Short answer: Devil's Point at Stonehouse gives three hours of free parking, accessible paths and wide views across the Sound. The Lion's Den below the Hoe is the city's open-water bathing spot.
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. You can walk round to Royal William Yard from there, so one stop does two places.
The great open lawn above the Sound with Smeaton's Tower on it. Free, level, and the best view in the city.
Cobbled streets and the working harbour. Compact, which helps if the weather is against you.
The Lion's Den below the Hoe is a rocky bathing spot — once a men-only nudist lido with a glass roof, now open to everyone and popular with the city's year-round swimmers. Devil's Point also has good sea access with places to get changed.
This is deep, open water with tidal flow through the Sound. It suits confident swimmers who know the spot, not a casual first dip.
Almost everywhere opens later than usual on New Year's Day, and some places do not open at all. Ring in the morning rather than assuming.
The Box and the National Marine Aquarium both close on 1 January. In normal weeks The Box is the best free indoor day out in Devon — worth a separate trip.
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