City Centre, Barbican & Sutton Harbour

Plymouth City Centre sits above the waterfront and centres on Drake Circus shopping centre and the surrounding streets of shops, cafes and offices. The Pavilions arena and a cluster of civic buildings provide event and leisure space. From the high street level, routes lead down toward the harbour, where quays and waterfront promenades meet pontoons and piers. The pattern of streets makes the centre compact and easy to walk, with frequent crossings to the Barbican and Sutton Harbour.

The Barbican occupies the waterfront edge with narrow cobbled lanes and rows of stone buildings that house galleries, restaurants and the Plymouth Gin Distillery. On the waterfront, the Mayflower Steps mark the traditional point associated with the 1620 departure. Sutton Harbour sits alongside as a working marina and fishing quay, with moored boats, pontoons and the National Marine Aquarium on the quay. The area combines maritime trade and leisure moorings, fish stalls and craft businesses, all clustered close to the water’s edge.