Getting to Plymouth

 From Cornwall, Plymouth is easy to reach by road.  It's a trip along the A30 to Bodmin then across via the A38 for me.  I love the Glynn Valley, it's such a beautiful road, the only issue is that it is a twisty single carriageway with a heavy flow of traffic.  If there is an accident, everything snarls up.  Further along, it becomes a dual carriageway mostly, but traffic is also joining at this point from Truro and St Austell.  Lastly, as you reach Saltash, traffic also joins from North Cornwall via Callington.  It then all funnels through a tunnel and across the Tamar Bridge.

The view from the Tamar Bridge is amazing.  It's a toll bridge and you pay £3 for a car, unless you have a tag.  If you are going to use the bridge regularly it's worth getting a tag.  The bridge is pretty high up and vulnerable to winds.

There are two other road routes but they require quite long detours, unless you are over that way.  The first is the Torpoint Ferry.  The other is to drive up to Gunnislake and then across to Tavistock to go around the river Tamar.  The river is pretty narrow by the time it is crossed by road near Gunnislake.

We went by train.  It's a simple, straightforward journey.  All the main line trains stop at Plymouth.  It's a long platform, so you don't have to worry about which carriage you are in, if it's a long train.  When you get on at Plymouth to get back to Cornwall, you may need to pay attention to this if it's a long train as the only station it will fit in it's entirety is Penzance!  There will be announcements on the train.  

Trains from Plymouth go on to Exeter and then to London Paddington or other destinations in the far north, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle or Leeds.  You can change at Exeter for other places such as London Waterloo and Cardiff.

There is also a branchline that goes to Gunnislake, crossing the Tamar at Calstock.  This train line also stops at other stations in Plymouth, including Devonport, Dockyard, Keyham, St Budeaux Victoria Road.  The other smaller station is St Budeaux Ferry Road but that's on the mainline from Cornwall, although very few trains stop there.

So Plymouth is easy to get to by rail and road but the road network from Cornwall is vulnerable to accidents and the weather.  I would absolutely choose to go by rail for a day out personally.  If you want to be close to your destination though, the train may not be the best option.

It is a short walk to The Box, Plymouth's main museum as well as the main shopping area.  The University with the Levinsky Gallery is also close by, before you reach the Box.  The National Maritime Museum is however further, as is the Hoe and the Karst Gallery.    When we have visited the National Marine Aquarium, we have driven and parked in the car park nearby.  

The other train stations in Plymouth are positioned to serve the docks and industry, rather than tourism, so they may not get you where you wish to go.

I have not explored Plymouth's bus system as yet but I would suggest getting the Plymouth Citybus App.  This app allows you to enter your start and finish point.  Once you select your chosen bus route and time, it will show you the different bus journeys that will take you there.  The map shows you where the bus stops you need are and then the route that the bus will take.  You can also buy tickets on the app, however I would not advise this unless you are going to do multiple bus trips that day as the ticket offered is Adult 24hr Plymouth for £7.  The government has currently capped a single bus journey at £3 so if you are doing two trips, then it is cheaper to pay for those individually.