Plymouth is home to some of the most stunning and well known attractions throughout the UK. The coastline to either side of Plymouth into Devon and Cornwall is peppered with some of the country's most envied beaches and romantic hidden coves, and just on the edge of Plymouth, you get one of the finest and largest national parks in Britain - Dartmoor.

Plymouth has an interesting and varied history, and there are some fascinating local sites to be visited in the area dating from the 15th century onwards such as the famous Mayflower steps where the pilgrims set sail.

At the head of Plymouth Sound, one of the world's great natural harbours, Plymouth is a city with a rich maritime past. For hundreds of years this has been a naval base, and the cliffs along the harbour are armed with coastal forts and batteries from the 17th century to the Second World War.

You can stand on the Hoe, at the top of low limestone cliffs, to watch the comings and goings on the Sound, and potter around the cobblestone streets of the Barbican, where the Mayflower set sail for America in 1620. Britain's oldest gin distillery is here, producing the English national spirit for more than 225 years, while the old Victualling yard is a dynamic waterside neighbourhood with venerable 18th-century naval buildings.

Within Plymouth there are currently 37 ancient monuments including boundary stones, milestones and other markers which add great interest to the local heritage landscape. Our landmark and trail guides offer a great day for those interested in re-living Plymouth's past.

Being on the coastline of Devon, Plymouth has a number of marinas with incredible views and some offering an array of places to eat and attractions to give you that sense of a real coastal holiday experience.

You can travel to Plymouth through a variety of different transport links including car, coach, train, ferry or plane. Some journeys may require a multitude of these transport links to get here.

Travelling by car to Plymouth is easily accessible from most locations within the UK. Most driving routes will bring you onto the M5, which eventually merges to become the A38 bringing you directly to Plymouth. If you cross the Tamar Bridge towards Saltash then you've gone to far.

Drive time from London is around 4 hours. Drive time from Manchester is around 4.5 hours. Drive time from Cardiff is around 2.5 hours. If your arrival in England is at Exeter airport or Cardiff airport, a taxi service is your most likely means of travelling to Plymouth. If you'd like to travel in a little more comfort and style, consider using the services of a chauffeur service. A chauffeur service provides Plymouth airport transfers for a cost slightly above that of a traditional taxi, but the airport transfer will be handled by a professional, experienced chauffeur, and the vehicle you'll be in will be a luxury car.

With its rich maritime heritage and its status as the regional capital for culture, Plymouth is one of the most dynamic and fascinating places to visit in Devon.

Plymouth HoeA south-facing limestone rise, Plymouth Hoe has been used as a viewpoint to survey the Sound and the west end of the English Channel since time immemorial. Standing here you can see the entirety of Plymouth Sound, as well as Mount Edgcumbe in Cornwall and Drake's Island.

The story goes that Sir Francis Drake played a game of bowls here after the first sails of the Spanish Armada were sighted in 1588. A few of the attractions on this list are atop the Hoe, like the Royal Citadel and Smeaton's Tower. Down on the water is the Tinside Lido, a swish semi-circular outdoor pool with an Art Deco design.

Bantham BeachBantham beach is one of the best in South Devon and ticks all right the boxes if you want a typical English seaside holiday. This beach is part of the designated South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It's also won awards from the Marine Conservation Society and the coveted Blue Flag, so you know it's clean. You can see Bigbury Beach and Burgh Island from the beach.

Bantham is shallow and sandy so it's great for families with young children who want to do a little swimming or paddling, and there are lifeguards on duty from May to September. At low tide, you'll find loads of rockpools that warm up quickly in the sun and are perfect for crab hunting. Bantham is also one of the best surfing beaches in South Devon, with mellow waves for beginners while the mouth of the River Avon fires out rips and breaks to test even the seasoned surfer.

The beach is well served with its own facilities, including a beach shop where you can buy all the essentials. While dogs are not allowed on the beach between May and September they are allowed on the Estuary all year round, which you can get to at low tide.

National Marine AquariumPlymouth has the largest aquarium in the UK, which opened on reclaimed land in Sutton Harbour in 1998. The

National Marine Aquarium has habitats for 4,000 individual animals, from 400 species, across four main zones. You'll begin with a glimpse of the life found around Plymouth Sound, like sharks and rays, as well as the crustaceans and echinoderms that inhabit its rockpools.

The Eddystone Reef shows off the marine life around Britain, from conger eels, lobsters and pollock, to flatfish and smooth hound sharks. The Atlantic Ocean exhibit was refreshed in 2009 with the largest ever shipment of live fish to the UK, and has a tarpon, barracudas, upside-down jellyfish and sand-tiger sharks.