MUST SEE
The best of Sidmouth
Landmarks, gardens, music and a proper old cinema: the places every visitor should find time for.
DON’T MISS
Sidmouth’s essentials
Five places to put at the top of your list. Opening times and events change, so check each website before you travel.
01
CINEMA
The Radway Cinema
A single-screen, 280-seat cinema in Radway Place. It opened as the Radway Theatre in 1928, became a cinema in 1929 and is now run by Scott Cinemas, with digital laser projection.
Radway Place, EX10 8TL
What’s on at the cinema
02
LANDMARK
Jacob’s Ladder
The tall white steps linking Connaught Gardens with Jacob’s Ladder beach are one of Sidmouth’s best-known sights and a Grade II listed structure. The steps were closed for structural repairs in February 2026, so check the latest before you visit. The beach below is a favourite for rock pooling.
Western end of the seafront
About Jacob’s Ladder
03
GARDENS
Connaught Gardens
Clifftop gardens bought by the town in 1930, laid out by the gardens department of Dartington Hall and opened by the Duke of Connaught in 1934. Sea views, a café and summer band concerts.
Above Jacob’s Ladder
About Connaught Gardens
04
GARDENS
Blackmore Gardens
A peaceful park in the town centre, once the kitchen garden of Blackmore House and bought by the town in 1952. Look out for the aromatic herb border.
Off the High Street
About Blackmore Gardens
Floral Sidmouth
05
MUSIC
Sidmouth Town Band
A brass band now in its 163rd year. Catch its Sunday evening concerts in Connaught Gardens through the summer.
Summer Sundays
Sidmouth Town Band
ALSO WORTH A VISIT
If you have more time
01
ANIMALS
The Donkey Sanctuary
Free entry, open every day, with walking paths, daily talks and The Kitchen restaurant.
Slade House Farm, EX10 0NU
Plan a visit
02
SCIENCE
Norman Lockyer Observatory
Sir Norman Lockyer’s observatory on Salcombe Hill, completed in 1912 and run by volunteers, with regular public openings.
Salcombe Hill
Norman Lockyer Observatory
03
HISTORY
Sidmouth Museum
Run by the Sid Vale Association in Hope Cottage, with lacemaking, geology and the town’s royal connections. Open seasonally.
Hope Cottage, Coburg Road
Sidmouth Museum
Our history of Sidmouth
04
FESTIVAL
Sidmouth Folk Festival
A week of music, dance and song every summer since 1955. The next festival runs from 30 July to 6 August 2027.