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Exeter Cathedral
Attractions in Exeter

Exeter Cathedral and more: what to see in Exeter

In 2012, 340K people visited Royal Albert Memorial Museum. There are 10 places to visit inside Exeter’s built-up area, and 12 more within 5 km of its edge. They include 6 museums, 4 attractions and 3 historic houses. Of the places on our list, 2 are looked after by the National Trust. The best-known trip out is to Powderham Castle, 9.7 km away.

Photo: Exeter Cathedral, Rüdiger Wölk (CC BY-SA 2.5)
In Exeter
10
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
12
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
6
in or near town
Castles & historic places
8
in or near town
Cared for
2
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Top of the list in Exeter

Beyond Exeter Cathedral, there are 2 museums, 2 abbeys or priories and a castle.

CathedralExeter Cathedralin townMuseumRoyal Albert Memorial Museumin town · 340K visitors a year (2012)CastleRougemont Castlein townAbbey or priorySt Nicholas Prioryin townAbbey or prioryPolsloe Prioryin townMuseumThe Bill Douglas Cinema Museumin town

Each has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.

The map

Mapped

The map stretches to Haldon Belvedere (Lawrence Castle), 8.7 km away.

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The dashed line is Exeter’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022

By kind

The list by type

The two biggest groups: castles or historic places (8) and museums or galleries (6).

Museums & galleries 6 museums4 in town · 2 nearby
Castles & historic places 3 historic houses · 2 castles · 2 abbeys or priories · 1 cathedral4 in town · 4 nearby
Gardens & estates 1 park or estate · 1 garden0 in town · 2 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 theme park · 1 zoo0 in town · 2 nearby
Other attractions 4 attractions2 in town · 2 nearby

Green: inside Exeter. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.

2 places are cared for by the National Trust (Cranbrook Country Park and Budlake Old Post Office).

Every place

The whole list for Exeter

After the 10 in town come 12 more within 5 km of its edge.

The 10 inside Exeter come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.

762 listed buildings and 16 scheduled monuments are on Exeter’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Exeter →

Big names nearby

Worth the drive

The pick of the 12 is Powderham Castle, 9.7 km off.

CastlePowderham Castle9.7 km southHistoric house · National TrustKillerton House8.5 km northeastHistoric house · National TrustCastle Drogo21 km westHistoric house · National TrustA la Ronde12 km southeastCastleBickleigh Castle14 km northAttractionKents Cavern28 km southHistoric house · National TrustCompton Castle29 km southAbbey or prioryBuckfast Abbey32 km southwestCastleTiverton Castle20 km northCastle · English HeritageBerry Pomeroy Castle32 km southCastle · English HeritageOkehampton Castle35 km westHistoric house · National TrustKnightshayes23 km north

Places well known beyond Exeter (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.

Good to know in Exeter

What are the main attractions in Exeter?

The best known inside Exeter’s built-up area are Exeter Cathedral, Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Rougemont Castle and St Nicholas Priory. In all, 10 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 12 more within 5 km.

Does Exeter have a museum?

6 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Exeter: Royal Albert Memorial Museum, The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, Cricklepit Mill With Secondary Wheel Attached and Exeter's Underground Passages.

Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Exeter?

Yes. In or within 5 km of Exeter, 2 places are cared for by the National Trust (Cranbrook Country Park and Budlake Old Post Office).

What are the best-known days out near Exeter?

Within 40 km: Powderham Castle (9.7 km), Killerton House (8.5 km), Castle Drogo (21 km), A la Ronde (12 km).

Where are Exeter’s historic buildings listed?

Exeter has 762 listed buildings, 22 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Historic England’s list, not repeated here.

How is this list made?

From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Exeter when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.

Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.

Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (23)

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.