National Parks of Wales

Snowdonia National Park, N.Wales
840 square miles of natural beauty featuring rocky mountains, valleys, moorland, lakes and rivers.

Brecon Beacons
The National Park covers 520 square miles of rolling green hills, open moorlands, river valleys and small villages. Activities include walking, climbing and pony-trekking.

Pembrokeshire National Park
Of the ten national parks in England and Wales, the Pembrokeshire Coast is the only one which is mainly sea-based. Established in 1952 and recognized as one of Europe's finest stretches of coastal natural beauty, the Coastal Path follows mile upon mile of spectacular sea cliffs, beaches, headlands and coves. A variety of seabirds, basking seals, and cliff-top flora at its best in spring, can be observed en-route.

Gwynant, Snowdonia, N.Wales

South & Mid-Wales

Tenby, South Wales
Pretty seaside resort with sandy beaches and pastel-coloured Georgian houses.

St David's, Pembrokeshire
Tiny city on a beautiful windswept peninsula, clustered around the 12th century Cathedral of St. David, and shrine of Wales' patron saint. Considered to be the "holiest ground in Great Britain", this was a place of great pilgrimage for many centuries.

Hay-on-Wye, mid-Wales
Famous for its second-hand book shops, Hay-on-Wye also hosts the International Festival of Literature in early summer, which attracts famous writers from all over the world. Usually held in the last week of May, if you wish to visit at this time, you will need to book accommodation well in advance. The town also offers antique and craft centres, and in summer, the town becomes quite lively with various events. The surrounding area is also ideal for walking.

North Wales

Bodnant Garden, nr. Conwy
(tel 01492 650460)
(NT, open daily Mar-Oct)
Wales' finest garden, laid out in 1875, comprises over 80 acres in the Vale of Conwy. The garden features masses of rhodendrons in May and June, together with terraces, rock and rose gardens, against a scenic backdrop of the Snowdonia mountains.

Llandudno, nr. Conwy
Charming traditional seaside town with well-preserved Victorian architecture, wide promenade and an ornate pier. Children will like the Alice in Wonderland Centre (open daily except Sun in winter) with enchanting displays of popular scenes from the book (see the St Tudno Hotel).

Portmeirion
(tel 01766 770228)
(open daily all year round)
This famous Italianate fantasy-village, built by the eccentric architect Glough Williams-Ellis in 1926, offers an hotel, restaurant, town hall and cottages. His aim was to build an ideal village which enhanced its surroundings, using a 'gay light-opera approach'. The cult TV series The Prisoner was filmed here in the 1960s. Guests staying at the hotel can experience the village at its most peaceful in the evening after the day visitors have left.

Great Little Trains of Wales

These narrow-guage little trains operate in spring, summer and autumn throughout the country, winding through splendid scenery, and should not be missed. Lines include the Ffestiniog Railway (see below), the Talyllyn from Tywyn, the Vale of Rheidol Railway, the Welshpool and Llandfiar Light railway, the Welsh Highland Railway from Porthmadog, the Brecon Mountain Railway from Merthyr Tydfil, and the Llanberis Lake Railway. Wanderer tickets are available for unlimited travel for four days or eight days (tel 01938 810441).

Ffestiniog Railway
(tel 01766 512340)
(open daily Easter-Oct, mainly weekends Nov-Easter)
Wales' finest narrow-guage line ascending 650ft in a series of twists and loops from Porthmadog to the slate mines at Blaenau Ffestiniog. Passengers are welcome to get on and off the train to take walking detours en-route to enjoy the magnificent scenery.

Snowdonia at sunrise

Snowdon Mountain Railway
(tel 01286 870223)
(open daily mid-Mar - Oct)
This alpine-style steam rack railway completed in 1896, starts from Llanberis and climbs up five miles or 3000 feet to the summit in just under an hour. The round trip takes two and a half hours with half-an-hour to walk around on top.

CADW

The Cadw/Welsh Historic Monuments Explorer Pass offers unlimited admission to many of Wales' historic sites and represents good value for money. A three or seven day pass is available at any site covered by Cadw. Many of the country's castles were built by Edward 1 in the 13th century as part of an "Iron Ring" to subdue the Welsh. The second batch were produced by architect St James of George, whose work is now assigned World Heritage status. For further information, tel 01222 500200.

Beaumaris Castle, Isle of Anglesey
(tel 01248 810361)
(open daily all year round)
The last and largest link in a series of castles built by Edward 1 to contain the Welsh. Considered to be the most handsome of Edward's castles, it's noted for its symmetrical octagonal design.

Harlech Castle, near Porthmadog, North Wales
(tel 01766 780552)
(open daily all year round)
Famous 13th century castle with a dramatic past dominating the small coastal town of Harlech and offering commanding views. Originally built by Edward 1 as part of his "Iron Ring", it was the last Welsh stronghold to fall in the 17th century.

Caernarvon Castle, near Llanberis, North Wales
(tel 01286 677617)
(open daily all year round)
A supreme example of medieval fortified architecture by James of St George. However, unlike Edward's other castles, the towers here are polygonal and patterned with bands of different coloured stones and at a later stage the turrets were adorned with eagle sculptures.

Conwy Castle, Conwy
(tel 01492 592358)
(open daily year round)
Built by Edward 1 in the 13th century, the castle at Conwy inspires a sense of history enhanced by the ancient well-preserved walls enclosing the old town.

Harlech Castle

While we endeavour to be as accurate as possible, it is best to check the opening times with the relevant attraction prior to your visit. For further information on visitor attractions, please go to Wales Tourist Board.