St Ives is at the end of the St Ives Bay Line, a branch railway from St Erth that takes the scenic route across the Hayle estuary with views over the bay. The journey from St Erth takes about twelve minutes; St Erth connects to mainline trains from London Paddington and Bristol. Driving in summer is not recommended — the town has very limited parking and the roads in west Cornwall can be slow. The train from Penzance to St Erth and then the branch line is the best approach.
The nearest airports are Newquay Cornwall Airport (50 miles) and Exeter (100 miles). There are no direct flights. From London by train takes around five hours.