Short answer: Devil's Point at Stonehouse gives three hours of free parking, accessible paths and wide views across the Sound — and you can walk round to Royal William Yard from there. The Hoe is free and open.
The Hoe, the Barbican, Royal William Yard and Devil's Point — all free, all outdoors, all open. Plymouth is a city, so Boxing Day here is quiet rather than shut.
A headland at Stonehouse with wide views across the Sound, accessible paths, benches and three hours of free parking. The best free parking in the city, and most visitors never find it. From there you can walk round to Royal William Yard, so one stop does two places.
The great open lawn above the Sound with Smeaton's Tower on it. Free, level, and the view is the best in the city.
Cobbled streets and the working harbour. Compact, which matters if the weather is against you.
Ring before you set off. Boxing Day hours are decided late, change year to year, and are the single thing most likely to be wrong online. A two-minute call beats a wasted drive.
The Box and the National Marine Aquarium both close on Boxing Day. In normal weeks The Box is the best free indoor day out in Devon — worth a separate trip rather than trying to fit it in now.
Devil's Point and Saltram are the two good walks. Saltram has acres of parkland and dogs are now welcome in parts of the garden.
If you want to eat out, book now rather than in December. The places that do serve on Boxing Day fill weeks ahead, and the ones that do not take bookings have queues instead.
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