Things to do in Plymouth
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Cap'n Jaspers
Unique, quirky and slightly insane, this cabin-kiosk has been delighting bikers, tourists, locals and fishermen for decades with its motorised gadgets and teaspoons attached by chains. The menu is of the burger and bacon butty school – trying to eat a 'half a yard of hot dog' is a Plymouth rite of passage. Try the local crab rolls – the filling could have been caught by the bloke sitting next to you.
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Yukisan
Super-fresh sushi, light tempura and noodles worth mastering chopsticks for.
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Mayflower Steps
The Mayflower Steps mark the final UK departure point of the Pilgrim Fathers - the band of settlers who founded New England's first permanent colony at Plymouth (Massachusetts) in 1620. Having left Southampton and been forced into Dartmouth because of an unseaworthy ship, they finally left Plymouth (England) on board the Mayflower. The rest, in this case the founding of America, is history.
The steps themselves are small and although they look old, they aren't the original ones (you have to expect a bit of a rebuild over the last 400 years). The surrounding plaques help you navigate Plymouth's past - they mark the departure of the first emigrant ships to New Zealand, Capt…
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Robert Lenkiewicz murals
Seen by some as brilliant, by others as downright disturbing, the huge murals you'll see dotted about the Barbican are the work of the late, representational painter Robert Lenkiewicz (1941-2002). The son of Jewish refugees from Germany and Poland, this brooding, eccentric philosopher was a fixture of the district for decades and has been described by some as a modern-day Rembrandt.
Lenkiewicz developed a special bond with alcoholics, drug addicts and homeless people, often offering them a meal and a bed for the night. Exploring themes of death and obsession, he also achieved notoriety in the mid-1980s when he embalmed the body of a local tramp. Check out the biggest, and…
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Plymouth Gin Distillery
This is the oldest producer of gin in the world – they've been making it here since 1793. The Royal Navy ferried it round the world in countless officers' messes and the brand was specified in the first recorded recipe for a dry martini in the 1930s. Tours wind past the stills and take in a tutored tasting before depositing you in the heavily beamed medieval bar for a free tipple. Between Easter and October, there are extra tours at 10.30am and 4.30pm.
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Plymouth Mayflower
Runs through Plymouth's nautical heritage, providing the background to the Pilgrim Fathers' trip via interactive gizmos and multisensory displays.
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National Marine Aquarium
The sharks here swim in coral seas that teem with moray eels and vividly coloured fish – there's even a loggerhead turtle called Snorkel who was rescued from a Cornish beach. Walk-through glass arches ensure huge rays glide over your head, while the immense Atlantic Reef tank reveals just what's lurking a few miles offshore.
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Smeaton's Tower
Alongside the fabled green of the Hoe, you can't miss the 70ft high, red and white candy-striped former lighthouse that is Smeaton's Tower. The whole structure used to stand on the Eddystone Reef 14 miles offshore before being moved here, brick by brick, in the 1880s. Now it provides an illuminating insight into the lives of past lighthouse keepers and (93 steps later) stunning views of the city, Dartmoor and the sea.
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Tinside Pool
The Art Deco, open-air Tinside Pool curves out from the foot of the Hoe beside the sea. For decades this 1930s lido suffered from neglect, but now it's been delicately restored in cream and light and dark blue. Its unheated salt waters aren't quite as toe-curlingly cold as you might think and a dip here, within a pebble's throw of the expanse of Plymouth Sound, is a swim to remember.
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Barbican Kitchen
In this bistro-style baby sister of Tanners Restaurant, the stone interior fizzes with bursts of shocking pink and lime. The food is attention grabbing, too – try the calves' liver with horseradish mash or the honey, goat's cheese and apple crostini. Their Devon beefburger, with a slab of stilton, is divine.
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The Barbican
To imagine how Plymouth looked before the Luftwaffe redesigned it, head east of the Hoe to the much-restored Barbican area, where Tudor houses on cobbled streets look out across a harbour filled with fishing trawlers and upmarket yachts. Many of the Tudor and Jacobean buildings have been converted into galleries, craft shops and restaurants.
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Jennycliff Beach
A little yellow ferry (10 minutes, every 30 minutes) shuttles from beside the Mayflower Steps across to the Mount Batten Peninsula. You can walk to rocky Jennycliff beach from there: get off the boat, walk west round the Napoleonic tower and stay on the coast path until the beach is signposted 15 minutes away on your right.
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Kingsand & Cawsand Ferry
The Kingsand & Cawsand ferry is the pick of Plymouth's boat trips. Boats surge from the Mayflower Steps, across Plymouth Sound to the old Cornish smuggling villages of Kingsand and Cawsand. There you can wander the narrow streets, soak up the atmosphere of some salty pubs and browse the handful of shops.
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Tanners Restaurant
At Plymouth's top table reinvented British and French classics are the mainstay; expect lamb with gnocchi, char-grilled asparagus with soft poached egg, and roasted quail with pancetta. Their six-course tasting menu (£48; booking required) is a truly memorable meal.
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Café Incognito
An arty hangout between the university and the nightspots of Mutley Plain, this groovy café has free wi-fi and in term-time is packed with students writing essays. Robust bistro food includes chicken fajitas, memorable chilli and an utterly satisfying homemade sticky toffee pudding.
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City Museum & Art Gallery
As well as a diverse programme of temporary exhibits, the City Museum & Art Gallery hosts collections of local history, porcelain and naval art. The Cottonian Collection includes some significant paintings, prints and etchings by artists including Plymouth-born Joshua Reynolds.
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Annabel's
The stage spots in this quirky venue are filled by an eclectic collection of acts (expect anything from burlesque to comedy). Crowd-pleasing tunes fill the dance floor while classy cocktails fill your glass.
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Sound Cruising
Sound Cruising offers regular boat trips from Phoenix Wharf out to the warships at Plymouth's naval base. If you want to surf, the best beaches are Bigbury-on-Sea and Bantham, 16 and 20 miles south respectively - you can hire equipment or take lessons.
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Plymouth Arts Centre
This cultural hot-spot combines an independent cinema, modern-art exhibitions, and a licensed, vegetarian-friendly cafe.
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Platters
A down-to-earth eatery with fish so fresh it's just stopped flapping – try the skate in butter or the locally caught sea bass.
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Merchant's House
This 17th-century building is packed with curiosities; from manacles, truncheons and a ducking stool, to a replica 19th-century school room and a Victorian pharmacy where you can try old-fashioned pill rolling.
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View 2
Tucked just round from the heart of the Barbican, this cool venue has its own waterside terrace, and is perfect for a lunchtime pizza or drink. In the evening, enjoy comedy, Latin and salsa, easy listening, soul, funk and R&B.
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Terrace
Tucked away beside the Tinside Lido, this bright and breezy cafe has the best location of any eatery in town, with sweeping views across Plymouth Sound complemented by a selection of sandwiches, coffees and generous jacket potatoes.
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Dolphin
The Dolphin is an unreconstructed Barbican boozer, with scuffed tables, padded bench seats and an authentic, no-nonsense atmosphere. It's also painter Beryl Cook's local.
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Quay Club
This cavernous club is a favourite with Plymouth's night owls, with rock and indie on Thursdays, funk, soul and Latin on Fridays, and chart and dance on Saturday.
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