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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Exeter
Give Exeter 2 nights: one full day for the cathedral, quayside and walls, one for a day trip. Skip it as a base if you want coast or moor every day.
Exeter is a compact cathedral city and the county town of Devon, 2 h 30 min by train from London Paddington. The centre is walkable in an afternoon, so most travellers use it for two nights and pair it with the coast at Exmouth or the moor at Dartmoor. It works as a base for east Devon, less so for the far south-west.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep; Apr and Oct are quieter and cheaper
- Avoid
- Aug (school holidays, busiest), Dec–Feb (short days, some attractions closed)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–70 excl. bed · Mid £70–120 excl. bed · High £120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | £3–4.50 |
| Pub main course | £12–18 |
| Cream tea | £6–9 |
| City bus single | £2–3 (check) |
| Taxi, 3 km (1.9 mi)Taxi, 1.9 mi (3 km) | £8–12 |
| Cathedral admission, adult | £8.50 (check) |
| Underground Passages tour | £4.90 adult, £3.40 child (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- EXT · Exeter Airport
- 5 miles east of the centre; Stagecoach bus 56 to St David's station, about 20 min, or a taxi
- LHR · London Heathrow
- National Express coach to Exeter, about 5 h; rail via Paddington is usually faster
Typical fares
- London Paddington → Exeter St David's
- about 2 h 30 min; advance singles from about £30, walk-up fares far higher (check)
- Exeter St David's → Exmouth
- about 30 min (check)
- Airport bus 56 to St David's
- about 20 min, single about £3 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The centre is small enough to walk: cathedral to quayside is about 15 min downhill. Stagecoach runs most city buses; a day ticket is cheaper than three singles. Exeter has four stations — St David's (main line), Central (closest to the centre), St Thomas and St James's Park — so check which one your train uses. Taxis queue at St David's and the top of the High Street; private hire must be booked.
See and do
Known for
- Exeter Cathedral
- Roman and medieval city walls
- Historic quayside and ship canal
- Royal Albert Memorial Museum
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Topsham | Train from Exeter St David's or Central, about 15 min, or cycle the canal towpath | About 30 min |
| Exmouth | Train from St David's along the Riviera Line, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Dartmoor (Haytor area) | Train or bus to Newton Abbot, then bus; a car is far easier | 1.5–2 h |
| Plymouth | Train from St David's, about 1 h | About 1 h 15 min |
| Colyton | Train to Axminster, then bus; or drive the A35 | 1.5–2 h |
Sleep
- City centre (Cathedral Green, High Street)
- Walk to everything; priciest and noisiest on weekend nights.
- St David's station area
- Best for early trains and onward trips; 15 min walk or a short bus to the centre.
- The Quay
- Canal-side, quieter, good for cyclists and walkers; 10–15 min uphill to the centre.
- St Leonard's / Magdalen Road
- Residential, cheaper, independent shops and food; 10 min walk east of the centre.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Excuse me / Sorry |
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Please | Please |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the toilet? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- You cannot drive onto the High Street; use a park & ride (Honiton Road, Sowton, Matford) or a city car park.
- The cathedral charges admission and closes to tourists during services: check times before you go.
- The Underground Passages are narrow and not for claustrophobic visitors; tours are timed.
- Summer weekends on the quayside and in Princesshay are busy; book restaurants ahead.
- Coastal trains along the Riviera Line can be disrupted by sea-wall weather in winter.
Exeter is a low-risk city. Watch for pickpockets in Princesshay and on weekend nights around the High Street, take care on the unlit canal towpath after dark, and expect fast traffic on the ring road.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Exeter yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Exeter Cathedral
- Roman and medieval city walls
- Historic quayside and ship canal
- Royal Albert Memorial Museum
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Exeter (official tourism): www.visitexeter.com/
- Exeter City Council: exeter.gov.uk/
- National Rail — Exeter St David's: www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/EXD.aspx
- Exeter Cathedral: www.exeter-cathedral.org.uk/
- Royal Albert Memorial Museum: www.rammuseum.org.uk/
- Wikivoyage: Exeter, revision 5272645 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5272645
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Exeter
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Exeter; the US, Canadian, Australian and Irish embassies are in London. Consular help for most countries is via London.
English is spoken everywhere; no phrase list needed.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/exeter). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.