Short answer: Meadfoot has very limited parking and the on-street spaces are gone by nine. Torre Abbey Sands has plenty of paid parking along the front. Cockington Country Park is free to enter and the best value in Torquay, and Babbacombe is best approached by parking on the Downs and taking the cliff railway down.
Parking here depends entirely on which bit you are aiming for, and the answers are different. The harbour and Victoria Parade is where the eating and drinking is. Torre Abbey Sands is the main beach. Babbacombe is up on the cliffs to the north. Cockington is inland. Treat them as separate trips rather than expecting to park once.
Meadfoot is the locals' swimming beach and the parking reflects that. There is paid parking at one end and some on-street spaces, and reviewers report the free spaces filling by nine in the morning. If you are going to Meadfoot on a sunny day, go early — there is no overflow to fall back on.
The road down to Babbacombe beach is steep with sharp bends, and parking at the bottom gets harder the later you arrive. The better plan is to park up on Babbacombe Downs — the highest promenade in England, so the views are the compensation — and take the cliff railway down to Oddicombe. It costs a couple of pounds each way, takes four minutes, is card payment only, and dogs travel.
Cockington Country Park has no entrance fee at all — a thatched village, manor house, craft workshops, lakes, woodland walks and playgrounds, plus two tea rooms and a pub. Parking can be difficult when it is busy, but for a whole free day out it is the best thing in Torquay.
See the full Torquay guide, filtered by who's with you.
Plan your day near Torquay →