South West England
Cheap date ideas in Exeter
Updated
Exeter does a lot for not much. RAMM, the city’s museum, is free to walk in and out of, and so is the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum on the university campus. Join a free Red Coat walking tour to learn the city in an hour and a half, stroll the Quayside past the Custom House, or slip into Northernhay and Rougemont Gardens beside the Roman wall. For a few pounds, put on a hard hat for the medieval Underground Passages, hire bikes for the canal path down to the Turf, or catch a film or gig at Exeter Phoenix. The Old Firehouse is good for pizza late on. Further out, Haytor and the walk to Orcombe Point at Exmouth are free.
Our picks
Royal Albert Memorial Museum
Queen Street, city centre
Address: Queen Street, Exeter EX4 3RX- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
Wander the city's free museum, known to everyone as RAMM, from Roman Exeter and Devon wildlife to a giraffe on the stairs and galleries of art and objects from around the world.
Why it's a good date: Big enough to fill a wet afternoon and free to walk in and out of. Pick a favourite object each and show each other, then have lunch in the café.
Photo: David Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Exeter's Underground Passages
Paris Street, by Princesshay
Address: 2 Paris Street, Exeter EX1 1GA- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
Put on a hard hat and follow a guide through the narrow medieval tunnels that once carried fresh water under the city, the only passages of their kind in Britain you can visit.
Why it's a good date: A proper little adventure right under the shops, and dry whatever the weather. Book ahead, especially in school holidays, and skip it if tight spaces aren't your thing.
Photo: Stephen Craven, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum
The Old Library, Prince of Wales Road, University of Exeter
Address: The Old Library, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter EX4 4SB- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
Browse a free museum of film and the moving image on the university campus, from magic lanterns and peep shows to old cinema posters and film-star souvenirs.
Why it's a good date: Quiet, quirky and lovely for film fans, and it costs nothing. Pair it with a show at the Northcott, which is a short walk across campus.
Photo: Ridiculopathy, CC0 (cropped and resized)
Exeter Quayside
The Quay, below the city walls
Address: Custom House Visitor Centre, The Quay, Exeter EX2 4AN- Outdoors
- Free
- Romantic
Stroll the old quay by the river, cross the little bridges past the 17th-century Custom House and the brick warehouses, and stop for a drink by the water.
Why it's a good date: One of the prettiest spots in the city, and lovely as the light goes. Poke around the craft and antique shops in the old cellars, then pick a pub on the water.
Photo: Simon Cobb, CC0 (resized)
Cycle the canal to the Turf
From Exeter Quay to Turf Locks, about five miles south
Address: Saddles & Paddles, 4 Kings Wharf, The Quay, Exeter EX2 4AN- Activity
- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Active
Hire bikes on the quay and ride the flat towpath down the Exeter Ship Canal, past Double Locks, to the Turf, a pub at the sea lock where the canal meets the Exe estuary.
Why it's a good date: There's no road to the Turf, so arriving by bike feels like an achievement. Check it's open before you set off, as it's seasonal, and grab a table on the lawn to watch the boats come in.
Photo: Tim Heaton, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Northernhay and Rougemont Gardens
Queen Street and Castle Street, city centre
Address: Northernhay Gardens, Northernhay Place, Exeter EX4 3QE- Outdoors
- Free
Slip off the high street into England's oldest public gardens, where the paths run beside the Roman and Saxon city wall below the ruins of Rougemont Castle.
Why it's a good date: A calm green pocket a minute from the shops, with benches and old trees. Bring a takeaway coffee or a picnic, and look out for open-air theatre here in summer.
Photo: Simon Cobb, CC0 (resized)
Exeter Phoenix
Bradninch Place, off Gandy Street
Address: Exeter Phoenix, Bradninch Place, Gandy Street, Exeter EX4 3LS- Event
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Cosy
Catch an indie film in the small cinema, a gig or a comedy night at the city's arts centre, with free exhibitions and a busy café bar downstairs.
Why it's a good date: Relaxed and good value, with something on most nights. Meet in the café bar beforehand, and walk down the lanes of Gandy Street afterwards.
Photo: Stephen Richards, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
The Old Firehouse
New North Road, city centre
Address: 50 New North Road, Exeter EX4 4EP- Bar
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Dog friendly
- Cosy
Climb the creaky stairs of a rambling old pub over several floors, with real ales and ciders, live music and big square pizzas served late.
Why it's a good date: An Exeter favourite for a reason: dim, friendly and open late, so it works as the first stop or the last. Share a pizza, and well-behaved dogs are welcome until the evening.
Photo: Simon Cobb, CC0 (resized)
Haytor on Dartmoor
Haytor Vale, about 40 minutes' drive south-west of the city
Address: Haytor Visitor Centre, Haytor Vale, Newton Abbot TQ13 9XT- Trip
- Outdoors
- Free
- Out of town
Drive out onto Dartmoor and scramble up Haytor, a great granite tor with views across the moor to the sea, then wander over to the old quarry pond.
Why it's a good date: Wild, open and a short walk from the car park, so it's an easy big view. Go late on a clear afternoon for the light, and finish with a cream tea in Widecombe or Bovey Tracey.
Photo: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Orcombe Point and Exmouth seafront
Exmouth, 25 minutes by train from Exeter
Address: Orcombe Point, Foxholes Hill, Exmouth EX8 2DH- Trip
- Outdoors
- Free
- Out of town
Take the train along the estuary to Exmouth, walk the long sandy seafront and climb to the Geoneedle on Orcombe Point, where the Jurassic Coast begins.
Why it's a good date: The train ride beside the water is half the fun. Check the tides before walking on the beach below the cliffs, and stay for sunset over the sea.
Photo: David Martin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Red Coat guided walking tour
Meet at the Richard Hooker statue, Cathedral Green
Address: Richard Hooker statue, Cathedral Green, Exeter EX1 1HS- Activity
- Outdoors
- Free
- Culture
Join one of the city's free walking tours, led by volunteer guides in red coats, from Roman Exeter and the city walls to the cathedral close and the quayside.
Why it's a good date: You learn more in an hour and a half than in a weekend of wandering, and it's free. Most tours don't need booking, so just turn up, and ask your guide where they'd go for a drink afterwards.
Photo: Ввласенко, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Quick answers
Are the Red Coat walking tours really free?
Yes. They're led by volunteer guides in red coats, and most tours don't need booking, so you can just turn up.
Can we get to the Turf pub cheaply?
Hire bikes on the quay and ride the flat towpath down the Exeter Ship Canal. There's no road to the Turf, and it's seasonal, so check it's open before you set off.
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