When you’re planning a visit to Wales, then you definitely’ve come to the precise place! On this information we’re going to share all the things you might want to know to plan the right 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 submit, we’ll cowl the perfect occasions of 12 months to go to Wales, highlights to not miss, how one can get round Wales, the place to remain in Wales, what to eat in Wales, how one can e book excursions, and lots of extra ideas that will help you plan the right Wales journey.
We’d counsel studying this information alongside our detailed Wales street journey itinerary, which will provide you with extra concepts of a selected itinerary and sights to see.
Let’s begin with an summary of Wales.
A Fast Overview of Wales
Wales is a rustic with a inhabitants of round three million individuals. It’s a part of the Island of Nice Britain together with England and Scotland. It is without doubt one of the 4 international locations (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 international locations border is made up of beautiful shoreline, largely alongside the Irish Sea.
The historical past of Wales is pretty complicated. Individuals have been residing right here for a whole bunch of hundreds of years, with steady habitation for a minimum of 9,000 years. Because the Roman occasions, many battles had been fought between the Welsh and the English as either side fought for management over what’s current day Wales.
One of many unwanted effects of all these wars is that Wales now has an enormous quantity of castles you’ll be able to go to which is nice as a vacationer. There’s additionally a variety 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. Nevertheless, 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 be after all essentially the most extensively spoken language.
In case you are not that acquainted with 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 won’t solely make it easier to higher perceive lots 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 make it easier to higher perceive the fashionable 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 start out with, with a lot historical past spanning hundreds 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 large quantity to select from.
After all, the very first thing that possible springs to thoughts whenever you consider Wales are the castles, a aspect impact of all the varied wars over time. Wales has an enormous variety of castles, together with various UNESCO listed medieval castles.
Actually, Wales has extra castles per sq. mile than another nation in Europe! Suffice to say, in case you like exploring castles as a lot as we do, Wales has no scarcity to give you.
When you do plan on seeing a variety of castles, then we are able to extremely advocate choosing up a Cadw go. This contains entry to an enormous variety of historic websites in Wales, together with most the castles.
You should buy 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, may even discover a lot 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 excellent for hikers of all skills. So whether or not you like to wander alongside a stunning little bit of seaside 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 in case you’re after a very good swim or only a good stroll on the seaside, there are many choices for you.
All that beautiful open air area additionally means Wales is a superb vacation spot for wildlife. The variability in panorama and habitat means there’s a variety of completely different fowl species you’ll be able to spot, and there are numerous nature preserves you’ll be able to go to the place you’ll be able to spot numerous forms of fowl and study them.
It’s extra than simply birds after all, with viewing alternatives for all types of wildlife, from seals and different marine life via to mammals, reptiles, and extra!
Lastly, Wales can be an ideal vacation spot for lovers of mythology. This needs to be apparent from the flag, which is emblazoned with a crimson dragon, arguably the world’s coolest flag. Naturally, you’ll be able to study all in regards to the mythology of Wales, from the origin story of King Arthur via to dragons and druids.
General, we expect it’s honest to say that Wales will not be a vacation spot the place you’ll run out of issues to do!
Some Primary Data for Touring in Wales
Let’s cowl some fundamental 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’ll be able to journey out and in of Wales freely.
If Wales is your first level of entry into the UK (akin to in case you arrive into Cardiff Airport from exterior the UK), then you definitely would wish to undergo passport management and have the right visa and any needed documentation.
You possibly can see extra data on any required visas to your go to on the UK authorities web site right here or from your individual authorities’s official journey web site.
When you arrive into one other a part of the UK akin to England or Scotland, then you definitely don’t have to undergo any additional controls whenever you journey to Wales, be that by automobile, prepare, or aircraft.
Attending to and from Wales
Wales is a simple nation to get to. When it comes to flights, the one industrial airport in Wales is Cardiff airport, which provides each native and worldwide flights to a restricted variety of locations.
Wales can be properly 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.
It’s also possible to 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 be served by ferry routes which hyperlink Wales with the Republic of Eire. So if you’re doing a visit like our two week UK itinerary, this is able to allow you to join between Wales and the Republic of Eire.
There are additionally a number of excursions that embody Wales, departing from areas akin to London or Bristol. Extra on excursions in a while on this information. Suffice to say, you have got 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.
Nevertheless you’ll virtually actually hear Welsh being spoken throughout your go to.
The principle means you’ll encounter Welsh as a customer is more likely to be on indicators. Most indicators are supplied in each Welsh and English. Place names are additionally almost at all times written in Welsh.
Welsh is a fairly difficult language to study 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 individuals are fairly used to it.
When you’d like to enhance your pronunciation, it is a good starter information. A great information e book to Wales also needs to embody 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.
When you drive in Wales, you’ll shortly study some Welsh phrases from the street indicators, notably “Araf” which suggests “Gradual”. Within the majority of circumstances although, indicators shall 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 be sure you observe all velocity 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.
In case you are renting a automobile (examine costs right here), you’ll be able to drive the automobile between England and Wales with none points.
Remember that almost all of automobiles within the UK use a handbook transmission, so be sure you specify an computerized if that’s what you might be used to driving. Simply be aware that these do usually carry a worth premium as they don’t seem to be as widespread.
Relying on the place on the 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 fairly good public transport community, with each buses and trains which hyperlink lots 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 on the whole), we advocate and use the Traveline web site. It’s a free service supplied by a partnership of public transport operators within the UK, and can make it easier 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’ll get higher costs in case you e book on-line upfront. 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 embody Nationwide Categorical 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 kind G).
Travellers from a lot of the remainder of the world, together with mainland Europe and the USA will want an adapter like this.
American travellers may even need to verify their gear helps the 220v normal, because the U.S. makes use of a 110v normal. The voltage a tool helps shall be written clearly on the ability adapter, normally within the type of 110v – 240v.
In our expertise most trendy laptops, telephone and digital camera chargers, and different small electronics are common, while bigger gadgets like hair dryers and hair straighteners should not.
See extra on journey adapters and the way to decide on one to 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.
Word 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 can 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 via to the final Sunday in October.
Greatest Occasions to Go to Wales
You is likely to be questioning when the perfect time to go to Wales is. While Wales is a year-round vacation spot, there are actually benefits and drawbacks to visiting at completely different occasions of 12 months.
Greatest for Climate
Wales has a comparatively gentle local weather year-round with out large extremes.
If you would like hotter climate and longer hours of daylight for sightseeing, then the perfect time of 12 months to go to goes to be from late Might via to mid-September.
This time of 12 months will provide you with the perfect probability of excellent climate and sunny days, though be aware that rain and cooler temperatures are doable year-round.
The summit of Snowdon in summer time – 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 selection of massive English cities close to Wales akin to Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, and Manchester, and guests from these cities frequently take journeys to Wales. It’s an particularly widespread vacation spot for households.
Because of this, the busiest time of 12 months in Wales is mostly going to be over the varsity holidays (college breaks) in England and Wales.
The precise timing of college holidays varies a little bit by space, however usually there are main holidays over the Easter interval, and over the summer time months from mid-July via to the tip of August.
There are additionally “half-term” holidays which happen midway via every college time period and are usually per week in length. There’s usually one in mid-February, one across the finish of Might and one across the finish of October.
The most well-liked time for individuals to go to Wales is through the hotter summer time months, and through college holidays, particularly the Easter holidays, spring half-term, and summer time holidays.
Because of this, if you wish to go to Wales when it’s more likely to be quieter then you definitely can be greatest served avoiding these occasions.
When you nonetheless need good climate, we’d counsel June or September to be optimum months, though April and Might can provide good climate in case you have a little bit of luck in your aspect!
Greatest for Mountain climbing / Climbing Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)
While you’ll be able to hike in Wales at any time of 12 months, we might counsel that the perfect occasions for mountain climbing are going to be just like that for visiting for the perfect climate. So that’s going to be from late Might to mid-September.
No matter time of 12 months you propose to go mountain climbing 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 may 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 widespread choices.
In our expertise, Snowdon may be busy 12 months spherical, however the hotter summer time months are positively the most well-liked time to sort out the hike.
If you wish to keep away from the crowds on the hike itself, then we’d counsel avoiding the Llanberis path which tends to be the most well-liked, and taking one of many different much less widespread routes such because the Snowdon Ranger path or the Rhyd Ddu path.
After all, Wales has an ideal many extra mountains you’ll be able to hike, nearly all of that are far much less busy and widespread than Snowdon. A private favorite is Cader Idris, which additionally provides spectacular views throughout the Snowdonia Nationwide Park, and attracts a fraction of the guests!
Main Festivals in Wales
Wales performs host to various festivals and gala’s all year long, together with music festivals, meals festivals, literary festivals, craft gala’s, artwork festivals, and extra (see a reasonably complete record of festivals in Wales right here).
The biggest pageant in Wales is generally the Nationwide Eisteddfod of Wales, which is held for round per week on the primary week of August annually. The situation for the pageant modifications annually, and it usually attracts upwards of 100,000 guests. The pageant celebrates Welsh tradition, with the occasions and actions all going down in Welsh.
When you plan on visiting the Eisteddfodd (or another pageant in Wales), you’ll positively need to plan properly 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 standard.
Conversely, it’s value being conscious when and the place festivals are being held even in case you 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 enormous quantity to see and do in Wales. You may simply spend many weeks exploring the nation with out operating out of issues to see and do.
Our advice can be to spend a minimum of per week if doable to get a good suggestion of what’s on provide and to have time to discover a number of the nation’s highlights.
When you have much less time, say three to 5 days, then we might advocate specializing in one space or area of the nation quite than attempting to cowl an excessive amount of floor.
So, for instance, with three days you would possibly need to concentrate on visiting Cardiff and south-west Wales or discover a part of north Wales with visits to Caernarfon and Snowdonia Nationwide Park.
When you have per week or extra, then you’ll be able to increase your itinerary to cowl extra of the nation.
We’ll share some instructed itineraries additional on on this information that will help you plan, and we even have a 7 – 10 day Wales street journey itinerary it is best 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 like tenting, glamping, self-catered lodging, family-run guesthouses, nation home motels or common motels, you will discover one thing to swimsuit.
We now have stayed at an enormous vary of lodging choices throughout Wales, together with condo leases, guesthouses, mattress and breakfasts and motels. Normally we desire to both keep at a domestically owned mattress and breakfast or small resort. However for longer stays, we usually e book an condo 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 kinds of lodging varieties, from motels to company homes to flats. We just like the highly effective filter system that permits us to hone in on precisely what we wish in every location, in addition to the map instrument that lets us see completely different choices in numerous areas.
- Sykes Vacation Cottages – for longer stays in Wales (and the broader UK) we additionally use Sykes. They focus on vacation cottages, and we have now stayed at some actually beautiful properties via their system.
- Vrbo UK – if we’re particularly in search of an condo 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 likely to be questioning what meals it is best to attempt in Wales whenever you go to, and if there are any uniquely Welsh dishes. Properly, the reply is sure there are.
While there are actually a variety of similarities between Welsh meals and English meals, together with staples akin to fish and chips and the complete fried breakfast expertise, there are some dishes which can be widespread to Wales. Listed here are some to attempt:
- Cawl – one in every of extra conventional Welsh dishes, cawl (pronounced cowl) dates again to the eleventh century a minimum of 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 nevertheless it’s made!
- Glamorgan sausage – this widespread “sausage” is a standard vegetarian sausage primarily constructed from leeks, cheese, and breadcrumbs. It dates again to a minimum of the 18th century however rose in recognition throughout World Conflict II as a consequence of meat rationing and stays widespread immediately.
- Welsh desserts – this small cake is constructed 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 just 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 commonly served with butter on it. It’s mainly a fruit cake crammed with raisins, currants and dried candied fruit peel.
- Laverbread – It is a very fascinating delicacy, which regardless of the identify, isn’t a bread in any respect. As an alternative, it’s a puree constructed from a selected kind of seaweed which grows alongside the Welsh shoreline. The seaweed is cooked for hours to kind the puree, which is then mostly served with bread.
- Welsh cheese – Wales is residence to many milk producing animals, together with cows, goats, and sheep. As such, there are lots of conventional Welsh cheeses to get pleasure from. Probably the most well-known is Caerphilly, which is a tough however crumbly white cheese. Others embody 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 rising in popularity as properly!
In addition to particular dishes, there are additionally many meals that Wales is mostly recognized for. These embody Welsh lamb and beef, seafood, seaweed, and leeks, the latter of which is definitely the nationwide image of Wales.
If you will be purchasing and cooking throughout your time in Wales, you should not have any drawback discovering some native Welsh produce.
Suffice to say, we don’t suppose you’re going to go hungry throughout your keep in Wales.
Find out how to get round Wales?
There are fairly a couple of choices for getting round Wales, which we’ll undergo now.
By Automobile
Our most well-liked possibility for touring in Wales is to drive ourselves. Wales has a variety of sights which can be a little bit off the overwhelmed path, and a automobile makes it rather a lot simpler to achieve these tucked away castles or hidden seashores.
That mentioned, you have to be conscious that the street community in Wales is primarily made up of normal two-lane roads quite than multi-lane freeways (referred to as motorways within the UK).
As such, journey occasions can take a bit longer than in different elements of the UK. It’s tough to zip throughout Wales and journeys could take longer that you simply anticipate from simply trying on the map.
This isn’t a nasty factor, because the surroundings is mostly beautiful, and there are many issues to cease and have a look at anyway. Nevertheless, you’ll simply need to remember when planning that even when the distances don’t look notably lengthy, it will probably take a little bit of time to get from place to put.
In case you are planning on touring by automobile and have to lease, we advocate evaluating automobile rental costs right here.
Public Transportation
As talked about within the part on public transport, Wales has a fairly good public transport community.
The principle factor to know if you’re planning to journey in Wales by public transport is that you simply’ll positively need to plan properly upfront. Additionally, you will need to remember that it will probably take fairly a little bit of time to get between areas.
I’ve finished a good bit of journey by prepare and bus in Wales, and while the surroundings is at all times very fairly, it will probably take some time to get from location to location. So simply remember that if you’re on a restricted timetable, you have to to plan fastidiously in order to not spend all of your time sitting on a bus or prepare.
It’s additionally value noting that while trains and buses join a variety of the nation, they don’t go completely in all places. So if there’s someplace you actually need to see, do verify to make sure you can truly get there by the mode of transport you want to use.
General, while you’ll be able to positively get round Wales by public transport, for people on a restricted timeframe who need to see rather a lot, we might most likely advocate both driving or taking a tour.
Best Locations to go to in Wales by public transport?
In case you are planning on visiting Wales by public transport, you is likely to be questioning what the perfect areas are for doing so. Listed here are some ideas.
First, we’d counsel specializing in a selected area of Wales in case you plan on visiting by public transport, as then you definitely’ll be capable to spend extra time sightseeing and fewer time touring.
Cardiff is a really well-connected metropolis, after which from right here you possibly can simply discover alongside the south coast to Tenby and even St. David’s.
Alternatively, in case you’d desire 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 various different prepare and bus routes.
It will mean you can 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 via 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 via Machynlleth to Shrewsbury.
This route will allow you to discover castles, see shoreline and expertise the mountains, all with no need a automobile.
Be part of a Tour
The most effective solution to see Wales in our opinion, particularly in case you desire to not drive, is to hitch a tour. A tour lets another person deal with all of the logistics, from planning what to see and do to how one can get from place to put.
You do lose a little bit of flexibility when taking a tour after all, as they often comply with a set itinerary. That is notably the case in case you be a part of a gaggle tour. A personal tour will usually provide much more customization, with the draw back that they are usually dearer.
That mentioned, in our expertise most group excursions concentrate on the highlights that guests need to see anyway. Simply ensure when selecting a tour to make sure it visits nearly all of sights and sights you actually need to see in Wales.
We now have some really useful excursions of Wales within the part of this information on really useful excursions. It’s also possible to see a variety of excursions by numerous suppliers at completely different worth factors and durations on TourRadar right here.
Greatest Guided Excursions of Wales
A good 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 selection of excursions to select from that go to Wales, of various length and worth.
The longer Wales excursions usually depart from London, Bristol, or Cardiff.
Some we advise are as follows:
- This 5 day street journey with Rabbies can be our first choose of obtainable small group excursions of Wales. We’ve taken an ideal many excursions with Rabbies and we love their educated driver guides and small group sizes. This tour departs from London and covers lots of the highlights of the nation, from Snowdonia all the way down to south west Wales.
- This 8 day tour from Cardiff follows the same path to our personal instructed Wales street journey itinerary. This tour contains time in Cardiff, the Brecon Beacons mountains, Snowdonia Nationwide Park, Conwy Fortress, St. Davids, Tenby, and the Pembrokeshire Coast Nationwide Park.
- When 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 contains 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 type and filter by length, locations visited and worth.
Highlights in Wales
There’s rather a lot to see in Wales, sufficient to fill many weeks of explorations. As it may be arduous 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 record, however we do suppose it covers a variety of what the nation has to supply.
We’ve divided it roughly into sights within the southern half of Wales (mainly all the things south of round Aberystwyth) and the northern half of Wales (all the things north of Aberystwyth).
We predict this is smart as a result of if you’re on a shorter timetable you’ll want to concentrate on a extra manageable space.
In case you are fortunate sufficient to have extra time then you’ll be able to positively go to the entire nation!
South Wales Highlights
South Wales has rather a lot to supply, from the cultural sights in and across the capital metropolis, via to the beautiful landscapes of the Pembrokeshire Nationwide Park the place you’ll find ample mountain climbing and wildlife viewing alternatives.
This a part of Wales can be residence to historical 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 Seashore
- Whitesands Seashore
- St. David’s Cathedral
- Mountain climbing 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 how one can the spectacular Snowdonia Nationwide Park, which is honest sufficient as it’s a really stunning a part of the world.
Nevertheless, there’s tons extra to this area of the nation, from epic castles via to heritage steam railways and great seashores.
Listed here are a couple of 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
- Chook Watching within the Dyfi Valley & Coast
- Centre for Various Expertise
- Barmouth Seashore
- Aber Falls
- Portmeirion
Recommended 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’ll be able to 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. In case you are counting on public transport, we’d positively advocate specializing in a smaller space so you’ll be able to spend extra time seeing sights and fewer time touring.
In case you are on a tour or in your individual car, you’ll possible be capable to match extra in.
1 – 3 Day Wales Itineraries
With one to a few days in Wales we might extremely advocate specializing in a selected space of the nation, akin to an space of south Wales or north Wales.
For instance, for south Wales you would possibly contemplate 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 can be to concentrate on the mountains and castles of north Wales.
Basing your self in Caernarfon for instance would put you in straightforward attain of a number of the most spectacular castles in Wales, in addition to the hike or prepare experience up Snowdon. You may simply spend an exquisite one to a few days visiting castles, exploring seashores and mountain climbing within the mountains of Snowdonia.
3 – 6 Day Wales Itineraries
With three to 6 days you’ll be capable to extra completely 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, concentrate on a selected space and hone in on a number of the sights you have an interest in.
For instance, if you wish to expertise tradition and coastal surroundings, then we’d counsel beginning in Cardiff, working your means alongside the south coast, after which heading up in direction of Aberystwyth.
Alongside the way in which you’ll be capable to go to cultural sights, expertise stunning coastal walks and soak up various castles.
Alternatively, head as much as north Wales. With a bit extra time you’ll be able to 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 counsel basing your self in two or three areas, akin 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 to discover from prime to backside in case you so wished. We’d counsel a loop alongside the coast, beginning in Cardiff, heading out to the Pembrokeshire Coast Nationwide Park, then all the way in which as much as Snowdonia Nationwide Park and north Wales.
We now have a instructed 1 week Wales itinerary (may be adjusted to 10+ days) for doing simply that with numerous detailed data, which we expect 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 may be extremely variable. Rain is feasible at any time of 12 months, as are cooler temperatures.
So whenever you plan what to pack to your journey to Wales you’ll want to be ready for quite a lot of eventualities. Moreover, as a variety of the actions in Wales contain time spent open air and notably mountain climbing, you’ll need to plan and pack accordingly to make sure you are ready.
We’d advocate studying our information to what to pack for the UK as a normal overview, but in addition to recollect the next objects:
Additional Sources 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 sources we expect would possibly make it easier 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.
- When you’re in search of extra street journey inspiration within the UK, we have now a two week UK street journey itinerary and a one week UK street journey itinerary. We even have a one week Cornwall itinerary
- When you’re heading to Scotland, try 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 the perfect day journeys from Edinburgh. We even have a North Coast 500 planning information and North Coast 500 seven day itinerary
- When you’re not acquainted with 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’ll be able to try! 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
- When you’re in search of a guidebook to your journey, try the Tough Information to Wales
And that’s it! Have you ever ever visited Wales? Do you have got something you’d add to the above? Simply tell us within the feedback under, and secure travels!
