Bodmin Jail

We visited today and took the guided tour. Josh, our guide, was incredibly knowledgeable and handled questions brilliantly. He certainly made our visit special. My Dad has limited mobility and uses a scooter. The attraction was accessible throughout with lifts and ramps where needed. The attraction itself was well created with good use of modern technology as well as more traditional interpretation. Really impressed.

Absolutely fantastic! Our guide Josh was informative, funny and friendly. Myself and my partner were highly impressed with the knowledge Josh shared about this fascinating place and couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Bodmin jail was fantastic and we 100% recommended a guided tour instead of walking through yourself. Other staff were also super friendly and welcoming. All together, we already want to comeback and try the ghost tours and the hotel! Thank you Josh and the Bodmin jail team!

We had an absolutely fantastic visit to Bodmin Jail. From the moment we walked in, it was clear just how beautifully the building has been restored. The balance between preserving its incredible history and creating an immersive 4D experience has been done perfectly. The atmosphere is authentic — you really get a sense of the past, especially with the select inmates stories.

What truly made the experience exceptional was our guide. He was witty, knowledgeable, and incredibly engaging from start to finish. His storytelling brought the jail’s history to life in such a vivid and entertaining way. You could tell he genuinely loves what he does, and that enthusiasm made a huge difference. He brought the whole Jail’s past to life.

I was especially impressed that my 10- and 13-year-old sons loved it just as much as we did! It can sometimes be tricky to keep kids that age interested, but they were completely absorbed. The interactive elements and gripping stories kept them engaged the entire time — they’re still talking about it now.

If you’re visiting Cornwall, I would highly recommend a trip to Bodmin Jail, especially now Flambard’s is sadly gone. It’s fascinating, beautifully restored, and suitable for the whole family. We’ll definitely be recommending it to friends!

Wow, what an experience!

I went in with no expectations, but it was such a pleasant surprise. The 4D and interactive stories really bring the history to life. It's not scary at all, no jump scares even though it's dark. Definitely not for little kids, though. Jasmin was fantastic at telling the stories and making us feel like we were back in time. I'd totally recommend checking it out, it's so unique!

Did the guided tour as this was the first time attending the place, the tour guide was knowledgeable and friendly happy to answer any questions fielded his way, the place itself was very interesting and steeped in history. For those looking for a 'scary' experience this thankfully isn't it as that's not my cup of tea but apparently it's a local hotspot for ghost activity. There's a cafe located here as well if you need a drink before/after, finding parking however was somewhat confusing, ended up in the hotel car park which is only for guests so ended up opting for on-street parking instead.

Great experience at Bodmin Jail we went for the guided tour and Tom was brilliant at creating the atmosphere, very knowledgeable and always on hand to answer the questions, interesting to see the advance of the prison cell all brought to life for you to enter. Not a scary tour more of an education so don't worry there's no one jumping out of the dark. Had a lovely coffee at the end of the tour to warm us up from prison life.

Oh my goodness, I can’t recommend this attraction enough. I don’t know what I expected, but it was better than I could ever imagine. The 4D immersive experience is a lot of fun and getting to know about the history and different people that had resided there. There’s a fun little Photo Booth where you can make your own wanted poster. The café had some lovely things on offer, although they were a little on the pricier side. The shop had some fabulous gifts. I ended up buying a T-shirt that says property of Bodman jail.

Very cleverly done and informative. However, does not have the same ambience of when it was an actual ruin.

Found the cafe a little over priced and seating was not the most comfortable. It has been done more towards attracting tourists than being authentic. We did enjoy it, and glad we visited, but not somewhere we would return to again for many years if at all.

Our visit to Bodmin Jail was absolutely unforgettable. It was a perfect blend of history, innovation, and atmosphere. It’s amazing to see how this historic site has been transformed thanks to the hotel chain’s £65 million regeneration project. The attention to detail is remarkable.

You can now stay in the hotel and sleep in original cells.. I didn't experience this.

The highlight for us was the 4D experience, which brought the stories of the prisoners and the history of the jail to life in such a powerful and engaging way. It was dramatic, emotional, and well produced. You could feel the history all around you, yet it was presented with modern creativity and flair.

A special mention has to go to Jasmin, our tour guide, who was absolutely fabulous. Her storytelling was captivating from start to finish. She was knowledgeable, passionate, and full of energy. She made the whole experience come alive with humour, sensitivity, and fascinating insights. She spoke for nearly 2 hours.

Whether you’re interested in history, architecture, or just looking for a unique day out, Bodmin Jail is a must-visit. It’s a shining example of how heritage can be preserved and reimagined.

I highly recommend the guided tour.