Short answer: Plymouth is a city, so nothing closes. The Box is free with a mammoth and a 4D film, the Barbican is compact and cobbled, and Royal William Yard is a vast 1830s naval yard full of restaurants.
Plymouth is the largest place in this guide and it runs normally all winter. For the south-west corner of Devon it is the reliable wet-weather day, and most of the best of it is free.
The city museum and gallery — free to enter, with a mammoth, a 4D history film and well-judged exhibitions. It is the best free indoor day out in Devon and it is barely known outside the city. Allow longer than you think.
The old town that survived the war — cobbled streets, galleries, independent shops and a working harbour. It is compact, which matters in January, and the Mayflower Museum is on it with interactive bits for younger children.
A vast 1830s naval victualling yard converted into restaurants, bars and a cinema, with coastal walks around it and a ferry across to Cornwall. Thick granite buildings, which is exactly what you want in a Devon winter.
Devil's Point at Stonehouse is a free headland with wide views, accessible paths and three hours of free parking. Saltram on the edge of the city has acres of parkland and now allows dogs into parts of the garden.
Fig & Thyme Kitchen does the best brunch on the Barbican — arrive at opening. Pier One on the Hoe opens at seven with a log burner in the middle of the room. The Village Restaurant on Southside Street does a good-value set lunch.
Winter opening is where online listings are least reliable. Ring before you drive — several places here show as closed on Google and answer the phone perfectly happily.
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