- Enjoy a drink in a waterfront café
- Explore great family attractions
- Learn about Agatha Christie
Looking to relax and escape? Entertain the kids? Explore? Torquay has something for everyone. As the most popular location for Devon holiday cottages, Torquay boasts historical sites, family attractions, the best sandcastle building beaches in the UK, waterfront bars and cafes and a whole lot more to do and discover.
Explore the world in miniature at Babbacombe Model Village, meet the penguins at Living Coasts, unearth prehistoric remains at Kents Cavern, see The English Riviera from above in the Hi-Flyer balloon, walk down a Victorian street at Bygones and explore Torquay’s rich and varied history in Torquay Museum..
Food and Drink
Leading restaurants in Torquay include The Elephant on Torquay Marina, The Orchid Restaurant on the seafront, The Orange Tree and The English House, all offering award winning cuisine. For families, there is Beacon Quay on the marina front and a number of cafés lining the inner harbour.
Nearby Occombe Farm is a noted producer of organic goods on the outskirts of Torquay with a farm shop and café, serving the best in local produce. Or sample the French market which takes place regularly throughout the year on the seafront next to the Princess Theatre.
Family Attractions
With so many family days out in the area, you may need to stay for longer:
- Kent’s Cavern prehistoric caves
- Babbacombe Model Village
- Living Coasts Zoo
- Bygones Museum of Victoriana
- Torquay Museum
- The Hi-Flyer balloon with 360 degree views of The English Riviera
- The 800 year old Torre Abbey
- Babbacombe Cliff Railway
All within the town!
Venture further afield to enjoy Paignton Zoo, Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway, Crealy Adventure Park near Exeter, Woodlands Adventure Park near Dartmouth and Pennywell Farm near Buckfastleigh.
Shopping
Torquay has a large town centre with major retailers including Debenhams, Hoopers, River Island and Waterstones. There are many other local and national retailers lining the main street as it leads down the harbour where you can enjoy a leisurely drink after a some retail therapy.
For convenience, there is a Tesco Metro in the centre of Torquay and Sainsburys and Waitrose supermarkets in the town. Next and Marks and Spencers can be found at the Willows, an out-of-town shopping centre on the main approach into Torquay
Back down on the Torquay waterfront, the Pavilions is home to a collection of unique shops set in a historic building, complete with classical and art nouveau features, built at the turn of the 20th Century.
History and Heritage
To learn more about the area, head to the Torquay Museum, just up from the harbour. Other notable places to visit include Torre Abbey, recently renovated with a £6.5 million grant, Bygones in Babbacombe and the Agatha Christie Mile which charts some of the key locations of the fabled crime writer.
In the area, you will also find the National Trust sites at Coleton Fishacre and Compton Castle, English Heritage sites at Berry Pomeroy Castle and Totnes Castle, as well as Powderham Castle towards Exeter.
Beaches
Torquay boasts a wide range of beaches from the best sandcastle building beaches in the U.K. - try Torre Sands – to hidden coves and picturesque views, such as Oddicombe, Anstey’s Cove and Corbyn Sands. Each has there own characteristics – for example taking the Cliff Railway down to Oddicombe Beach, rockpooling at Corbyn Sands.
Just a few miles up the coastline lies Dawlish Warren, regularlt appearing the lists of the UK’s top beaches. Paignton, Teignmouth and Dawlish also have much to offer for beachcombers.
Events and Entertainment
There is a cinema in Torquay centre, as well as two theatres – the Princess Theatre on the seafront hosting national touring productions and Babbacombe Theatre on the cliff top showing local productions.
There are many events taking place in Torquay throughout the year, including The Festival of Crime Writing in April, Occombe Farm Beer Festival in early June, Torbay Week in late August and Cockington Apple Fair in October.
Activities
The Riviera International Centre, adjacent to Torre Abbey and overlooking Torre Sands has an indoor pool with a wave machine and slide as well as other sports facilities such as tennis and squash.
There are opportunities to try sea fishing, bookable on the harbour, and the simplest (and cheapest) of activities – walking yields great reward if you keep to the coastline to enjoy great photo opportunities of the bay or stroll up to the peaceful haven of Cockington Court.
Travel
Torquay is some 2 hours from Bristol down the M5 motorway, while the nearest airports are at Exeter and Plymouth.
Torquay station is just by the seafront, so you can step off the train and be walking along the sandy beach within minutes.