Looking for the best things to do in Exeter? From a magnificent medieval cathedral and hidden passages beneath the city streets to the historic Quayside, independent shopping, museums, family activities and easy trips to the Devon coast, Exeter packs an enormous amount into a compact city.
What should you do in Exeter?
Why Visit Exeter?
Exeter is one of those cities where you can fit a surprising amount into a single day. Its compact centre combines more than 2,000 years of history with shops, cafés, museums, green spaces and a beautiful riverside area — and the Devon coast is within easy reach when you want to extend your trip.
The city’s headline attractions include Exeter Cathedral, the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery (RAMM), Exeter’s Underground Passages and the historic Quayside. But some of the best moments come simply from walking: Cathedral Green, old city walls, cobbled streets, independent shops and the downhill route towards the River Exe all give Exeter very different personalities within a relatively small area.
This guide brings together the best things to do in Exeter for adults, couples, families and children, plus rainy-day activities, free attractions, shopping, Exeter Quayside ideas and nearby day trips.
18 Best Things to Do in Exeter
If you’re visiting for the first time, these are some of the Exeter attractions, activities and places we’d put at the top of your list.
Visit Exeter Cathedral
Start in the historic heart of the city. Exeter Cathedral is one of Exeter’s defining landmarks, with remarkable Gothic architecture, centuries of history and Cathedral Green directly outside.
Explore RAMM
The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery is one of Exeter’s strongest free attractions, bringing together local history, natural history, art and collections from around the world.
Go Beneath Exeter’s Streets
Exeter’s Underground Passages offer something completely different: guided exploration of medieval passages originally created to carry water pipes beneath the city.
Walk Exeter Quayside
Head down towards the River Exe for historic buildings, waterside cafés, boats, cycling, walking and a completely different atmosphere from the city centre.
Join a Red Coat Guided Tour
Exeter’s free Red Coat Guided Tours are a brilliant way to discover stories you might otherwise walk straight past. Different tours explore different aspects of the city’s history.
See Exeter’s Historic Guildhall
Look beyond the modern shops and Exeter’s long history keeps appearing. The historic Guildhall is one of the city’s most recognisable heritage buildings.
Follow Exeter’s City Wall
Parts of Exeter’s old city wall survive around the centre, making it easy to add a little Roman and medieval history to an otherwise ordinary walk around town.
Relax in Northernhay Gardens
Need a quieter break from sightseeing or shopping? Exeter’s central gardens provide useful pockets of greenery close to the historic centre.
Discover St Nicholas Priory
Dig a little deeper into Exeter’s heritage with one of the city’s lesser-known historic attractions — ideal if you’ve already visited the headline sights.
Shop at Princesshay
For familiar high-street names, food and a modern pedestrianised shopping area right in the centre, Princesshay is an easy addition to an Exeter day out.
Browse Exeter’s Independent Shops
Don’t stop at the main shopping streets. Gandy Street and Fore Street give Exeter more personality, with independent shops, vintage finds, gifts, cafés and creative businesses.
Visit Exeter Phoenix
Exeter has a strong independent arts scene. Exeter Phoenix brings together exhibitions, film, live performance, music and other cultural events.
Explore the Custom House
On the Quayside, the historic Custom House helps tell the story of Exeter’s maritime and trading past and makes a useful stop while exploring the riverfront.
Get Active on the Quay
If sightseeing isn’t enough, Exeter Quayside is also a base for cycling, canoeing, kayaking, paddleboarding and climbing.
Walk the Exeter Green Circle
For a longer outdoor adventure, the Exeter Green Circle links green spaces, neighbourhoods and lesser-seen parts of the city. You don’t have to tackle the entire route at once.
Discover Exeter’s Food Scene
Make the meal part of the day out. Cathedral-side cafés, independent city-centre eateries and waterside stops around the Quay give you plenty of choice.
Try an Indoor Activity
Rain doesn’t have to end an Exeter day out. Museums, climbing, swimming, cinema and indoor heritage attractions give you plenty of alternatives when Devon weather changes.
Take a Day Trip to Exmouth
Combine city and coast by travelling down the Exe to Exmouth. Add a sandy beach, marina, Jurassic Coast scenery and creative activities to an Exeter break.
Explore Historic Exeter
Exeter isn’t a city where the history is confined to one museum. Roman, medieval and later buildings and remains appear throughout the centre, so you can build a heritage trail into an ordinary shopping or sightseeing day.
Begin around Exeter Cathedral and Cathedral Green, explore the surviving city wall, look out for historic buildings as you move through the centre and then continue downhill towards the Quayside.
For a deeper dive, combine the Cathedral with RAMM, the Underground Passages and one of Exeter’s free Red Coat Guided Tours.
Things to Do on Exeter Quayside
Exeter Quayside deserves more than a quick photo stop. It’s one of the best places in Exeter to slow the day down — or make it considerably more active.
Walk down from the city centre and you’ll find historic waterside buildings, boats, cafés and restaurants alongside walking and cycling routes. If you want an activity rather than a stroll, options around the Quay include cycling, climbing and watersports.
🚶 Walk the waterfront
One of the simplest free things to do in Exeter. Wander beside the water, cross the river and explore both sides of the Quay.
🚲 Cycle beside the Exe
The riverside and canal routes make this a great part of Exeter to explore on two wheels.
🛶 Get on the water
Canoeing, kayaking and paddleboarding can turn the Quayside into one of Exeter’s more adventurous days out.
🧗 Go climbing
The Quay area is also home to indoor climbing, making it a useful option when you want an active day whatever the weather.
🏛 Visit the Custom House
Add some history to your riverside walk and discover more about the trading story that helped shape Exeter.
☕ Stop for food or coffee
Sometimes the best Quayside plan is no plan at all: grab a drink or something to eat and watch the boats and river life.
Shopping in Exeter
Shopping is one of Exeter’s strengths because you can combine familiar brands with much smaller independent businesses without travelling between separate retail areas.
Princesshay sits in the heart of the city and is the obvious starting point for high-street shopping. Continue through the central shopping streets and then seek out areas such as Gandy Street and Fore Street for more independent shops and a different feel.
This makes shopping easy to mix with sightseeing: you can move between Cathedral Green, shops, cafés and historic streets without having to treat them as separate days out.
Things to Do in Exeter When It Rains
Looking for indoor things to do in Exeter? Fortunately, some of the city’s strongest attractions are indoors, so a wet forecast doesn’t have to ruin the day.
🏛 RAMM
A particularly useful rainy-day option because there’s enough variety inside to suit both adults and families.
⛪ Exeter Cathedral
Swap grey skies for Gothic architecture and explore one of Exeter’s most important historic buildings.
🔦 Underground Passages
If you’re going underground anyway, the weather outside becomes rather irrelevant. Check suitability