Forget about the typical New Year's resolutions - how about you set yourself a New Year's Exeter checklist! Try out a new activity, visit somewhere you haven't before, learn a new skill and much more. The opportunities are endless.
Visit somewhere in Exeter you haven’t been to before
Make 2023 the year you discover parts of Exeter you haven't visited before!
Get outdoors, get more active
Exeter has plenty of ways to get active. Get some fresh air and discover Exeter on foot on our recently-rennovated heritage trails, hire a Co Bike and explore the exe estuary, or a stop by Saddles and Paddles and rent a kayak, canoe, paddleboard and get on the water - the choice is yours!
Try new recipes using local ingredients
Want to test out some new, healthy recipes this year? Located in the heart of Devon, Exeter is a great place to pick up all the local ingredients you need!
Visit a new restaurant/café
Exeter’s location in the heart of Devon, surrounded by glorious rolling hills and close to the stunning coastline, means that we aren’t short of locally-sourced food and drink. It’s easy to see why our city has been voted one of the top places to eat out in the UK, by Which Good Food Guide. The Exeter Food and Drink Trail celebrates our incredible eateries and producers. It's time to try our fantastic local food and drink for yourself - take a look at our website and make a list of the restaurants you fancy!
Reduce your carbon footprint and start shopping local
Discover friendly, independent shops in surrounding streets offering a brilliantly different range of sustainable, eco, artisan, vintage fashions, jewellery, crafts and gifts. InExeter’s brand-new digital independent gift card is great way to support ‘indies’ across the city – the first of its kind in the UK!
Learn a new foodie skill
Exeter’s foodie experiences are second to none. Distil your very own gin at the newly-opened Quayside Gin Distillery or Exeter Gin School, embark on a tour of Exeter Brewery or try a masterclass at One Mile Bakery.
Improve your fitness
Join Exeter Leisure and discover the award-winning St Sidwell's Point this year!
For those itching to get back into the gym this year, this one is for you. The gym at St Sidwell’s Point has over 100 stations, a designated free weights area plus group exercise zones – including an indoor cycling studio and two fitness studios!
The state-of-the-art swimming pool has 8 lanes, a confidence pool and learner’s pool – both pools have moveable floors! (Yes, you read that correctly!) Meaning that learning to swim is accessible to all who visit. Fun fact: the water quality of the pool is the best in the country, due to a special filtration system!
The Spa at St Sidwell’s Point offers the ultimate in luxury and relaxation. With a range of lavish treatments and top of the range facilities – a trip to St Sidwell’s Point spa is the perfect way to relax, unwind and stimulate all the senses.
Book dates in your diary
Exeter is jam-packed full of exciting events in 2023. From musicians at the top of the charts, wild adventures at Powderham Castle, festivals dedicated to food and much, more more. Keep an eye on our major events page throughout the year to be updated with the latest!
Read a new book
In Exeter, literature is an important part of our culture - the city became the only UK destination in 2019 to be awarded UNESCO City of Literature status! Head to Exeter Cathedral and admire the Exeter Book, a 10th-century anthology of Anglo-Saxon poetry and riddles, explore the Devon and Exeter Institution’s two unique libraries filled with historic books or explore the Custom House Visitor Centre, home to a number of Quay Words Writers-In-Residence, and learn some fascinating facts about the history of the area.
Find out more about Exeter on a free Red Coat Tour
Whilst you've been wandering around our city, you've probably noticed smiley characters dressed in red, leading groups of excited visitors! These are the much-loved Exeter Red Coat Guides, volunteers providing FREE guided walking tours around the city.
These tours are perfect if you want to delve into Exeter's rich, fascinating history and to discover parts of Exeter you may haven't already visited.
Cheer on our local sports teams
In Exeter we’re passionate about sport. Home to Premiership Rugby team the Exeter Chiefs, football fixtures at Exeter City FC, and exciting competitive horse racing at Exeter Racecourse, there is plenty of opportunity to immerse yourself in the thrill of spectator sports in Exeter.
Exeter Red Coat Guided Tours
Walking Tour
Find out more about the city’s turbulent history on a free guided walking tour with the Red Coat Guides, running daily throughout the year.
Saddles and Paddles
Boating and Canoeing
Bike and canoe hire from Exeter's historic quayside. Explore the old canal trail. Seven miles of flat, traffic free cycling in beautiful countryside. The canoes are great fun and easy to use for exploring this beautiful waterway.
Co Bikes
Cycle Hire
Experience an easy, enjoyable, electric Exeter with Co Bikes.
The hire-by-the-half hour electric bikes are great fun to use and perfect for exploring the hilly city of Exeter. Riders can hire, ride and drop the bikes off at any Co Bikes site – much like London’s ‘Boris Bikes’ except purely with electric bikes.
The City Wall Trail
Walking Route
A superb self-guided tour. Pick up a free leaflet from Exeter Visitor Information & Tickets & discover the history of Exeter's City Wall.
The Medieval Trail
Walking Route
Discover Exeter's medieval past, find out about many of Exeter's surviving gems and the events that helped to shape this period of Exeter's past.
Exeter Woollen TrailSelf guided heritage trail through Exeter. For children there are quizzes and puzzles to solve along the way.
Custom House Visitor Centre
Heritage/Visitor Centre
The Custom House Visitor Centre is in the centre of Exeter's historic quayside & occupies one of the most historic buildings on the waterfront.
Exeter Cathedral
Cathedral/Minster
Medieval cathedral. Fine example of Gothic Decorated style. Longest unbroken stretch of Gothic vaulting in the world. Image screen on West Front, Minstrels' Gallery and tombs. Expert guided tours, trails and activities for the family
Devon & Exeter Institution
Arts & Heritage
The Institution occupies historic premises at the heart of Exeter in the Cathedral Close. Adapted from what was once a house belonging to the Courtenay family, the library of the Institution is housed in two elegant Georgian rooms which provide space for research and reading, educational activities, cultural events and lectures.
Exeter Gin
Local Shop
Winner of the award for Best Classic Gin at the Great British Food Awards 2020, Exeter's own premium gin is made in small batches and produced in a traditional copper still.
One Mile Bakery Exeter
Cooking / Wine Tasting
Amazing handmade bread, soups & preserves delivered in Exeter by bike & inspirational baking classes.
Darts Farm Shopping Village
Buy Online
Darts Farm is a vibrant, nationally award-winning Farm Shop based in the historic estuary town of Topsham, overlooking the beautiful Clyst Valley. A unique lifestyle shopping experience with a working farm at its heart, Darts Farm showcases the best food and drink the region has to offer and is home to a selection of handpicked specialist retailers. These include The AGA Shop, Fired Earth, Orange Tree, Cotswold, RSPB, Energy Hair and the Treatment Loft.
Salt at The Salutation Inn
Independent Shop
Salt is wet fish deli in the heart of the maritime town of Topsham, near Exeter, offering the freshest local seafood.
St Sidwell's Point Leisure Centre
Leisure/Swimming Pool
Welcome to St Sidwell’s Point, Exeter’s brand new, state-of-the-art leisure centre, in the heart of the city centre.
St Sidwell’s Point is the first leisure facility in the UK to be built to the ultra-energy efficient Passivhaus standard, meaning energy consumption is reduced by 70% when compared with industry best practice standards. Visitors can also enjoy improved air quality, optimal air temperatures, and natural lighting due to the unique design and materials used to build our city’s new leisure complex.
Find three pools at St Sidwell’s Point - 25 metre, 8 lane competition pool, a 20 metre learner pool, all of which has a moveable floor to suit various activities. Enjoy an exceptional swimming experience thanks to ultra-filtration an
Exeter Racecourse
Sports Ground/Stadium
Welcome to Exeter Racecourse... the South West's most prestigious racecourse, sitting high on the top of Haldon Hill, just outside Exeter with wonderful views down towards Dartmoor.
Exeter City FC
Sports Ground/Stadium
St James Park, home of Exeter City Football Club who play in the EFL League One, the third tier of the English football leagues.
Exeter Cathedral
Cathedral/Minster
Medieval cathedral. Fine example of Gothic Decorated style. Longest unbroken stretch of Gothic vaulting in the world. Image screen on West Front, Minstrels' Gallery and tombs. Expert guided tours, trails and activities for the family
Exeter's Underground Passages
Historic Site
The Passages were built to house the pipes that brought clean drinking water into medieval Exeter. A guided tour of Exeter's Underground Passages is a memorable event - narrow, dark, interesting and exciting.
Board
Games & Card Games
A board game bar & restaurant, with over 300 games to play while sitting in cosy seating, with a delicious range of food & drink to enjoy.
The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
Museum
A museum dedicated to the audience's experience of the moving image. Explore the visual culture from magic lanterns to Marilyn Monroe.
The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum is an ACE Accredited public museum dedicated to our experience of the moving image. Visitors can explore popular visual culture through exhibits of toys, artefacts, images and memorabilia from the seventeenth century to the present day.
It is home to one of the largest collections of material relating to the moving image in Britain. We are both an accredited public museum and an academic research facility and we hold a collection of over 75,000 items. Over 1,000 of our items are on display, and everyone is welcome to visit our galleries seven days a week (except bank holidays