Student Guide to Plymouth

Why study in Plymouth?

Plymouth’s electronic music scene is on the rise, with new nightclubs opening and an increasing number of nationally-recognised DJs and producers finding their way onto the calendar of clubs like THÊ DEPØ. With that development of the scene, more students are heading to Plymouth to study music production degrees. Being in a city that has huge plans for growth as well as a developing nightlife, certainly has its benefits. Here we take a look at some of the best areas, event spaces, pubs and restaurants in the city.

Stonehouse

Before most of it was destroyed during the Second World War, Plymouth’s Stonehouse district was the nightlife centre of the city, with almost 100 pubs in the area! After years of neglect, the area is slowly recapturing its reputation for fun and creativity with the opening of THÊ DEPØ, Leadworks and plenty of other pubs, clubs and restaurants.

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THÊ DEPØ

THÊ DEPØ is Plymouth’s premier dance music venue located in Stonehouse just outside of the city centre. Their calendar is filled to the brim with some of the biggest names in electronic music and the perfect place for our students to scratch their dance music itch on a weekend.

Leadworks

Leadworks is in the heart of the creative community of Plymouth. As an event and exhibition space as well as a cafe, community centre, library theatre and studio space for local artists, Leadworks is a must-visit if you want to engrain yourself within Plymouth’s creative community.

Strobe

Run by dBs Institute Innovation in Sound MA student Sammy Wightman and his business partner Matt Edwards, Strobe is a nightclub located on Union Street - the road where most of Plymouth’s nightlife culture is shaped. Pop down and say hi to a fellow member of the dBs community on your next night out!

Photo Credit: Cosmic Kitchen

Barbican

The Barbican area of Plymouth is, by far, its most recognisable. The area is the historical and cultural centre of the city and has the largest concentration of cobbled streets in Britain, with 100 listed buildings. Come here for excellent food, culture and a great night out.

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Southside Street & The Barbican

The Barbican area is the jewel of Plymouth, with all the best bars, restaurants and cafes in the city (and just around the corner from dBs!) The centre of this area is the nexus between Southside Street and The Barbican road. These two roads are great to explore when you’re first exploring the city.

Barbican Theatre & B-Bar

The Barbican Theatre is a cultural hub at the heart of Plymouth’s creative community. They put on the best theatre, music, comedy and art events in the city. B-bar is in the same building and serves excellent Thai food and is a great spot to hang out for cocktails and a meal.

Cosmic Kitchen

Located just opposite dBs, the Cosmic Kitchen is the premier vegan restaurant in Plymouth and a great live music venue as well! Starting life as a pop-up, it then became the first vegan-only restaurant in the city.

Re-Wind

Formerly LGBTQ+ bar Gossip, Re-wind is a retro music bar specialising in 80s and 90s music, complete with karaoke. The bar is run by the same owners as gossip and is still a gay-friendly destination but not an exclusively gay bar.

The Swallow

The Swallow is another LGBTQ+ friendly bar just north of the Sutton Harbour with cabaret shows, great drinks and a lively crowd.

Plymouth Distillery

The Plymouth Gin Distillery in the Barbican is steeped in local history. The distillery has been in operation since 1793 and is still pumping out excellent gin to this day. If you like gin, you can take a tour around the oldest working distillery in England.

The Barbican Botanics Gin Room

Tucked away on New Street, The Baribican Botanics Gin Room is a one-stop-shop for gin lovers. Their distillery producers some of the finest gin and rum in the South West, at their Gin School you can craft your very own batch of gin and in their Gin Room and garden, you can sit back and enjoy a drink away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Knead Pizza

For a banging wood-fired pizza that doesn’t cost the Earth, craft beer and cocktails right in the centre of the city, you have to check out Knead Pizza.

Photo credit: Tinside Lido

The Hoe

The world-famous Plymouth Hoe is a huge open space facing the sea featuring wide green spaces, the commanding Smeaton’s Tower and the Tinside Lido. It’s a great place to visit and chill out when the sun comes out.

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Hoe Park & Smeaton’s Tower

The Hoe is a beautiful part of Plymouth just south of The Barbican and is located right on the coast. Hoe Park is one of the biggest attractions in the area, with the famous Smeaton’s Tower lighthouse - one of the South West’s most-visited landmarks - dominating the skyline.

Tinside Lido

The Tinside Lido is an art deco remnant from the 1930s that captures the aesthetic of the quintessentially British seaside town. Overlooking the sea, it’s been voted as one of the top 10 best outdoor pools in Europe!

The Corinthian

The Corinthian is Plymouth’s most popular outdoor event space, located on the water’s edge between the Barbican and Plymouth Hoe. It’s become the choice venue for day parties from Plymouth promoters Casa and others as well as a great place to sit and have a drink on a hot summer’s day, with views out across Plymouth Sound.

Boat Parties

Throughout the summer, there are countless boat parties leaving from Phoenix Wharf that take revellers around Plymouth Sound and across the waters between Mount Batten and Mount Edgcumbe. It’s one of the best ways to party in the city.

Photo credit: Thistle Park Tavern

East End

The ‘East End’ of Plymouth is largely residential and industrial, but its home to some of the biggest attractions and pubs in the city, including PRYZM, a busy skatepark, cinemas and the city aquarium.

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PRYZM

Chain club PRYZM does what it says on the tin. If you’re looking for a place to dance and have a good time and cheap drinks, you should find it here!

Thistle Park Tavern

Thistle Park Tavern has been one of the most well-loved small live music venues in Plymouth for years, serving great beer and showcasing local musical talent.

Suphas

Suphas is a street food restaurant specialising in Thai, Viet, Laos, Myan and Malay cuisine, located on the east side of Sutton Harbour right on the water’s edge with plenty of fresh seafood options.

A group of students on a night out, outside the Nowhere Inn, Plymouth

Photo credit The Nowhere Inn

North Hill

Most people know North Hill for its park, which is definitely worth a visit, but the area east of the city centre also features some of the best cultural attractions, bars and gig venues in the city. In the summer, there’s an amazing open-air cinema to check out too!

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The Box

If you want a free day out to see art and museum exhibitions, The Box is one of the newest major museums in the South West. Opening in 2020, The Box has since become a premier cultural hub in Ocean City, sharing stories and art of local and international significance.

Switch & Air

Switch & Air offers the duality of an excellent open-air bar for summer parties (in Air) and a nightclub (Switch) for late-night events during the week and over the weekend. Find some of the best local DJs in the booth all week!

The Underground

For punk rock and metal gigs, The Underground should be your go-to location. This intimate, 175-cap venue is a great place for new bands to cut their teeth.

Plymouth Arts Cinema

Based in the Plymouth College of Art, Plymouth Arts Cinema is a small indie cinema in the city. It screens new, independent films from the UK and across the world, as well as classic films, festivals, events, and a great open-air cinema for the summer months.

The Nowhere Inn

Tucked away in the heart of Beaumont, The Nowhere Inn is another live music bar showcasing some of the best local artists in the city, with great beer and friendly staff.

Wide shot of the Theatre Royal Plymouth at night

Photo credit: Theatre Royal Plymouth

City Centre

Plymouth’s historic city centre is the epicentre of the city’s shopping district. But, as well as that, it is the area where some of Plymouth’s most important cultural institutions are located, like the famous Theatre Royale and Guildhall.

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Theatre Royale

Theatre Royale Plymouth is one of the UK's largest regional producing theatres and the best spot for musicals, panto and serious theatre alike. They also have a wide range of acting workshops for children and adults of all ages.

Plymouth Guildhall

Located right in the heart of the city, Plymouth Guildhall is a multi-purpose venue that is steeped in history with dramatic architectural features that can be hired for almost any big event you can think of.

Plymouth Market

With over 140 stalls, restaurants and cafes, Plymouth Market is one of the main attractions of the city centre. You can find any type of cuisine or shop, from florists to butchers, in one place and setting up your own stall isn’t too expensive either! Some of our favourite restaurants there include @Kitchen, K-Street and Maurish.

Plymouth Pavilions

Plymouth Pavilions is the South West’s largest indoor entertainments venue, with music, theatre, comedy, live talks and much more taking place every week.

The Barcode

Drake Circus The Barcode is one of the newest additions to Plymouth’s city centre. From restaurants and bars, including Five Guys and BrewDog, to a cinema, crazy golf course and axe throwing centre, there is an incredible amount you can get up to just a stone’s throw away from the dBs campus.

OMG

OMG is one of the best LGBTQ+ nightclubs in Plymouth. Again, located just down the road from dBs, it’s the home of the city’s pride events, drag shows and LGBTQ+ nightlife community.

Student Guide to Plymouth

Why study in Plymouth?

Stonehouse

Barbican

The Hoe

East End

North Hill

City Centre

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