided walk takes you round stop by stop, and our Garrison guide has the history.
Bant's Carn, Innisidgen and Porth Hellick Down
St Mary's is scattered with Bronze Age tombs. Bant's Carn has great capstones above the stone houses of a village lived in through Roman times, Innisidgen has two tombs looking out to the Eastern Isles, and Porth Hellick Down has the biggest tomb still open to crawl into. All are free and looked after by English Heritage. See our guide to the Bronze Age tombs.
RecommendedHistoryMaipu: The Saltpetre Barque in Hell Bay2 min read · Hell Bay, BryherRead the story →Peninnis Head and Old Town
Peninnis Head, the southern tip of the island, is a jumble of giant weathered granite such as Pulpit Rock, with the 1911 lighthouse on its open iron frame. Keep back from the unfenced cliffs. From there the path drops to Old Town, where the Norman church stands by the shore with memorials to those lost in the 1707 naval disaster, and the fragments of Ennor Castle sit on a knoll above.
Beaches, viewpoints and nature trails
Porthcressa is the sheltered town beach for a swim, Pelistry Bay has a sand spit out to Toll's Island at low tide, and Porth Hellick has the memorial to Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell. For a view, climb to Buzza Tower above Porthcressa. For birds and a quiet hour, the trails and hides at Lower Moors and Higher Moors are free and open all year.
Tresco
Privately run and immaculately kept, Tresco has no cars and some of the finest white sand in the islands. Boats land at New Grimsby or Carn Near depending on the tide.
Tresco Abbey Garden
The Abbey Garden is the one place most people come to Scilly to see: a subtropical garden laid out around the ruins of the old priory, with plants from around the world growing outdoors all year. Inside the garden, Valhalla holds the figureheads of ships wrecked around the islands. There is an entry charge. Read our guide to the Abbey Garden.
The castles and Piper's Hole
Cromwell's Castle, a round gun tower of 1651, guards the channel between Tresco and Bryher, with a spiral stair up to the roof. Uphill on the moor behind it are the ruins of King Charles's Castle, a Tudor fort from around 1550. Both are free. At the wild northern tip, Piper's Hole is a sea cave with an underground pool and plenty of legends.
Tresco's beaches
Pentle Bay is the longest beach on the island, a quiet arc of white sand on the east coast, and Appletree Bay on the west side by the Abbey Garden is lovely for an evening swim.
Bryher
The smallest inhabited island and the wildest. The east side is sheltered and gentle, the west side takes the full force of the Atlantic.
RecommendedHistorySS Aksai: A Russian Steamer on White Island2 min read · White Island, St Martin'sRead the story →Hell Bay and Shipman Head
Hell Bay is famous for storm watching when the westerlies send the breakers in, and beautiful on a calm evening too. To the north, Shipman Head has an Iron Age cliff castle and the down behind is scattered with ancient cairns. The path is rough and exposed.
Watch Hill, Rushy Bay and Samson
Watch Hill, crowned by an old pilots' lookout, has views over every island. Rushy Bay is a sheltered white sand bay looking across to Samson, the empty island whose last families were moved off in 1855, leaving their roofless cottages. Summer boat trips land there by plank. Don't miss the Phone Box Museum, a contender for the world's smallest museum.
St Martin's
Long and narrow, with three small settlements, a vineyard and some of the best beaches in Britain.
The Day Mark and Chapel Down
The Day Mark is a red and white striped beacon tower of 1683 on the highest ground of the island, a daytime landmark for ships, with some of the widest views in Scilly. Around it, Chapel Down has prehistoric cairns, old field systems and a rare carved standing stone.
Great Bay, Par Beach and White Island
Great Bay on the north coast is a wide, unspoilt sweep of creamy sand, often named among the finest beaches in Britain, and Par Beach by the Higher Town quay has clear turquoise water. At low tide you can walk over a rocky bar to White Island; check the tide times first.
The vineyard and the seals
St Martin's Vineyard in Higher Town runs tours and tastings in season. St Martin's is also the gateway to the Eastern Isles, where seal snorkelling trips run from April to September. See our guide to snorkelling with seals. After dark, the COSMOS observatory makes the most of some of the darkest skies in England.
St Agnes and Gugh
The most southerly of the inhabited islands, joined to its neighbour Gugh by a sandbar at low tide.
Troy Town Maze and the lighthouse
Troy Town Maze is a pebble labyrinth in the turf on the west coast, said to date from 1729. Walk it, but leave the stones where they are. St Agnes Lighthouse, a white tower of 1680, is one of the oldest in Britain and now a private home, so admire it from the lanes. The island church has stained glass made by island artists.
RecommendedHistoryGugh’s Ancient Monuments: Obadiah’s Barrow and the Old Man of Gugh6 min read · Gugh, St AgnesRead the story →Gugh, Beady Pool and Wingletang
Around low tide, cross the sandbar to Gugh to see the Old Man of Gugh, a leaning prehistoric standing stone; the bar covers on the rising tide, so check the tides first. In the south of St Agnes, Wingletang Down is wild heath and granite, and Beady Pool still turns up beads from a seventeenth century shipwreck. Our shipwrecks map has the story.
The uninhabited islands
Some of the most memorable places in Scilly have no one living on them at all: Samson with its deserted cottages, Tean with its white sand bays, and the Eastern Isles with their seals. Boat trips run to several in summer. See our guide to the uninhabited islands.
Planning your visits
- The open boats leave St Mary's quay each morning for the off islands and come back in the afternoon. Times go up on the board on the quay; see today's boat times.
- Tides matter here. Sandbars to Gugh, White Island and Toll's Island are only open around low tide; check Scilly Live for today's tides.
- Most historic sites are free and open all year, and many are looked after by English Heritage.
- Bringing the dog? See where dogs can go.
- Want it all in order? Our trip planner builds you a day by day plan from these places, and Around me shows what is near you on the map.
Places to visit on the Isles of Scilly: your questions answered
What is the most famous place to visit on the Isles of Scilly?
Tresco Abbey Garden, the subtropical garden around the old priory ruins on Tresco. Close behind come the Garrison walls and Star Castle on St Mary's, Great Bay on St Martin's and the Troy Town Maze on St Agnes.
Can you see the Isles of Scilly in a day?
You can see one island well in a day, or two if the boats link them. St Mary's alone has enough for several days, so most visitors stay at least a few nights and take a boat to a different island each day.
Which island is best to visit?
It depends what you like: Tresco for gardens and polished calm, Bryher for wild coast, St Martin's for beaches, St Agnes for a remote, timeless feel, and St Mary's for history and the most to do. Our island guide compares them.
Are the places to visit free?
Most are. The historic sites, beaches, headlands and nature trails cost nothing. Tresco Abbey Garden charges for entry, and boat trips, tours and some attractions have their own prices.
How do you get between the islands?
By the open passenger boats from St Mary's quay. There are no bridges, and on the off islands you walk. Tresco Boats also link Tresco and Bryher with St Mary's.
