Plymouth Gladiators

Britain's largest aquarium and the deepest in Europe. You'll find it located near the historical Barbican area, which includes Britain's oldest bakery (Jacka's), and the Mayflower Steps from where the Pilgrim Fathers left for the New World in 1621. It's great for families too. You can reach it from the Mayflower Steps/Barbican by crossing the bridge across the lock that gives access to the marina. The bridge swings to let boats pass, which is fun to watch. An admission charge applies though with unlimited entry for 1 year. The aquarium also has an excellent fish restaurant outside, where you can eat in or take away.

A large public park on the waterfront, iconic of Plymouth. According to legend, it was the scene of Sir Francis Drake's apocryphal game of bowls prior to his taking on the Spanish Armada in 1588. Today, you get a great view of the Sound from the Hoe, including Royal Navy ships which are usually present daily. Stand on the Hoe and look out to sea, to see what you can see! Plymothians and visitors come here to take in the sea, soak up the sun in summer, play football, walk their dogs, just take a walk, and generally enjoy themselves. The lighthouse Seaton's Tower provides wonderful views of the city, the Sound, and the sea, while there are many other monuments dotted around the Hoe, including monuments to the dead of the Royal Navy in all conflicts to date, a statue of Sir Francis Drake, and various others. There used to be a 'Plymouth Eye' Ferris wheel, but this has now been closed. The official residence of the Lord Mayor, 3 Elliot Terrace, also overlooks the Hoe. Armed Forces Day and other city celebrations generally have their centrepiece here on the Hoe.

High on the Hoe, this is a landmark of Plymouth and often depicted in scenes of the city. It is a lighthouse, painted white and red, constructed on Eddystone reef in 1759 at a cost of £40,000 by the engineer John Smeaton. It was an incredible engineering achievement of its time, and has been featured on numerous TV shows including the BBC's Coast. Built of interlocking granite blocks, one of its innovations was that it was shaped like an oak tree (i.e. wider at the base) which enabled it to withstand the sea, on a rock where two previous lighthouses had been washed away. Eventually, it was found the rock it was standing on was being undermined by the sea so it was replaced by a Victorian lighthouse in the 19th century, and Smeaton's Tower was moved to Plymouth Hoe as a monument. It has since become an icon of the city. Climb up for spectacular views and for exhibits on lighthouse life; you have to get up by steep ladders, but it's worth it if you are able. It is operated by a Plymouth City Council non-profit company.

A 20th-century commemorative feature built close to the site where the Pilgrim Fathers left aboard the repaired Mayflower, before crossing the Atlantic Ocean to live in North America. Today boat trips leave from there for tours of Plymouth Sound, although the original site is believed to be where the Admiral McBride public house now stands. (Although the Mayflower Steps still are where tourists stand and look). On shore, opposite the steps, is a building which houses an exhibition about the Pilgrim Fathers and the Mayflower, and the city's Tourist Information Centre.

The oldest part of Plymouth. The main street is called New Street but used to be called Rag Street. This is the historic heart of Plymouth with lots of art galleries, restaurants, shops and holiday homes. There are also great pubs and bars and just to walk around it you can feel a great atmosphere, even more so if you are drinking outside on a summer evening. Some more of Sense and Sensibility was filmed here. If you are a fan of art, the Barbican has several specialty shops, craft work shops and art galleries. Many local artists have won global reputations, including Beryl Cook, Lee Woods, Brian Pollard and the late Robert Lenkiewicz.

Focused on Royal Parade and Armada Way, has been much maligned by locals and the media. It is, however, worth stopping to have a look around you when you're in town. As the most complete example of a post-war reconstruction in the UK, this is a historically and architecturally significant district. It was planned by none other than Patrick Abercrombie, who also redesigned Hong Kong, and some of the buildings boast Thomas Tait as their architect. With a modern, almost American look, it was, in the words of Professor Jeremy Gould, 'an egalitarian grid, spacious, airy, uncomplicated, accessible and gapingly open to all... the architecture of the future: clean, bright, democratic and, most of all, optimistic.' Some of the best examples of the 1950s style are found along the main axis of Royal Parade and Armada Way, including the Royal Bank of Scotland building, the Pearl Assurance House and the former Co-Op Building at Derry's Cross.