Short answer: Exeter is the one place in Devon where rain changes nothing. The Underground Passages are medieval tunnels explored on a guided tour, the cathedral has the longest Gothic vaulted ceiling in England, and the Red Coat tours are free.
Every other town in this guide has a wet-weather caveat. Exeter does not. It is a city with a cathedral, museums, tunnels, a covered shopping centre and more restaurants than anywhere else in the county.
The Underground Passages are medieval tunnels built to bring clean water into the city, explored on a guided tour wearing a hard hat. Entirely indoors, genuinely unusual, and a hit with children old enough not to mind an enclosed space.
The longest uninterrupted Gothic vaulted ceiling in England, plus an astronomical clock. Worth going inside rather than sheltering in the doorway.
A free enclosed indoor play area on the first floor of the shopping centre, with a climbing frame. Almost nobody outside Exeter knows it exists, and on a wet afternoon with small children it is the most useful thing in this guide.
Free, on the quay, with a local museum upstairs and a changing gallery below.
The Red Coat guided tours are volunteer-led walking tours on several themes, including medieval Exeter and the city walls. Free, and they run in most weather.
iPlay at Marsh Barton is a long-running soft play with a well-regarded sensory room and areas for a wide age range, with its own parking.
Babylon on South Street is the highest-rated restaurant in the city. The Fat Pig does a Sunday roast people travel for. The Prospect Inn on the quay takes dogs seriously if you have one with you.
See the full Exeter guide, filtered by who's with you.
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