Where to Stay in Totnes: Boutique Hotels, B&Bs and Riverside Inns
Deciding where to stay in Totnes comes down to two questions. Do you want to be on the High Street, with the cafes and the market a minute’s walk away, or down on the river where the boats go past your window? Both are good answers. The town is small enough that nowhere is far from anywhere else, but each base has a slightly different feel.
Below is a working guide to the rooms locals actually recommend, with rough price brackets, dog policies and the practical detail you need before you book.
On the High Street and Market Square
The Bull Inn on Rotherfold Square is the obvious pick if you care about food and where the breakfast eggs came from. Nine rooms, plus a self-catering apartment, all decorated with reclaimed furniture, organic linens from Greenfibres across the road and mattresses from Naturalmat in Topsham. The restaurant downstairs is fully organic and the kitchen runs on a daily-changing veg-first menu. Rooms from around £140 to £210 (££ to £££), dogs welcome in some rooms (check at booking), no on-site parking but the town car parks are five minutes’ walk.
A short walk away on The Plains, the Royal Seven Stars Hotel is the grand old coaching inn at the bottom of the High Street, with sixteen rooms, two bars and a terrace. It has a more traditional feel, with characterful rooms in the older part of the building and more standard ones in the modern extension. Doubles from around £130 to £200 (££). Limited on-site parking, which fills early, but the position is excellent for walking everywhere.
By the River Dart
If you want to wake up to water, the Steam Packet Inn sits right on the river just below the bridge, a five-minute walk from the town centre. Six rooms above a friendly riverside pub, with a conservatory restaurant that catches the morning light. Doubles from around £110 to £150 (££). Dogs welcome in the bar and on the terrace. Free parking on site, which is rare in central Totnes and a genuine reason to book here.
Half a mile further down the river toward Ashprington, the Waterman’s Arms at Bow Bridge offers a different kind of riverside stay. Fifteen rooms in a seventeenth-century inn beside the Harbourne River, with a Palmers Brewery bar and a kitchen that takes Sunday roasts seriously. Doubles from around £100 to £160 (££). Dogs welcome in the bar but not the restaurant. You will need a car here, although a riverboat trip from Totnes Quay can drop you within walking distance in summer.
Dartington and the Valley
Out at Dartington, the Cott Inn claims to be the second-oldest inn in Britain, founded in 1307, with the longest thatched roof in the country and five double rooms above the pub. Doubles from around £120 to £170 (££). The food has won regional pub-of-the-year awards, the inglenook fireplaces are real, and the location puts you a short drive from both Totnes and Dartmoor.
Dartington Hall itself is a magnificent medieval estate with hotel rooms in the medieval courtyard. Worth knowing: as of 2026 the Hall is generally only taking group bookings of fifteen rooms or more, so it is not currently a single-room option, but the gardens, White Hart pub and Cider Press Centre on the estate are all open daily to visitors.
B&Bs and Smaller Stays
For something smaller and quieter, look at the cluster of independent B&Bs around Bridgetown (the east side of the river, a two-minute walk over the bridge into town). Doubles typically £85 to £120 (£/££), with breakfast, off-street parking and the kind of host who will point you toward their favourite riverside path. The Old Forge at Totnes is a long-running favourite. Tourist information at Totnes Costume Museum or the Visit Totnes website will give you current operators.
If you prefer self-contained, plenty of holiday cottages and Airbnb-style flats sit above the High Street shops. We have a separate piece on self-catering and glamping in the Dart Valley if that suits your group better.
Choosing the Right Base
The short version: pick the Bull Inn if food is the priority, the Royal Seven Stars if you want a traditional hotel with the High Street on your doorstep, and the Steam Packet if you want to step out of your room and onto the river. The Cott Inn at Dartington is the most romantic option, and the Waterman’s Arms is the one to book if you want a quiet country evening with the sound of water through the window.
Wherever you base yourself when deciding where to stay in Totnes, plan around the Friday and Saturday market and the first and third Sunday Good Food market, and leave a day for Sandridge Barton or a riverboat trip to Dartmouth. If you fancy heading further into the country, have a look at our country house stays in the South Hams piece for the long-weekend version.