Short answer: The Barbican is the old harbour quarter: cobbled streets, galleries, the Mayflower Steps and the boat trips. Parking is expensive, which is the one thing to plan around — Devil's Point gives three hours free a short way west. The cobbles are hard work with a buggy.
The surviving old quarter of Plymouth, around the harbour the city grew from. Cobbled streets, independent galleries, the Mayflower Steps where the 1620 crossing is commemorated, and fishing boats still working alongside the pleasure trips. Much of Plymouth was rebuilt after the war; the Barbican is what was left, and it is why people come.
Barbican parking is expensive and it is the default most visitors pick. Devil's Point, a short way west along the waterfront, gives three hours free with accessible paths and benches. Royal William Yard also has good parking. Walking in from either costs you fifteen minutes and saves a meaningful amount.
Trips leave from here out into the Sound, round the breakwater and past the dockyard. In a city whose entire story is the water, going out on it is the thing to do rather than an add-on — and it gives you the Hoe and the Barbican from the angle they were built to be seen from.
Fig & Thyme does the best brunch down here, but arrive early or expect to wait; evenings are Friday and Saturday only. The Village Restaurant does a good-value set lunch and knows its seafood — book, and be ready for noise.
The Barbican Kitchen sits inside the gin distillery with a changing seasonal menu, and is closed Monday and Sunday. Cafe and Bistro Tio Leo has six tables and a near-perfect reputation, so booking is not optional — also closed Monday and Sunday.
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