48 Hours in Plymouth

Option One: Cultural Plymouth

Start your visit by exploring the rich cultural heritage of Britain’s Ocean City at the award-winning museum and art gallery, The Box. Spend the morning exploring the city’s prehistoric origins and local history, before immersing yourself in one of the venue’s expertly curated exhibitions. Stop for a coffee and mid-morning snack in the museum café, surrounded by the beautifully restored maritime figureheads suspended overhead.

In the afternoon, take a trip down the historic cobbled streets of the Barbican and walk in the footsteps of adventurers of the past, including Sir Francis Drake, Charles Darwin and the Mayflower Pilgrims, who left Plymouth in 1620 for the ‘New World’.

No visit to Plymouth is complete without a trip on the water, hop on the ferry from the Barbican and make your way round to Royal William Yard, the former naval victualling yard that is now home to a range of restaurants, shops and art galleries, the perfect spot for a glass of wine and a locally prepared meal.

Option Two: Retail Therapy

Visit Drake Circus to get your shopping fix, before taking a wander into the City Centre and grabbing a cheeky pasty from one of our iconic bakeries.  Enjoy the new look of the city centre as you walk along Armada Way and enjoy the multi-million pound improvements, completed in 2026.

Alternatively, you can order an authentic international lunch at Plymouth Market, home to some wonderful food, from Caribbean cuisine to some of the best Asian eateries you’ll find in the city.

Take a walk through the cobbled streets of the Barbican, Plymouth’s historic quarter, and check out the many independent shops, art galleries, and eateries.

Option Three: History and Heritage

Plymouth is one of the most historical cities in the world, and was the departure point for many voyages of adventure, discovery, and exploration over the past centuries. The Pilgrims departed these shores onboard the Mayflower, for a voyage to the New World in 1620. Discover the many plaques, and information points around the Barbican relating to these historical moments in history, visit the Mayflower Museum, the Plymouth Gin Distillery, perhaps enjoy a pint at Minerva pub, the oldest in Plymouth and frequented by Sir Francis Drake and others during Elizabethan times. Take a look in the Elizabethan House to see how people lived over the centuries, the house was built in 1599!

Option Four: Walk and Talk

If you enjoy being guided around, Plymouth is one of the best destinations to be shown around. So much to learn, to see, and enjoy at every turn in Britain’s Ocean City. Guided walking tours are available from the Barbican, please pop into the Tourist Information Centre, of ask one of the helpful Cruise Ambassadors for further information.

Option Five: On the Water and on the Shore

Why not experience a boat trip out on Plymouth Sound!

Enjoy some fresh air out on the water and take in the spectacular views across to Cornwall in the west, Devon to the east, and Plymouth to the north. Spend your morning enjoying a cruise of the Sound with Plymouth Boat Trips, see the historic Naval dockyards or take a trip over to the idyllic Cawsand and Kingsand, or perhaps a pleasant harbour cruise.

If being active on the water is more your thing, take a dip in Plymouth’s famous art deco salt water swimming pool Tinside Lido and work up an appetite for lunch.  Make sure to take some time on Plymouth Hoe, home to one of the finest views in the world (well, we think so anyway). Get your selfie at the top of Smeaton’s Tower and take a walk along the Hoe Promenade, with views of the Sound on one side, and the Naval War Memorial on the other.

Don’t forget to find the ‘Beatle Bums’ set into the grass on the Hoe to recreate your own version of the famous four’s postcard-worthy photo.

There are so many places around the Hoe and the Barbican to sample our city’s famous fish and chips. We recommend heading down to Rockfish to enjoy some spectacular sustainably-caught seafood, owned by famous chef Mitch Tonks.

Spend the afternoon at the National Marine Aquarium, discovering the wildlife that lives in the waters surrounding Plymouth, and learn more about our city’s deep blue connections as the UK’s first National Marine Park and the fantastic work of the Ocean Conservation Trust.

For dinner, book yourself into the Barbican Kitchen, owned by the Tanner brothers and based at the historic Plymouth Gin Distillery.

After your meal, enjoy a cocktail in the distillery Refectory Bar, rumoured to be the place where the Pilgrims spent their last night before sailing to America on the Mayflower - the perfect place to end your own Ocean City pilgrimage in style.