Discover Exeter: Art, History and Trails

When searching for a hotel in Exeter, it can help to first decide what you would like to focus on during your stay: contemporary art and performing arts, the city’s long history, or trails along the Exe. Exeter has specific places and activities for each of these interests, each with its own distinct character.

Art and Performing Arts

The Phoenix Gallery hosts contemporary art exhibitions featuring artists from the region, the United Kingdom and abroad. This gives the exhibition programme a broad perspective: alongside regional art, you can discover work from other parts of Britain and the international art scene.

Exeter Phoenix also offers a varied programme of performances, comedy, cabaret, dance and spoken word. If you are interested in the performing arts, these different formats complement a gallery visit with live events. If you are planning to attend a specific event, it is worth checking the relevant dates.

Architecture and Traces of the City’s History

Exeter Cathedral is an example of Gothic architecture and a cultural landmark. Another way to explore the past is through Rougemont Castle and Gardens: the site includes a Norman ringwork with walls, towers and an outer bailey. The area around Rougemont also preserves archaeological and environmental history evidence from long periods of settlement. Architecture and archaeological finds therefore offer different perspectives on the history of the place.

The Exon Domesday is also an important reference point for the region. The document contains unique information about politics, society and the landscape of south-western Britain around a thousand years ago. It focuses on a specific historical period, while the 16 galleries at the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery offer a broader timeframe and geographical scope: their subjects range from prehistory to the present day, and from Exeter to the wider world.

Admission to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery is free; check the details again before your visit. The museum is about 200 metres from both Exeter Central station and the High Street. Most buses stop on the High Street. These approximate distances help you get your bearings without specifying a walking time.

Guided Insights and Quayside History

Exeter’s underground passages were built to house pipes carrying clean drinking water in medieval Exeter. You can visit them on a guided tour. Before the tour, the Heritage Centre at the Underground Passages offers interactive exhibitions and explanations. This puts both the passages’ historical purpose and an introduction before the guided visit at the centre of the experience.

Another way to discover Exeter is on the Exeter Red Coat Guided Tours. They run daily throughout the year and last about 90 minutes. With the exception of the Historic Quayside tours and the Canal Boat Tour, they start at the Richard Hooker statue on Cathedral Green. Check the tour schedule before your visit, especially if you have a particular tour in mind. The Custom House Visitor Centre presents the history and development of Exeter’s Quayside through engaging displays, illustrations and artefacts.

Nature and Trails Around Exeter

Even within the city, you can connect nature with industrial history: the earliest known mill at Cricklepit Mill was built as a fulling mill in the 13th century and used to process woollen cloth. Cricklepit Mill is also home to an award-winning wildlife park and nature garden in Exeter. These aspects point to different sides of the place; the mill’s history and today’s nature garden are not the same subject.

There are two distinct routes to consider for walks. The Exeter Green Circle is a 12-mile trail along Exeter’s boundaries. The Exe Estuary Trail connects Exmouth, Exeter and Dawlish along the Exe estuary and offers views of the River Exe. The first route is defined by its length and course along the city boundaries; the second by the places it connects and its views of the river. When planning, you can decide whether you would rather focus on Exeter itself or follow a route along the estuary.

Whether you want art, historical evidence, guided tours or trails along the Exe to shape your stay, each activity offers a different focus. These interests can be a useful starting point when planning a suitable hotel stay in Exeter.

Discover more destinations: Lynton, Yarcombe, Beaworthy, Bottreaux Mill, Broadwoodwidger, Upottery, Bideford, Georgeham.

For the broader travel overview: Devon.