Spend the night where footsteps echo through empty halls and ghostly figures still walk the corridors. These haunted hotels in Cornwall promise a stay you’ll never forget
If you’re drawn to eerie encounters and haunted history, these Cornwall hotels offer more than just a bed for the night. They promise a spine-tingling experience you won’t soon forget!
Bodmin Jail Hotel
Scarlett’s Well Road, Bodmin, Cornwall PL31 2PL
A notorious former jail (scene of 55 executions) now turned boutique hotel. Guests report a chilling atmosphere with sightings of ghostly children wandering the corridors and hearing eerie unexplained noises at night.
- Visit Bodmin Jail Hotel website: http://www.bodminjailhotel.com
Jamaica Inn
Bolventor, Bodmin Moor, Cornwall PL15 7TS
An 18th-century smugglers’ inn renowned as one of Britain’s most haunted places. Visitors have heard phantom footsteps and whispering voices in empty corridors, and many have encountered a mysterious woman in white. (Bedroom 4 and the old Smuggler’s Bar are noted ghost hotspots.)
- Visit The Jamaica Inn website: https://www.jamaicainn.co.uk
- Read more about The Jamaica Inn on Spooky Hertfordshire
The Wellington Hotel
The Harbour, Boscastle, Cornwall PL35 0AQ
A 17th-century coaching inn rumored to host at least three resident ghosts. Staff and guests speak of an apparition of an old coachman roaming the halls, a little girl on the stairs, and an elderly lady who walks through walls. (Room 9 is said to be the most active, with one guest reporting a frightening, paralyzing encounter.)
- Visit The Wellington Hotel website: https://wellingtonhotelboscastle.com
The Falmouth Hotel
Castle Beach, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 4NZ
Victorian seafront hotel (built 1865) with a resident ghost story. In its early days the hotel brewed beer on-site; a worker died in the cellar brewery, and ever since, guests have heard heavy footfalls and seen a shadowy figure believed to be his spirit lingering in the basement and halls.
- Visit The Falmouth Hotel website: https://www.falmouthhotel.co.uk
The White Hart Hotel
10 Foundry Square, Hayle, Cornwall TR27 4HQ
A historic 1830s hotel where unexplained footsteps are often heard pacing the upstairs corridors late at night. Locals whisper it may be the ghost of a former proprietor (an undertaker by trade) still making his rounds, as the phantom footsteps always stop outside the room that once stored his mortuary supplies. –
- Visit The White Hart Hotel website: http://whiteharthotel-hayle.co.uk
Housel Bay Hotel
Housel Bay Road, The Lizard (Near Helston), Cornwall TR12 7PG
Britain’s southernmost hotel, opened in 1894, with spectacular sea views and a spectral guest. Multiple witnesses have reported seeing the ghost of a young woman in a World War II WAAF uniform silently wandering the clifftop gardens – possibly a lingering spirit from the hotel’s wartime years.
- Visit The Housel Bay Hotel website: https://www.houselbay.com
The Jolly Sailor Inn
Princes Square, West Looe, Cornwall PL13 2EP
One of Cornwall’s oldest pubs (est. 1516) and home to numerous ghostly tales. The current landlords recount many strange incidents: an unseen elderly man coughing in empty corridors, a woman’s apparition appearing by a guest’s bedside, taps turning themselves on, objects moving of their own accord, and even the playful specter of a little child seen in the kitchen.
- Visit The Jolly Sailor Inn website: https://www.jollysailorlooe.co.uk
The Headland Hotel
Headland Road, Newquay, Cornwall TR7 1EW
A grand clifftop hotel (opened 1900) that served as an RAF hospital in WWII. Guests frequently report ghostly servicemen in old uniforms and nurses in vintage capes roaming the halls. In one well-known case, a “Grey Lady” in a long dark cloak and white cap was seen walking through a solid wall (where a door once existed), and some sleepers have been woken by the gentle touch of an unseen nurse’s hand on their cheek.
- Visit The Headland Hotel website: https://www.headlandhotel.co.uk
The Dolphin Tavern
Quay Street, Penzance, Cornwall TR18 4BD
A harbourside inn dating back to the 16th century, said to host at least two resident ghosts. One is “Old Captain George,” a spirit of a tricorne-hatted sea captain who appears by the bar, and the other is a mysterious lady in old-fashioned attire occasionally seen gliding across the room. Regulars have also noted disembodied voices and other odd happenings after closing time.
- Visit The Dolphin Tavern website: https://www.dolphintavern.co.uk
Union Hotel
1 Chapel Street, Penzance, Cornwall TR18 4AE
A 17th-century hotel famous for its historic theatre ballroom (where news of Trafalgar was first announced). The Union is reputedly haunted by a “Grey Lady” who has been sighted on the grand staircase, as well as the playful spirits of a young boy and girl. Staff over the years have mentioned unexplained noises and fleeting shadows in the corridors, although the hotel itself tends to downplay these ghost stories.
Crumplehorn Inn
The Coombes, Polperro, Cornwall PL13 2RJ
A picturesque 16th-century inn at the entrance to Polperro village. A few benign ghost sightings have been reported here: patrons have described a friendly, misty figure appearing near the old mill wheel and phantom footsteps on the cobbled yard. All incidents have been harmless – as local lore goes, perhaps past smugglers or villagers are still checking in on their beloved inn.
- Visit The Crumplehorn website: https://www.thecrumplehorninn.co.uk
Camelot Castle Hotel
Castle Road, Tintagel, Cornwall PL34 0DQ
A dramatic clifftop hotel near the legendary site of King Arthur’s castle, known for mischievous paranormal activity. Three resident ghosts are said to cause playful chaos – knocking paintings off walls, tipping over rubbish bins at night, and even climbing into bed with guests to give an icy “bed-bath” prank! Despite the ghostly pranks, the hotel remains a fascinating stay for ghost hunters and Arthurian enthusiasts alike. –
- Visit Camelot Castle Hotel website: https://www.camelotcastle.com
Molesworth Arms Hotel
Molesworth Street, Wadebridge, Cornwall PL27 7DP
A former 16th-century coaching inn with a ghostly coach of its own. According to legend, on certain New Year’s Eves a phantom horse-drawn carriage pulls up outside the hotel – witnesses have heard the clatter of hooves and wheels on cobblestones, yet nothing is visible. This fleeting apparition of a bygone mail coach is rare, but has made the Molesworth locally famous for its one night of annual haunting.
- Visit Molesworth Arms Hotel website: https://www.moleswortharms.co.uk
Closed (hopefully to reopen):
King’s Arms Hotel
3 Broad Street, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 8JL
One of Penryn’s oldest inns (circa 17th century), currently closed for renovation after fire damage. It has a history of odd happenings like drawers found pulled out and furniture mysteriously moved. Previous visitors have also described sudden shoves by an unseen presence. (The pub is under repair as of now – hopefully it will reopen and welcome guests (and perhaps its resident ghost, “Alice”) again soon.
