Agatha Christie’s English Riviera: The  Essential Guide

It’s hard to imagine the English Riviera without thinking of Agatha Christie. The world’s best-selling novelist was born in Torquay in 1890, and the South Devon coastline shaped her imagination long before her stories reached global fame.

From elegant hotels to moody coves and riverside retreats, this guide reveals the real places that inspired her mysteries, all within easy reach for today’s travellers.

Follow in her footsteps across the Agatha Christie English Riviera, and discover how this landscape became her greatest muse.

Start in Torquay – Walking the Agatha Christie Mile

Begin where Christie’s story began: Torquay’s palm-lined seafront. The Agatha Christie Mile, created with input from her daughter Rosalind Hicks, leads you past ten plaques marking key locations in the author’s life.

Start at the Harbour Visitor Information Centre, then wander towards the Princess Gardens, where you’ll spot the bust of Christie gazing serenely over the bay.

The route takes in the Pavilion, where she once met her first husband, Archie, and ends at the Imperial Hotel, one of her favourite places to write and reflect.

It’s an easy, self-guided walk that pairs sea air with storytelling and a perfect first taste of the Agatha Christie English Riviera.

Torquay Marina. Photo Credit: The English Riveria Tourism Board

Greenway House – The Author’s Riverside Retreat

If Torquay was Christie’s childhood home, Greenway House was her adult sanctuary. Overlooking the River Dart, this elegant Georgian villa is now cared for by the National Trust.
 
Inside, you’ll find rooms exactly as the family left them, shelves brimming with books, curiosities from archaeological digs, and framed photographs from glamorous 1930s holidays.

Visitors can stroll through walled gardens and down to the boathouse that inspired a scene in Dead Man’s Folly. Reaching Greenway House National Trust is part of the adventure: arrive via a gentle ferry from Dittisham, or walk from Kingswear along the Dart Valley Trail, one of Devon’s prettiest routes.

Few places bring you closer to the heart of the Agatha Christie English Riviera.

Greenway House. Photo Credit: The English Riveria Tourism Board

The Imperial and The Grand – Two Iconic Hotel Connections

Two hotels stand as elegant witnesses to Christie’s Torquay years.

The Imperial Hotel, perched dramatically above the sea, appears under fictional guises in several of her stories, while The Grand Hotel holds a romantic claim to fame: Agatha and Archie Christie spent their wedding night there on Christmas Eve 1914.

Both façades can be admired on a seafront stroll from the harbour. Even if you’re not staying overnight, pausing here connects you to moments that shaped the young writer’s early life, the quiet glamour, the salt air, the sense that anything could happen next.

Burgh Island Agatha Christie – A Setting for Murder

Just along the coast near Bigbury-on-Sea lies Burgh Island, an Art Deco jewel surrounded by tidal sands.
 
Christie stayed here often, drawing inspiration for And Then There Were None and Evil Under the Sun.

At low tide you can walk across the beach; when the tide comes in, a quirky sea tractor ferries guests to and from the island.

Pre-booking is essential if you plan to dine or stay overnight, as the hotel remains exclusive and atmospheric, a setting where you can almost hear Poirot’s polished voice echoing over the surf.

Burgh Island. Photo Credit: Unknown

Torquay Museum – Britain’s Only Agatha Christie Gallery

Back in town, Torquay Museum houses the country’s only permanent Agatha Christie Gallery.

Here, rare first editions, family photos, and original costumes from television adaptations paint a vivid portrait of her life and work.

It’s a small but captivating stop, offering a deeper sense of Christie’s creativity and her local ties. Check opening times before visiting the gallery is a cultural gem, but hours vary seasonally.

Kents Cavern and Coastal Coves – Atmospheric Backdrops

Beyond the beaches, the limestone caves of Kents Cavern offer a darker, more mysterious side of the Riviera. These prehistoric chambers, now a popular visitor site, featured in The Man in the Brown Suit.

Nearby coves such as Meadfoot and Anstey’s Cove, highlighted in recent travel features on car-free exploring, provide perfect stops for walkers tracing the coast path. Their quiet, cinematic beauty adds depth to any Agatha Christie English Riviera itinerary.

Plan Around the International Agatha Christie Festival

Every September, Torbay celebrates its most famous daughter with the International Agatha Christie Festival. Talks, theatre performances, boat trips and themed walks fill the week-long programme, attracting fans from around the world. Check the official site for dates and ticket details — it’s the ultimate time to experience the Riviera in full Christie spirit.

Where to Stay – Base Yourself by the Bay

After a day of mystery and discovery, unwind somewhere that captures the same timeless coastal charm. Cary Arms & Spa in nearby Babbacombe Bay offers sea-view rooms, private beach huts and fine dining overlooking the water. From here, you can reach Torquay in minutes or follow the South West Coast Path to secluded coves once explored by Christie herself.
 
Whether you’re a couple seeking a romantic base or a solo traveller in search of peace 
and sea air, it’s an inviting retreat that blends luxury with Devon’s natural beauty.