For those who’re planning a visit to Wales, then you definately’ve come to the precise place! On this information we’re going to share all the pieces that you must know to plan the proper Wales journey. That is primarily based on our experiences of touring in Wales and likewise my time residing in Wales, which I did for a few years. I used to be truly born in Wales!
On this publish, we’ll cowl one of the best instances of yr to go to Wales, highlights to not miss, the way to get round Wales, the place to remain in Wales, what to eat in Wales, the way to e-book excursions, and lots of extra ideas that can assist you plan the proper Wales journey.
We’d recommend studying this information alongside our detailed Wales street journey itinerary, which provides you with extra concepts of a particular itinerary and sights to see.
Let’s begin with an outline of Wales.
A Fast Overview of Wales
Wales is a rustic with a inhabitants of round three million folks. It’s a part of the Island of Nice Britain together with England and Scotland. It is among the 4 nations (together with England, Scotland, and Northern Eire) that make up the UK.
Geographically, Wales borders England alongside its whole east coast, from round Chester within the north down to close Bristol within the south. The remainder of the nations border is made up of beautiful shoreline, largely alongside the Irish Sea.
The historical past of Wales is pretty complicated. Folks have been residing right here for lots of of 1000’s of years, with steady habitation for not less than 9,000 years. Because the Roman instances, many battles have been fought between the Welsh and the English as both sides fought for management over what’s current day Wales.
One of many uncomfortable side effects of all these wars is that Wales now has an enormous quantity of castles you may go to which is nice as a vacationer. There’s additionally loads of fascinating historical past and tradition which is exclusive to Wales.
Again to the current, and modern-day Wales exists as its personal nation with its personal language (Welsh) and, since 1999, its personal parliament. Nonetheless, there are not any border controls or something like that when touring from England to Wales (they’re each a part of the UK), and English can also be after all essentially the most broadly spoken language.
If you’re not that aware of the historical past of Wales, we are able to extremely advocate studying a e-book on Welsh historical past earlier than or throughout your go to. This is not going to solely show you how to higher perceive most of the locations you might be more likely to go to in Wales (e.g., castles, museums, church buildings, Iron Age ruins), however it would additionally show you how to higher perceive the trendy tradition and politics in Wales.
What’s there to see in Wales?
There’s a lot to see in Wales, one thing actually for everybody.
To begin with, with a lot historical past spanning 1000’s of years, Wales has an enormous quantity of cultural sights.
From iron age burial chambers to fascinating museums to distinctive cultural occasions just like the Eisteddfodd, there actually is a big quantity to select from.
After all, the very first thing that doubtless springs to thoughts while you consider Wales are the castles, a facet impact of all the assorted wars through the years. Wales has an enormous variety of castles, together with numerous UNESCO listed medieval castles.
In actual fact, Wales has extra castles per sq. mile than another nation in Europe! Suffice to say, if you happen to like exploring castles as a lot as we do, Wales has no scarcity to give you.
For those who do plan on seeing loads of castles, then we are able to extremely advocate choosing up a Cadw cross. This consists of entry to an enormous variety of historic websites in Wales, together with most the castles.
You should purchase this on-line right here, or in particular person at most Cadw websites. We discovered this saved us some huge cash on our most up-to-date journeys.
Lovers of the outside, like us, will even discover loads to do in Wales. There’s an enormous quantity of pure landscapes to discover, from beautiful coastal surroundings to stunning hills and mountains. It’s good for hikers of all talents. So whether or not you favor to wander alongside a stunning little bit of seashore or climb to the highest of a mountain, Wales has you coated.
Talking of seashores, with a lot shoreline, as you may think there are many seashores to select from. These run the complete gamut, from stunning sandy stretches to these coated in pebbles. So if you happen to’re after a great swim or only a good stroll on the seashore, there are many choices for you.
All that pretty outdoor house additionally means Wales is a superb vacation spot for wildlife. The range in panorama and habitat means there’s loads of completely different hen species you may spot, and there are numerous nature preserves you may go to the place you may spot varied varieties of hen and study them.
It’s extra than simply birds after all, with viewing alternatives for every kind of wildlife, from seals and different marine life by way of to mammals, reptiles, and extra!
Lastly, Wales can also be an excellent vacation spot for lovers of mythology. This ought to be apparent from the flag, which is emblazoned with a purple dragon, arguably the world’s coolest flag. Naturally, you may be taught all in regards to the mythology of Wales, from the origin story of King Arthur by way of to dragons and druids.
General, we predict it’s honest to say that Wales isn’t a vacation spot the place you’ll run out of issues to do!
Some Fundamental Info for Touring in Wales
Let’s cowl some primary data for touring in Wales.
Wales and the broader UK
Wales is part of the UK (UK), so after getting entered the UK then you may journey out and in of Wales freely.
If Wales is your first level of entry into the UK (equivalent to if you happen to arrive into Cardiff Airport from exterior the UK), then you definately would want to undergo passport management and have the right visa and any obligatory documentation.
You possibly can see extra data on any required visas on your go to on the UK authorities web site right here or from your individual authorities’s official journey web site.
For those who arrive into one other a part of the UK equivalent to England or Scotland, then you definately don’t must undergo any additional controls while you journey to Wales, be that by automobile, prepare, or aircraft.
Attending to and from Wales
Wales is a straightforward nation to get to. By way of flights, the one industrial airport in Wales is Cardiff airport, which gives each native and worldwide flights to a restricted variety of locations.
Wales can also be effectively served by regional transport connections from the UK. By prepare, Cardiff is round 2.5 hours from London, 50 minutes from Bristol, and 4 hours from Liverpool.
North Wales locations like Conwy are round an hour by prepare from Chester, or 3.5 hours from London.
You can even simply drive to Wales from areas across the UK. It’s round 3 hours by automobile to from London to Cardiff, 4 hours from Liverpool to Cardiff and seven hours to Cardiff from Edinburgh.
Wales can also be served by ferry routes which hyperlink Wales with the Republic of Eire. So in case you are doing a visit like our two week UK itinerary, this may allow you to join between Wales and the Republic of Eire.
There are additionally a number of excursions that embrace Wales, departing from areas equivalent to London or Bristol. Extra on excursions afterward on this information. Suffice to say, you may have loads of choices for attending to and from Wales!
Language in Wales
Wales has two official languages: Welsh and English. Just below 20% of the inhabitants of Wales speaks Welsh, however just about everybody additionally speaks English.
Nonetheless you’ll nearly definitely hear Welsh being spoken throughout your go to.
The primary approach you’ll encounter Welsh as a customer is more likely to be on indicators. Most indicators are offered in each Welsh and English. Place names are additionally almost at all times written in Welsh.
Welsh is a reasonably difficult language to be taught and the pronunciation is unquestionably not at all times apparent! Place names can simply journey guests up, though the excellent news is that the majority Welsh persons are fairly used to it.
For those who’d like to enhance your pronunciation, it is a good starter information. A superb information e-book to Wales also needs to embrace a information to pronunciation.
Driving in Wales
Driving in Wales is identical as driving in the remainder of the UK, with the primary distinction being that almost all of the street indicators are in Welsh in addition to English.
For those who drive in Wales, you’ll rapidly be taught some Welsh phrases from the street indicators, significantly “Araf” which implies “Sluggish”. Within the majority of instances although, indicators can be in each English and Welsh.
Apart from that, driving in Wales is identical as driving in the remainder of the UK. Drive on the left of the street and you’ll want to observe all pace limits and street guidelines. Velocity limits are usually posted, with the nationwide restrict at 60 miles per hour and limits for built-up areas usually 20 to 40 miles per hour. You possibly can see extra ideas in my information to driving within the UK.
If you’re renting a automobile (evaluate costs right here), you may drive the automobile between England and Wales with none points.
Remember that almost all of vehicles within the UK use a guide transmission, so you’ll want to specify an computerized if that’s what you might be used to driving. Simply word that these do usually carry a value premium as they aren’t as widespread.
Relying on the place on this planet you might be visiting from and the language your license is in, you might also want an worldwide driver’s license from the nation which points your driver’s license.
Public Transporation in Wales
Wales has a reasonably good public transport community, with each buses and trains which hyperlink most of the cities and cities throughout the nation. You possibly can see the primary transport routes on the Transport for Wales web site right here.
For journey planning by public transport in Wales (and the UK generally), we advocate and use the Traveline web site. It’s a free service offered by a partnership of public transport operators within the UK, and can show you how to plan your journey between just about any two factors within the nation.
For almost all of public transport in Wales and the UK (particularly on longer distance routes) you’re going to get higher costs if you happen to e-book on-line prematurely. We advocate the trainline web site for prepare and bus reserving, we’ve used them for years for our public transport wants within the UK.
Different choices to contemplate, particularly for lengthy distance bus journeys embrace Nationwide Specific and Megabus.
Electrical energy in Wales
Wales makes use of the identical energy system as the remainder of the UK. It’s a 220v system which makes use of a three-pin plug (plug sort G).
Travellers from a lot of the remainder of the world, together with mainland Europe and america will want an adapter like this.
American travellers will even need to test their gear helps the 220v commonplace, because the U.S. makes use of a 110v commonplace. The voltage a tool helps can be written clearly on the facility adapter, normally within the type of 110v – 240v.
In our expertise most trendy laptops, cellphone and digital camera chargers, and different small electronics are common, while bigger units like hair dryers and hair straighteners are usually not.
See extra on journey adapters and the way to decide on one on your journey in our information to the greatest journey adapters.
Forex in Wales
Wales makes use of the identical forex as the remainder of the UK, particularly Pound Sterling, or GBP (Nice British Kilos). Wales makes use of the financial institution notes issued by the Financial institution of England, so the forex in use in Wales appears precisely the identical as that utilized in England.
Observe that that is completely different to Scotland and Northern Eire, the place financial institution notes are issued by Scottish and Irish banks respectively. These financial institution notes may also be utilized in the remainder of the UK (and Financial institution of England notes can be utilized in Scotland and Northern Eire).
Time Zone in Wales
Wales is on the identical time zone as the remainder of the UK, which is both GMT, or GMT+1, also referred to as British Summer season Time (BST).
BST runs from the final Sunday in March by way of to the final Sunday in October.
Greatest Instances to Go to Wales
You is perhaps questioning when one of the best time to go to Wales is. While Wales is a year-round vacation spot, there are definitely benefits and downsides to visiting at completely different instances of yr.
Greatest for Climate
Wales has a comparatively gentle local weather year-round with out large extremes.
If you need hotter climate and longer hours of daylight for sightseeing, then one of the best time of yr to go to goes to be from late Could by way of to mid-September.
This time of yr provides you with one of the best likelihood of fine climate and sunny days, though word that rain and cooler temperatures are potential year-round.
The summit of Snowdon in summer season – good climate not assured!
Avoiding Crowds
Wales is a well-liked vacation spot, particularly for guests from different areas of the UK. There are a variety of huge English cities close to Wales equivalent to Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, and Manchester, and guests from these cities usually take journeys to Wales. It’s an particularly in style vacation spot for households.
In consequence, the busiest time of yr in Wales is usually going to be over the college holidays (faculty breaks) in England and Wales.
The precise timing of faculty holidays varies somewhat by space, however typically there are main holidays over the Easter interval, and over the summer season months from mid-July by way of to the top of August.
There are additionally “half-term” holidays which happen midway by way of every faculty time period and are typically every week in period. There’s usually one in mid-February, one across the finish of Could and one across the finish of October.
The most well-liked time for folks to go to Wales is in the course of the hotter summer season months, and through faculty holidays, particularly the Easter holidays, spring half-term, and summer season holidays.
In consequence, if you wish to go to Wales when it’s more likely to be quieter then you definately could be greatest served avoiding these instances.
For those who nonetheless need good climate, we’d recommend June or September to be optimum months, though April and Could can provide good climate if in case you have a little bit of luck in your facet!
Greatest for Mountaineering / Climbing Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)
While you may hike in Wales at any time of yr, we’d recommend that one of the best instances for mountaineering are going to be much like that for visiting for one of the best climate. So that’s going to be from late Could to mid-September.
No matter time of yr you intend to go mountaineering although, remember that the climate can change in a short time. So you’ll want to be ready, guarantee somebody is aware of your route and the place you’re going, and pack appropriately. For extra data, this security information could be very useful.
The most well-liked hike in Wales by far is the hike up Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa in Welsh). You possibly can each hike and take a prepare to the summit, each of that are in style choices.
In our expertise, Snowdon might be busy yr spherical, however the hotter summer season months are undoubtedly the preferred time to deal with the hike.
If you wish to keep away from the crowds on the hike itself, then we’d recommend avoiding the Llanberis path which tends to be the preferred, and taking one of many different much less in style routes such because the Snowdon Ranger path or the Rhyd Ddu path.
After all, Wales has an excellent many extra mountains you may hike, the vast majority of that are far much less busy and in style than Snowdon. A private favorite is Cader Idris, which additionally gives spectacular views throughout the Snowdonia Nationwide Park, and attracts a fraction of the guests!
Main Festivals in Wales
Wales performs host to numerous festivals and festivals all year long, together with music festivals, meals festivals, literary festivals, craft festivals, artwork festivals, and extra (see a reasonably complete listing of festivals in Wales right here).
The biggest competition in Wales is generally the Nationwide Eisteddfod of Wales, which is held for round every week on the primary week of August annually. The placement for the competition modifications annually, and it usually attracts upwards of 100,000 guests. The competition celebrates Welsh tradition, with the occasions and actions all happening in Welsh.
For those who plan on visiting the Eisteddfodd (or another competition in Wales), you’ll undoubtedly need to plan effectively forward as lodging can e-book out, and the world the place the occasion is being held is more likely to be a lot busier than normal.
Conversely, it’s price being conscious when and the place festivals are being held even if you happen to don’t plan on attending them, so that you don’t get caught up within the crowds!
How Lengthy to Spend in Wales
As ought to hopefully be apparent by now, though Wales is a comparatively small nation, there’s a large quantity to see and do in Wales. You may simply spend many weeks exploring the nation with out working out of issues to see and do.
Our advice could be to spend not less than every week if potential to get a good suggestion of what’s on provide and to have time to discover among the nation’s highlights.
If in case you have much less time, say three to 5 days, then we’d advocate specializing in one space or area of the nation somewhat than attempting to cowl an excessive amount of floor.
So, for instance, with three days you would possibly need to give attention to visiting Cardiff and south-west Wales or discover a part of north Wales with visits to Caernarfon and Snowdonia Nationwide Park.
If in case you have every week or extra, then you may develop your itinerary to cowl extra of the nation.
We are going to share some instructed itineraries additional on on this information that can assist you plan, and we even have a 7 – 10 day Wales street journey itinerary you need to discover useful. That itinerary can simply be expanded to 2 or extra weeks.
The place to Keep in Wales
Wales has a variety of lodging choices throughout all budgets. Whether or not you favor tenting, glamping, self-catered lodging, family-run guesthouses, nation home accommodations or common accommodations, you’re going to discover one thing to go well with.
We now have stayed at an enormous vary of lodging choices throughout Wales, together with condominium leases, guesthouses, mattress and breakfasts and accommodations. Often we choose to both keep at a domestically owned mattress and breakfast or small lodge. However for longer stays, we usually e-book an condominium or cottage.
When in search of lodging, we advocate a mixture of the next websites:
- Reserving.com – that is normally our first cease for all types of lodging varieties, from accommodations to friends homes to residences. We just like the highly effective filter system that permits us to hone in on precisely what we would like in every location, in addition to the map device that lets us see completely different choices in several areas.
- Sykes Vacation Cottages – for longer stays in Wales (and the broader UK) we additionally use Sykes. They focus on vacation cottages, and we’ve stayed at some actually pretty properties by way of their system.
- Vrbo UK – if we’re particularly in search of an condominium or trip rental, we’ll additionally normally look on Vrbo. They provide a wide selection of choices and it’s good to have a comparability.
If you want extra choices for lodging reserving in Wales and the UK, see our information to reserving vacation properties within the UK for some concepts!
What to Eat in Wales?
You is perhaps questioning what meals you need to attempt in Wales while you go to, and if there are any uniquely Welsh dishes. Properly, the reply is sure there are.
While there are definitely loads of similarities between Welsh meals and English meals, together with staples equivalent to fish and chips and the complete fried breakfast expertise, there are some dishes which might be widespread to Wales. Listed here are some to attempt:
- Cawl – certainly one of extra conventional Welsh dishes, cawl (pronounced cowl) dates again to the eleventh century not less than and is basically a stew made with meat, greens, and potatoes.
- Welsh Rarebit – while this sounds prefer it’s going to contain rabbit, this quintessential Welsh dish is definitely melted cheese on toast. There are variations on the recipe, with mustard or a bechamel sauce added to the cheese. Scrumptious nonetheless it’s made!
- Glamorgan sausage – this in style “sausage” is a standard vegetarian sausage primarily created from leeks, cheese, and breadcrumbs. It dates again to not less than the 18th century however rose in reputation throughout World Battle II on account of meat rationing and stays in style at present.
- Welsh muffins – this small cake is created from dough, raisins, currant and candied fruit peel after which cooked on a griddle. It may be eaten sizzling or chilly and is texturally extra much like a shortbread than a cake. We prefer it served sizzling and eaten with butter!
- Bara brith – this fruit loaf is a well-liked choice to have with afternoon tea and is usually served with butter on it. It’s principally a fruit cake full of raisins, currants and dried candied fruit peel.
- Laverbread – It is a very attention-grabbing delicacy, which regardless of the title, isn’t a bread in any respect. As an alternative, it’s a puree created from a particular sort of seaweed which grows alongside the Welsh shoreline. The seaweed is cooked for hours to type the puree, which is then mostly served with bread.
- Welsh cheese – Wales is dwelling to many milk producing animals, together with cows, goats, and sheep. As such, there are various conventional Welsh cheeses to get pleasure from. Essentially the most well-known is Caerphilly, which is a tough however crumbly white cheese. Others embrace Y Fenni, Tintern and Pantysgawn
- Native drinks – Wales produces a variety of native drinks, together with domestically brewed beers and ciders. There are additionally over 20 vineyards in Wales producing Welsh wine, and Welsh whisky is gaining popularity as effectively!
In addition to particular dishes, there are additionally many meals that Wales is usually recognized for. These embrace Welsh lamb and beef, seafood, seaweed, and leeks, the latter of which is definitely the nationwide image of Wales.
If you’re going to be buying and cooking throughout your time in Wales, you should not have any downside discovering some native Welsh produce.
Suffice to say, we don’t suppose you’re going to go hungry throughout your keep in Wales.
How one can get round Wales?
There are fairly just a few choices for getting round Wales, which we’ll undergo now.
By Automobile
Our most well-liked choice for touring in Wales is to drive ourselves. Wales has loads of sights which might be somewhat off the overwhelmed path, and a automobile makes it quite a bit simpler to succeed in these tucked away castles or hidden seashores.
That stated, you ought to be conscious that the street community in Wales is primarily made up of normal two-lane roads somewhat than multi-lane freeways (referred to as motorways within the UK).
As such, journey instances can take a bit longer than in different elements of the UK. It’s troublesome to zip throughout Wales and journeys might take longer that you simply anticipate from simply wanting on the map.
This isn’t a foul factor, because the surroundings is usually pretty, and there are many issues to cease and take a look at anyway. Nonetheless, you’ll simply need to remember when planning that even when the distances don’t look significantly lengthy, it might take a little bit of time to get from place to put.
If you’re planning on touring by automobile and must lease, we advocate evaluating automobile rental costs right here.
Public Transportation
As talked about within the part on public transport, Wales has a reasonably good public transport community.
The primary factor to know in case you are planning to journey in Wales by public transport is that you simply’ll undoubtedly need to plan effectively prematurely. Additionally, you will need to remember that it might take fairly a little bit of time to get between areas.
I’ve completed a good bit of journey by prepare and bus in Wales, and while the surroundings is at all times very fairly, it might take some time to get from location to location. So simply remember that in case you are on a restricted timetable, you will have to plan rigorously in order to not spend all of your time sitting on a bus or prepare.
It’s additionally price noting that while trains and buses join loads of the nation, they don’t go completely all over the place. So if there’s someplace you actually need to see, do test to make sure you can truly get there by the mode of transport you want to use.
General, while you may undoubtedly get round Wales by public transport, for folk on a restricted timeframe who need to see quite a bit, we’d most likely advocate both driving or taking a tour.
Best Locations to go to in Wales by public transport?
If you’re planning on visiting Wales by public transport, you is perhaps questioning what one of the best areas are for doing so. Listed here are some ideas.
First, we’d recommend specializing in a particular area of Wales if you happen to plan on visiting by public transport, as then you definately’ll be capable of spend extra time sightseeing and fewer time touring.
Cardiff is a really well-connected metropolis, after which from right here you could possibly simply discover alongside the south coast to Tenby and even St. David’s.
Alternatively, if you happen to’d choose to discover extra of the mountains, then head to North Wales. I’d advocate taking the prepare line alongside the north coast from the English metropolis of Chester (or Liverpool), which connects to numerous different prepare and bus routes.
This can will let you discover many highlights of the area, together with Conwy, Bangor, Caernarfon, the Snowdonia Nationwide Park, in addition to the northeast shoreline together with Harlech and Barmouth.
You may simply make a loop by way of North Wales by public transport, going into Wales from Chester throughout to Conwy and Bangor, then heading south down the coast to Barmouth and Aberdovey, after which lastly east by way of Machynlleth to Shrewsbury.
This route will allow you to discover castles, see shoreline and expertise the mountains, all while not having a automobile.
Be part of a Tour
Probably the greatest approach to see Wales in our opinion, particularly if you happen to choose to not drive, is to affix a tour. A tour lets another person deal with all of the logistics, from planning what to see and do to the way to get from place to put.
You do lose a little bit of flexibility when taking a tour after all, as they often observe a hard and fast itinerary. That is significantly the case if you happen to be a part of a bunch tour. A personal tour will usually provide much more customization, with the draw back that they are usually dearer.
That stated, in our expertise most group excursions give attention to the highlights that guests need to see anyway. Simply make certain when selecting a tour to make sure it visits the vast majority of sights and sights you actually need to see in Wales.
We now have some beneficial excursions of Wales within the part of this information on beneficial excursions. You can even see a variety of excursions by varied suppliers at completely different value factors and durations on TourRadar right here.
Greatest Guided Excursions of Wales
An effective way to see the highlights of Wales with out having to fret in regards to the logistics of planning transport and lodging is to take a guided tour.
There are a variety of excursions to select from that go to Wales, of various period and value.
The longer Wales excursions typically depart from London, Bristol, or Cardiff.
Some we recommend are as follows:
- This 5 day street journey with Rabbies could be our first decide of accessible small group excursions of Wales. We’ve taken an excellent many excursions with Rabbies and we love their educated driver guides and small group sizes. This tour departs from London and covers most of the highlights of the nation, from Snowdonia all the way down to south west Wales.
- This 8 day tour from Cardiff follows an analogous path to our personal instructed Wales street journey itinerary. This tour consists of time in Cardiff, the Brecon Beacons mountains, Snowdonia Nationwide Park, Conwy Fortress, St. Davids, Tenby, and the Pembrokeshire Coast Nationwide Park.
- If in case you have much less time to spare, then this 3 day tour with Rabbies departs from Bristol and focuses on the highlights of south Wales, together with Carreg Cennen Fortress, Hay on Wye, St. Davids, Tenby, and the Pembrokeshire Coast Nationwide Park.
- That is one other 3 day tour with Rabbies which departs from Bristol and focuses on the highlights of North Wales. It consists of Snowdonia Nationwide Parks, Conwy Fortress, Harlech Fortress, the Slate Museum, and Portmeirion.
There are after all extra excursions to select from in Wales. See this choice from a variety of operators on TourRadar which is able to allow you to kind and filter by period, locations visited and value.
Highlights in Wales
There’s quite a bit to see in Wales, sufficient to fill many weeks of explorations. As it may be onerous to determine what to see, we needed to share a few of our private highlights within the nation. That is not at all an exhaustive listing, however we do suppose it covers loads of what the nation has to supply.
We’ve divided it roughly into sights within the southern half of Wales (principally all the pieces south of round Aberystwyth) and the northern half of Wales (all the pieces north of Aberystwyth).
We predict this is smart as a result of in case you are on a shorter timetable you’ll want to give attention to a extra manageable space.
If you’re fortunate sufficient to have extra time then you may undoubtedly go to the entire nation!
South Wales Highlights
South Wales has quite a bit to supply, from the cultural sights in and across the capital metropolis, by way of to the beautiful landscapes of the Pembrokeshire Nationwide Park the place you will see that ample mountaineering and wildlife viewing alternatives.
This a part of Wales can also be dwelling to historic burial grounds, stunning church buildings, castles, seashores, and extra!
Listed here are some highlights to contemplate including to your Wales itinerary.
- Cardiff Fortress
- Cardiff Museum
- St. Fagans (Nationwide Museum of Historical past)
- Castell Carreg Cennen
- Caerphilly Fortress
- Tenby
- Freshwater Seaside
- Whitesands Seaside
- St. David’s Cathedral
- Mountaineering in Pembrokeshire Coast Nationwide Park
- Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber
- Amgueddfa Ceredigion Museum, Aberystwyth
- Elan Valley
- Brecon Beacons
- Hay on Wye
North Wales Highlights
North Wales is maybe greatest referred to as being the way to the spectacular Snowdonia Nationwide Park, which is honest sufficient as it’s a really stunning a part of the world.
Nonetheless, there’s tons extra to this area of the nation, from epic castles by way of to heritage steam railways and great seashores.
Listed here are just a few highlights to contemplate including to your itinerary for Wales!
- Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways
- Caernarfon Fortress
- Beaumaris Fortress
- Conwy Fortress
- Harlech Fortress
- Mount Snowdon & Snowdonia Nationwide Park
- Nationwide Slate Museum
- Fowl Watching within the Dyfi Valley & Coast
- Centre for Various Expertise
- Barmouth Seaside
- Aber Falls
- Portmeirion
Instructed Itineraries for Wales
There’s a lot to see in Wales! We needed to share some instructed itineraries for visiting the nation for various durations, so you may take advantage of your go to.
After all, your mode of transport will dictate precisely how far you’ll be able to go and what you’ll be able to see. If you’re counting on public transport, we’d undoubtedly advocate specializing in a smaller space so you may spend extra time seeing sights and fewer time touring.
If you’re on a tour or in your individual car, you’ll doubtless be capable of match extra in.
1 – 3 Day Wales Itineraries
With one to 3 days in Wales we’d extremely advocate specializing in a particular space of the nation, equivalent to an space of south Wales or north Wales.
For instance, for south Wales you would possibly think about spending a day in Cardiff after which a day or two exploring the Pembrokeshire Coast Nationwide Park, overnighting in St. David’s or the beautiful coastal village of Tenby.
An alternative choice could be to give attention to the mountains and castles of north Wales.
Basing your self in Caernarfon for instance would put you in straightforward attain of among the most spectacular castles in Wales, in addition to the hike or prepare trip up Snowdon. You may simply spend a beautiful one to 3 days visiting castles, exploring seashores and mountaineering within the mountains of Snowdonia.
3 – 6 Day Wales Itineraries
With three to 6 days you’ll be capable of extra totally discover a area of Wales.
Once more, we wouldn’t essentially advocate attempting to see the entire nation on this time interval as it would really feel a bit rushed. As an alternative, give attention to a selected space and hone in on among the sights you have an interest in.
For instance, if you wish to expertise tradition and coastal surroundings, then we’d recommend beginning in Cardiff, working your approach alongside the south coast, after which heading up in direction of Aberystwyth.
Alongside the best way you’ll be capable of go to cultural sights, expertise stunning coastal walks and soak up numerous castles.
Alternatively, head as much as north Wales. With a bit extra time you may discover extra of this stunning a part of the world, from the peaks of the Snowdonia Nationwide Park to the UNESCO listed castles to the heritage steam railway traces.
We’d recommend basing your self in two or three areas, equivalent to Caernarfon, Porthmadog, Conwy, or Barmouth, and exploring from there.
6 Day+ Wales Itineraries
With greater than six days in Wales, you’ll be capable of discover from prime to backside if you happen to so wished. We’d recommend a loop alongside the coast, beginning in Cardiff, heading out to the Pembrokeshire Coast Nationwide Park, then all the best way as much as Snowdonia Nationwide Park and north Wales.
We now have a instructed 1 week Wales itinerary (might be adjusted to 10+ days) for doing simply that with a lot of detailed data, which we predict you’ll discover helps you get round.
What to Pack for Wales
Wales, like the remainder of the UK, is a rustic the place the climate might be extremely variable. Rain is feasible at any time of yr, as are cooler temperatures.
So while you plan what to pack on your journey to Wales you’ll want to be ready for quite a lot of situations. Moreover, as loads of the actions in Wales contain time spent outdoor and significantly mountaineering, you’ll need to plan and pack accordingly to make sure you’re ready.
We’d advocate studying our information to what to pack for the UK as a common overview, but in addition to recollect the next objects:
Additional Assets for Visiting Wales and the UK
And that’s it for our detailed planning information for visiting Wales! We hope you discovered this information helpful. We additionally needed to share some extra assets we predict would possibly show you how to with planning this and future journeys within the UK.
- We now have an in depth 7 – 10 day street journey itinerary for Wales, with daily highlights, tips about the place to remain, and much extra.
- For those who’re in search of extra street journey inspiration within the UK, we’ve a two week UK street journey itinerary and a one week UK street journey itinerary. We even have a one week Cornwall itinerary
- For those who’re heading to Scotland, take a look at our 2 day Edinburgh itinerary, our Glasgow and Loch Lomond itinerary, our information to the greatest day journeys from Glasgow, our information to issues to do in Edinburgh, our itinerary for Skye and the Highlands, our information to the greatest day journeys from Aberdeen, and our information to one of the best day journeys from Edinburgh. We even have a North Coast 500 planning information and North Coast 500 seven day itinerary
- For those who’re not aware of driving within the UK, see my information to driving within the UK for useful ideas.
- We now have guides to many cities within the UK you may take a look at! See our guides to issues to do in Manchester, issues to do in Stratford upon Avon, issues to do in Bristol, issues to do in Portsmouth, tips about a weekend in York, tips about Visiting Oxford on a Day Journey, and issues to do in Cambridge to get began
- For those who’re in search of a guidebook on your journey, take a look at the Tough Information to Wales
And that’s it! Have you ever ever visited Wales? Do you may have something you’d add to the above? Simply tell us within the feedback under, and secure travels!
