What's the best single day out near Torquay with children?

Paignton Zoo is the strongest option for a full family day, as it's big enough to fill several hours. For younger children who'd prefer something smaller and more hands-on, Foxdown Childrens Farm at Lyme Regis or Shaldon Zoo (Shaldon Wildlife Trust) at Dawlish are better suited.

Where can we go if it rains?

The Indoor Fun Pool at Exmouth is the most reliable wet-weather option with children. Exmouth Museum is nearby for a short stop afterwards. Other indoor choices include the Cookworthy Museum and Overbeck's House at Salcombe, the Mayflower Museum at Looe, and the Sidmouth Toy and Model Museum.

Are there places to swim?

Yes. Tinside Lido at Looe is the outdoor option, while the Indoor Fun Pool at Exmouth is the indoor one. Pack swimming kit regardless of the forecast, as weather in the area changes quickly.

What is there for people interested in history and heritage?

Brixham Battery and the Site of Old Torbay Aircraft Museum, both at Paignton, cover military and aviation history. The Mayflower Museum at Looe covers maritime history, and the Cookworthy Museum and Overbeck's House at Salcombe are both worth a visit. Smaller Devon stops include St. Lawrence Chapel, Church House, Rora House and the Monastic Way Exhibition.

Waterside Bistro and The Salterton Arms are pubs and inns with five-star hygiene ratings, both good for an evening meal. Alf Resco is a tea room for breakfast or an afternoon break, Krispies does fish and chips, and Taste of Sidmouth is the place for ice cream.

How many places are there to stay in the Torquay region on BritStays?

There are 167 places to stay listed in the region, which gives plenty of scope to pick a base and then plan days out around it.

Holidays in Torquay | Breaks, Parks & Cottages

Torquay makes an easy base for a few days out in Devon. You've got zoos and wildlife centres, a long list of small museums, a couple of swimming spots and enough indoor options to rescue a wet afternoon. There are 167 places to stay on BritStays in the region, so it's the sort of trip you can build around whatever you book rather than the other way round.

Best days out for families

Paignton Zoo is the obvious anchor for a family day, and it's big enough to fill one properly. If you want something gentler, Shaldon Zoo (Shaldon Wildlife Trust) over at Dawlish is a smaller, closer-up sort of visit, and Foxdown Childrens Farm at Lyme Regis suits younger children who'd rather feed something than walk a long loop.

For a change of pace, Mansell Raceway at Sidmouth gives older children and teenagers something to do that isn't looking at animals, and the Sidmouth Toy and Model Museum is a reliable hit with children who collect things — and with the adults who used to.

Younger children: Foxdown Childrens Farm, Shaldon Zoo (Shaldon Wildlife Trust)
Mixed ages: Paignton Zoo, Sidmouth Toy and Model Museum
Teenagers: Mansell Raceway, Tinside Lido

Where to go when it rains

Devon weather turns quickly, so it pays to have a wet-weather plan written down before you set off. The Indoor Fun Pool at Exmouth is the most dependable option with children in tow — swimming is swimming, whatever the sky is doing. Nearby, Exmouth Museum is a small, local-history sort of place that works well as a half-hour stop rather than a full morning.

Elsewhere, the Cookworthy Museum and Overbeck's House at Salcombe both give you a proper indoor visit, and the Mayflower Museum at Looe is worth an hour if anyone in the party likes maritime history. The Monastic Way Exhibition, St. Lawrence Chapel, Church House and Rora House are all smaller Devon museum stops — handy for filling a gap, less so for a whole day.

Heritage and history

If museums are the point of the trip rather than the backup plan, you can build a decent itinerary. Brixham Battery at Paignton and the Site of Old Torbay Aircraft Museum, also at Paignton, both lean military and aviation. Pair either with the Mayflower Museum for a seafaring theme, or with Overbeck's House and the Cookworthy Museum if you'd rather spend the day around Salcombe.

The Plym Valley Railway is listed among the museums too, and railways tend to go down well with people who think they don't like museums.

Outdoors and water

Tinside Lido at Looe is the standout outdoor swim if conditions are kind — take a towel and low expectations about the water temperature. Paignton Zoo doubles as an outdoors day in decent weather, as does Foxdown Childrens Farm. Keep the Indoor Fun Pool at Exmouth in reserve for the days when outdoor swimming stops being a good idea.

Grouping it into sensible days

The trick is to cluster by town rather than hopping between them. A few combinations that work:

Paignton day: Paignton Zoo in the morning, then Brixham Battery or the Site of Old Torbay Aircraft Museum if there's energy left.
Salcombe day: Cookworthy Museum, Overbeck's House and the Plym Valley Railway.
Sidmouth day: Mansell Raceway and the Sidmouth Toy and Model Museum, finished with ice cream.
Exmouth day: Indoor Fun Pool, then Exmouth Museum.

One big attraction plus one small one is a realistic day with children. Two big ones usually isn't.

Where to eat

For a sit-down meal, Waterside Bistro and The Salterton Arms are both pubs and inns with five-star hygiene ratings — the sort of place to book if you're eating out as a group. Alf Resco is a tea room, which makes it a good breakfast or mid-afternoon stop between attractions. Krispies handles the fish and chips, and Taste of Sidmouth is the one to remember if you've spent the day around Sidmouth with children.

Turning it into a short break

Three or four nights is about right. Give one day to Paignton Zoo, one to a museum cluster around Salcombe, and keep a flexible day for weather — swimming at Tinside Lido if it's fine, the Indoor Fun Pool and Exmouth Museum if it isn't.

Practical points: check opening days for the smaller museums before you drive anywhere, as places like St. Lawrence Chapel and Church House won't necessarily be open all week. Book pub tables for evenings rather than chancing it. Pack swimming kit even if the forecast looks poor, and carry a change of clothes in the car for anyone visiting a farm or zoo.