Contact Details

holiday@torbay.gov.uk
Tel: 01803 211 211

Torquay

Torquay is a stylish resort with real continental atmosphere. Its waterfront is the focus of life in the town with a lively harbour and palm tree-lined promenade framing its international marina. Torquay is a hub of lively activity with restaurants, cafes and bars, providing a truly Mediterranean feel.

From a background of pirates, smugglers and honest fishermen, the town developed into a fashionable haven for visitors in the 19th century. Torquay established an outstanding reputation and it soon expanded to take in nearby parishes such as Babbacombe and Cockington.

During your stay, make sure you visit Beacon Quay, redeveloped on the site of the World War II slipways, where you will find a number of shops and cafes in a beautiful setting overlooking the Bay, as well as Living Coasts, an aquatic zoo full of marine magic.

6 Torquay Titbits

1.Torquay was named "Queen of the Riviera" by the Victorians and carries the Riviera title to this day.

2.Torquay, like Rome, was built on seven hills. Italianate villas set amongst the pines would look equally at home on the Adriatic.

3.Agatha Christie enjoyed bathing at Beacon Cove, one of the English Riviera's original "ladies' beaches".

4.During the late 1800s, many literary figures based themselves in Torquay, with Charles Kingsley, author of The Water Babies, spending some time in what is now the Livermead House Hotel.

5.An eccentric hotel proprietor was the inspiration for John Cleese to create Basil Fawlty and Fawlty Towers when he and the Python team stayed at a Torquay hotel. The establishment has recently been refurbished into a 3 star boutique hotel.

6.Torquay was the setting for the 2003 film Blackball starring Vince Vaughan and Paul Kaye.

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