Things to do in Torquay
Torquay's activities are coastal. The harbour is for boats and for walking, the beaches are in separate bays rather than one long strand, and the hills mean a view is usually earned. This page is a practical list for a few days based in Torquay. It is not a nightlife package.
Beaches and the cliff railway
Torre Abbey Sands is the central beach, in front of the old abbey meadow, and the easiest one if you are staying by the harbour. Oddicombe, at Babbacombe, is the prettier bay, under the cliffs. A historic cliff railway has long linked the cliff top with the beach. Check it is running on the day, because a closed lift turns the visit into a steep path. Meadfoot and a string of smaller coves to the east are the quieter swims if you are happy to walk. None of them is a surf beach. For Atlantic surf, go to Croyde on the north coast.
When the weather is mixed
Kents Cavern, in Wellswood, is a show cave in a limestone hill. It is the genuine wet-afternoon attraction, and it is more interesting than another hour in a cafe. Babbacombe Model Village is a long-running miniature village in the gardens above the bay. It is aimed at families and it does not pretend to be anything else. The museum in town is the Agatha Christie stop if one of you cares and the other wants to be indoors. Paignton Zoo, a bus or train ride around the bay, is the larger family day.
Walks and boats
The coast path around the headlands east of the harbour, towards Hope's Nose, is the walk that explains the town's bays. It is not a flat promenade all the way. Wear shoes you can stand on wet rock in. Boat trips leave from the harbour in season: along the coast, and sometimes out far enough to look for seals. They are the first thing cancelled in a blow, so have the cave or the model village as the reserve plan.
Brixham is the other half of a good day. The fishing harbour is a short trip around the bay, and Berry Head, just beyond it, is a limestone headland and nature reserve with a view back to Torquay. You can put the two together by bus without a car.
What this coast is not
Torbay is not a theme-park strip, and it is not improved by treating it as one. A week of beaches, one cave, one walk and a meal by the harbour is the stay that fits the place. If you want a pier and a tower and arcades, read the Blackpool guide instead. If you want a village and a ferry, read Shaldon.
Guide me to UK is an independent information site. We do not own hotels or take bookings. Fares, opening hours and timetables change, so confirm them before you travel. Reviewed October 2026.