National Marine Aquarium

Plymouth's impressive aquarium is the UK's largest, set in a spacious, glass-fronted building with expansive views out to Plymouth Sound. It showcases intriguing fish, octopuses, turtles and other marine animals from all over the world in easy to navigate zones, and at its centre is a giant tank full of baby sharks, giant eels, rays and all manner of fishy things – kids can stand on a ledge and look up close, and adults can rest up on one of the seats in the auditorium. There are interactive shows at 2pm daily, and a 3D cinema with 15-minute screenings throughout the day. For meals there's an indoor and two outdoor cafés serving (pretty basic) sandwiches, jacket potatoes, soups and children's lunch boxes, and on sunny days you can bring your own picnic and sit in their maritime garden which also has views over Plymouth Sound. It's a great place to come with the family - you can walk around the whole place with a buggy and the H2O Creative Centre provides creative activities for kids during the school holidays and at weekends. Parking is a five-minute walk away - bring pound coins, as there’s no facility for change. If you arrive by train or bus, show them your ticket and they'll give you a 10 percent discount. Generously, all day tickets are valid for 12 months.