The Barbican & Sutton Harbour, Plymouth
South West
Plymouth

The historic Barbican and Sutton Harbour are the heart of the city's heritage with the oldest buildings and the greatest number of historical stories.

It's also a place where an eclectic cuisine mix of Italian, Greek, Turkish, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Indian, Himalayan, Mexican and British restaurants may all be found!

Around the Barbican, a vibrant place of cobbled streets, narrow lanes and more than 200 Listed Buildings, many of them Tudor and Jacobean, offer a wide range of cosmopolitan boutique shops, galleries, pubs, cafes and restaurants set amidst picturesque scenery.

The main street of Southside Street is home to the world famous Plymouth Gin Distillery, the building dating from the early 1400s and a former monastery inhabited by Black Friar Monks. Antique stores, galleries, boutique shops and cafes thrive on Southside Street, a draw to the thousands of coach tour visitors that pass through the Barbican every year.

Sutton Harbour is perfectly placed to make the most of all Plymouth has to offer, from unparalleled historic landmarks to some of the city’s largest and liveliest family attractions. The National Marine Aquarium, the largest aquarium in the UK with over 40 sharks, is at the entrance to the harbour, and visitors can also take boat tours to learn more about the local marine environment - or even catch a fish and learn how best to cook it. The lively waterfront culture of Sutton Harbour offers a welcome like no other, with unique, independent shops interspersed with a diverse range of first-class restaurants, cafes and bars.

Visit the famous Mayflower Steps from which the Pilgrim are believed to have left England aboard the Mayflower for a new life in America in 1620, discover Plymouth’s maritime heritage with the one-mile Sutton Harbour Heritage Trail, or see the sights from two wheels and take advantage of the two National Cycle Routes right on the harbour’s doorstep