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Plymouth Cathedral
Attractions in Plymouth

What to see in Plymouth, from Plymouth Cathedral on

Of the 39 places to visit in and around Plymouth, 23 are castles or historic places. Look within 5 km of its edge and the list grows by 17 beyond the 22 inside Plymouth’s built-up area. Heritage bodies look after 3 of them: 2 by the National Trust and 1 by English Heritage. The big name further out is Launceston Castle, 32 km from the centre.

Photo: Plymouth Cathedral, Chris Downer (CC BY-SA 2.0)
In Plymouth
22
inside the built-up area
Within 5 km
17
of the town’s edge
Museums & galleries
11
in or near town
Castles & historic places
23
in or near town
Cared for
3
National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw and others
Best known

Plymouth’s best known

After Plymouth Cathedral, look out for 3 castles, a museum and an aquarium.

CathedralPlymouth Cathedralin townMuseumHMS Courageousin townCastle · English HeritageRoyal Citadelin townCastlePlympton Castlein townCastleCrownhill Fortin townAquariumNational Marine Aquariumin 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

Finding your way

The map ends at Buckland Abbey, 10 km out.

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The dashed line is Plymouth’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

What there is to see

23 are castles or historic places; museums or galleries come next with 11.

Museums & galleries 11 museums7 in town · 4 nearby
Castles & historic places 11 forts · 5 castles · 5 historic houses · 1 cathedral · 1 abbey or priory12 in town · 11 nearby
Gardens & estates 1 garden0 in town · 1 nearby
Zoos, theme parks & days out 1 aquarium · 1 water park · 1 zoo2 in town · 1 nearby
Other attractions 1 attraction1 in town

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

3 places are cared for: 2 by the National Trust and 1 by English Heritage (Royal Citadel, Saltram House and Buckland Abbey).

Every place

All of it

The town has 22; within 5 km of its edge, the list finds 17 more.

The 22 inside Plymouth 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.

738 listed buildings and 29 scheduled monuments are on Plymouth’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Plymouth →

Big names nearby

Days out

Head 32 km out for Launceston Castle, the best known of 12.

Castle · English HeritageLaunceston Castle32 km northwestHistoric house · National TrustCotehele House14 km northwestAbbey or prioryBuckfast Abbey27 km northeastCastle · English HeritageRestormel Castle39 km westCastle · English HeritageLydford Castle28 km northCastle · English HeritageTotnes Castle31 km eastMuseumMorwellham Quay14 km northCastle · English HeritageBerry Pomeroy Castle35 km eastCastle · English HeritageOkehampton Castle39 km northMuseum · English HeritageKing Doniert's Stone28 km northwestHistoric house · National TrustGreenway House38 km eastHistoric house · National TrustCompton Castle38 km east

Places well known beyond Plymouth (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.

Your questions on Plymouth

What are the main attractions in Plymouth?

The best known inside Plymouth’s built-up area are Plymouth Cathedral, HMS Courageous, Royal Citadel and Plympton Castle. In all, 22 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 17 more within 5 km.

Does Plymouth have a museum?

11 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Plymouth: HMS Courageous, Plym Valley Railway, The Box and Devonport Naval Heritage Centre.

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

Yes. In or within 5 km of Plymouth, 3 places are cared for: 2 by the National Trust and 1 by English Heritage (Royal Citadel, Saltram House and Buckland Abbey).

What are the best-known days out near Plymouth?

Within 40 km: Launceston Castle (32 km), Cotehele House (14 km), Buckfast Abbey (27 km), Restormel Castle (39 km).

Where are Plymouth’s historic buildings listed?

Plymouth has 738 listed buildings, 20 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 Plymouth 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 (39)

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.