Which Devon destinations do people search for most?
Exeter is the most searched Devon destination for things to do. UK searches for “things to do in Exeter” reached about 64,900 between September 2025 and August 2026, up 20% on the year before. Across 28 Devon places, “things to do” searches fell 15% year on year, with most seaside towns down around a fifth.
The figures are monthly UK search estimates from Ahrefs Keywords Explorer for “things to do in [place]” across 28 Devon towns, cities and national parks, from September 2024 to August 2026.
Which Devon places get searched for most?
The 15 most searched Devon places for things to do
Average monthly UK searches for “things to do in [place]”
- Most searched
- Exeter
- “things to do in devon”
- 3,300/mo
- ExeterCities 5,400
- PlymouthCities 4,000
- TorquaySouth Devon 2,900
- PaigntonSouth Devon 2,000
- ExmouthEast Devon 1,700
- IlfracombeNorth Devon 1,600
- BrixhamSouth Devon 1,300
- SidmouthEast Devon 1,300
- WoolacombeNorth Devon 1,200
- SalcombeSouth Devon 1,200
- DawlishSouth Devon 1,100
- BarnstapleNorth Devon 1,100
- DartmouthSouth Devon 900
- BidefordNorth Devon 900
- TotnesSouth Devon 800
View as a table
| Keyword | Type | Monthly searches |
|---|---|---|
| Exeter | Cities | 5,400 |
| Plymouth | Cities | 4,000 |
| Torquay | South Devon | 2,900 |
| Paignton | South Devon | 2,000 |
| Exmouth | East Devon | 1,700 |
| Ilfracombe | North Devon | 1,600 |
| Brixham | South Devon | 1,300 |
| Sidmouth | East Devon | 1,300 |
| Woolacombe | North Devon | 1,200 |
| Salcombe | South Devon | 1,200 |
| Dawlish | South Devon | 1,100 |
| Barnstaple | North Devon | 1,100 |
| Dartmouth | South Devon | 900 |
| Bideford | North Devon | 900 |
| Totnes | South Devon | 800 |
Source: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer · UK · September 2026
The two cities lead: Exeter (about 64,900 searches in the latest 12 months) and Plymouth (48,300). Torquay is the most searched seaside town (35,100), followed by Paignton, Exmouth and Ilfracombe.
Searches for “things to do in Devon” itself average about 3,300 a month, and “things to do in North Devon” about 1,000.
Are searches for Devon destinations going up or down?
Devon “things to do” searches, this year and last
Monthly UK searches across 28 Devon places
- August peak
- 61,763
- December low
- 15,301
- Year on year
- -15%
- Sep 2025 to Aug 2026
- Sep 2024 to Aug 2025
View as a table
| Month | Sep 2025 to Aug 2026 | Sep 2024 to Aug 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 34,335 | 39,178 |
| Oct 2025 | 28,639 | 30,118 |
| Nov 2025 | 16,316 | 16,904 |
| Dec 2025 | 15,301 | 14,909 |
| Jan 2026 | 22,289 | 23,956 |
| Feb 2026 | 23,583 | 27,846 |
| Mar 2026 | 23,639 | 29,702 |
| Apr 2026 | 29,498 | 41,767 |
| May 2026 | 34,716 | 43,379 |
| Jun 2026 | 35,735 | 43,379 |
| Jul 2026 | 49,154 | 59,667 |
| Aug 2026 | 61,763 | 69,979 |
Source: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer · UK · September 2026
Mostly down. Across all 28 places, searches fell 15% year on year. Leaving out three places with irregular monthly data (Clovelly, Braunton and Budleigh Salterton), the fall was 13%.
Only four places grew:
- Exeter, up 20%
- Exmoor, up 11%
- Dartmoor, up 2%
- Plymouth, up 1%
The other 21 places with regular data fell. As groups, North Devon and East Devon places fell 24%, South Devon 19% and the moorland towns and national parks 16%, while the two cities rose 11%.
These are search estimates, not visitor numbers. Fewer searches for “things to do in [town]” can mean fewer people planning trips, but it can also mean people searching in other ways, such as asking AI tools or searching for specific attractions. The data shows what changed, not why.
When do people search for Devon destinations?
In August. 24 of the 28 places had their busiest month in August 2026, and across all 28, August searches (61,763) were about four times December’s (15,301).
How seasonal each place is varies a lot:
| Most seasonal | Busiest ÷ quietest month | Least seasonal | Busiest ÷ quietest month | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woolacombe | 11.5× | Exeter | 2× | |
| Beer | 8.9× | Tavistock | 2.7× | |
| Brixham | 8.3× | Plymouth | 3.1× | |
| Dawlish | 7.9× | Totnes | 3.7× | |
| Ilfracombe | 7.8× |
Busiest month compared with the quietest month, September 2025 to August 2026. The quietest month was December 2025 in every case shown. Source: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, UK, September 2026.
The beach towns swing hardest. The cities, and market towns like Tavistock and Totnes, have steadier demand through the year.
All 28 places, ranked
All 28 places, ranked
UK searches for “things to do in [place]”
| # | Place | Area | Searches, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026 | Year on year | Busiest month | Busiest ÷ quietest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Exeter | Cities | 64,921 | +20% | Aug | 2× |
| 2 | Plymouth | Cities | 48,325 | +1% | Aug | 3.1× |
| 3 | Torquay | South Devon | 35,061 | -4% | Aug | 5.5× |
| 4 | Paignton | South Devon | 23,610 | -24% | Aug | 6.1× |
| 5 | Exmouth | East Devon | 20,213 | -25% | Aug | 5.6× |
| 6 | Ilfracombe | North Devon | 19,245 | -16% | Aug | 7.8× |
| 7 | Brixham | South Devon | 15,192 | -19% | Aug | 8.3× |
| 8 | Sidmouth | East Devon | 15,065 | -23% | Aug | 4.6× |
| 9 | Salcombe | South Devon | 14,914 | -21% | Aug | 5.4× |
| 10 | Woolacombe | North Devon | 14,272 | -20% | Aug | 11.5× |
| 11 | Dawlish | South Devon | 13,134 | -23% | Aug | 7.9× |
| 12 | Barnstaple | North Devon | 12,981 | -28% | Aug | 3.8× |
| 13 | Dartmouth | South Devon | 10,908 | -21% | Aug | 5.1× |
| 14 | Bideford | North Devon | 10,795 | -20% | Aug | 4.9× |
| 15 | Totnes | South Devon | 9,341 | -21% | Aug | 3.7× |
| 16 | Teignmouth | South Devon | 6,493 | -44% | Aug | 3.7× |
| 17 | Croyde | North Devon | 5,424 | -31% | Aug | 6.2× |
| 18 | Okehampton | Moors | 5,220 | -26% | Aug | 5× |
| 19 | Dartmoor | Moors | 5,200 | +2% | Aug | 4.6× |
| 20 | Tavistock | Moors | 4,510 | -31% | Sep | 2.7× |
| 21 | Appledore | North Devon | 4,288 | -36% | Aug | 5× |
| 22 | Westward Ho! | North Devon | 3,354 | -22% | Aug | 6.9× |
| 23 | Exmoor | Moors | 2,992 | +11% | Aug | 3.7× |
| 24 | Lynmouth | North Devon | 2,495 | -38% | Aug | 5.2× |
| 25 | Clovelly* | North Devon | 2,001 | -71% | Sep | 4.4× |
| 26 | Braunton* | North Devon | 1,991 | -31% | Sep | 2.9× |
| 27 | Budleigh Salterton* | East Devon | 1,985 | -61% | Sep | 3.7× |
| 28 | Beer | East Devon | 1,038 | -5% | Aug | 8.9× |
Source: Ahrefs Keywords Explorer · UK · September 2026
What does this mean for Devon tourism businesses?
Plan around the curve. Searches climb from January and peak in August, so website updates, new pages and offers are best in place before the spring rise, not during it. The same pattern shows up in holiday park searches.
The towns are only part of it. A fall in “things to do in [town]” searches doesn’t have to mean fewer visitors to your business. Pages about specific experiences, like dog-friendly walks, rainy-day activities or events, can catch the searches that town-level queries miss.
Make it easy for AI tools to recommend you. Google shows AI Overviews on searches like “what to do in Devon” and “best beaches in Devon”. Clear, specific pages about what you offer and where give those answers something to draw on. See SEO for hotels and SEO for holiday parks.
How was this measured?
I used Ahrefs Keywords Explorer’s UK database to pull monthly search estimates for “things to do in [place]” for 28 Devon places, from September 2024 to August 2026. “Latest 12 months” means September 2025 to August 2026, compared with September 2024 to August 2025.
Limits. These are Ahrefs estimates of UK searches for one phrase per place, not visitor numbers, and they don’t include other ways people search (like “[place] beaches” or “days out in [place]”). Clovelly, Braunton and Budleigh Salterton show irregular monthly patterns in 2026, so their year-on-year figures are flagged. Place names with other meanings may also be affected by unrelated searches.