Short answer: Sunday is a good day in Exeter, unlike most Devon towns. The Quay, the canal path and the parks are unaffected, the Fat Pig and Crave both do Sundays properly, and evensong at the cathedral is at 5.30pm. The Underground Passages are open on a Sunday — it is Monday to Wednesday they close.
Most Devon towns thin out on a Sunday. A city does not, and Exeter has enough going on that the day works without planning around closures. The free things — the Quay, the canal towpath, Riverside Valley Park, the cathedral green, the city wall and the gardens — are all unaffected.
The Sunday pub, with gluten-free Yorkshire puddings. Book — Sunday is the day it fills. Closed Monday and Tuesday, so Sunday is also the day it is at its best.
Small plates with live music on Sundays, which makes it the alternative if a roast is not the plan. Book ahead.
At 5.30pm. It is the way to hear the cathedral rather than tour it, and it costs nothing — worth knowing, given there is an admission charge to look round during the day. Check the day before travelling as services vary.
Shops keep shorter Sunday hours, and a few of the pubs and restaurants that close early in the week are also quieter on a Sunday evening. The Prospect Inn is closed Mondays rather than Sundays, so a Sunday evening drink on the quayside is fine.
This is where Exeter earns its keep. The Guildhall family garden, the passages, the covered centre and the cathedral mean a wet Sunday here still works, which is more than can be said for most of the county in late November.
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