Should you’re planning a visit to Wales, then you definitely’ve come to the appropriate place! On this information we’re going to share all the things you’ll want to know to plan the proper Wales journey. That is based mostly on our experiences of touring in Wales and in addition my time dwelling in Wales, which I did for a few years. I used to be truly born in Wales!
On this submit, we’ll cowl the most effective instances of yr to go to Wales, highlights to not miss, the best way to get round Wales, the place to remain in Wales, what to eat in Wales, the best way to e book excursions, and plenty of extra ideas that will help you plan the proper Wales journey.
We’d recommend studying this information alongside our detailed Wales highway journey itinerary, which provides 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 likely one of the 4 international locations (together with England, Scotland, and Northern Eire) that make up the UK.
Geographically, Wales borders England alongside its complete 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 advanced. Individuals have been dwelling right here for a whole bunch of hundreds of years, with steady habitation for at the least 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 negative effects of all these wars is that Wales now has an enormous quantity of castles you possibly can 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. Nonetheless, there aren’t 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 probably the most extensively spoken language.
In case you are 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 assist you 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 should additionally assist you 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 big quantity to select from.
After all, the very first thing that seemingly springs to thoughts if 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 quite a lot of UNESCO listed medieval castles.
The truth is, Wales has extra castles per sq. mile than some other nation in Europe! Suffice to say, should you like exploring castles as a lot as we do, Wales has no scarcity to give you.
Should you do plan on seeing a variety of castles, then we are able to extremely advocate selecting 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 individual 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 also discover loads to do in Wales. There’s an enormous quantity of pure landscapes to discover, from beautiful coastal surroundings to lovely hills and mountains. It’s excellent for hikers of all talents. So whether or not you like 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 total gamut, from lovely sandy stretches to these coated in pebbles. So should you’re after a great swim or only a good stroll on the seashore, there are many choices for you.
All that pretty outdoor area additionally means Wales is a good vacation spot for wildlife. The variability in panorama and habitat means there’s a variety of completely different fowl species you possibly can spot, and there are numerous nature preserves you possibly can go to the place you possibly can spot varied sorts of fowl and find out about them.
It’s extra than simply birds after all, with viewing alternatives for every kind of wildlife, from seals and different marine life by means of to mammals, reptiles, and extra!
Lastly, Wales can also be a fantastic vacation spot for lovers of mythology. This must be apparent from the flag, which is emblazoned with a pink dragon, arguably the world’s coolest flag. Naturally, you possibly can be taught all in regards to the mythology of Wales, from the origin story of King Arthur by means of to dragons and druids.
General, we expect it’s truthful to say that Wales isn’t a vacation spot the place you’ll run out of issues to do!
Some Primary Info 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 possibly can journey out and in of Wales freely.
If Wales is your first level of entry into the UK (resembling should you arrive into Cardiff Airport from outdoors the UK), then you definitely would want to undergo passport management and have the right visa and any vital documentation.
You may see extra data on any required visas on your go to on the UK authorities web site right here or from your personal authorities’s official journey web site.
Should you arrive into one other a part of the UK resembling England or Scotland, then you definitely don’t must undergo any additional controls if you journey to Wales, be that by automotive, practice, or airplane.
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 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 practice, 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 practice from Chester, or 3.5 hours from London.
You may also simply drive to Wales from areas across the UK. It’s round 3 hours by automotive 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 if you’re 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 embody Wales, departing from areas resembling London or Bristol. Extra on excursions afterward on this information. Suffice to say, you’ve 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 virtually definitely hear Welsh being spoken throughout your go to.
The primary manner 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 practically all the time written in Welsh.
Welsh is a reasonably difficult language to be taught and the pronunciation is unquestionably not all the time apparent! Place names can simply journey guests up, though the excellent news is that almost all Welsh individuals are fairly used to it.
Should you’d like to enhance your pronunciation, it is a good starter information. A superb information e book to Wales must also embody a information to pronunciation.
Driving in Wales
Driving in Wales is similar as driving in the remainder of the UK, with the principle distinction being that almost all of the highway indicators are in Welsh in addition to English.
Should you drive in Wales, you’ll rapidly be taught some Welsh phrases from the highway indicators, significantly “Araf” which implies “Sluggish”. Within the majority of circumstances although, indicators will probably be in each English and Welsh.
Aside from that, driving in Wales is similar as driving in the remainder of the UK. Drive on the left of the highway and make sure you observe all pace limits and highway guidelines. Pace 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 may see extra ideas in my information to driving within the UK.
In case you are renting a automotive (evaluate costs right here), you possibly can drive the automotive between England and Wales with none points.
Remember that almost all of vehicles within the UK use a handbook transmission, so make sure you 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 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 reasonably good public transport community, with each buses and trains which hyperlink most of the cities and cities throughout the nation. You may see the principle transport routes on the Transport for Wales web site right here.
For journey planning by public transport in Wales (and the UK usually), 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 assist you 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 should you e book on-line prematurely. We advocate the trainline web site for practice 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 many of the remainder of the world, together with mainland Europe and the USA will want an adapter like this.
American travellers may also wish to verify their tools helps the 220v customary, because the U.S. makes use of a 110v customary. The voltage a tool helps will probably be written clearly on the ability adapter, normally within the type of 110v – 240v.
In our expertise most trendy laptops, telephone and digicam chargers, and different small electronics are common, while bigger units like hair dryers and hair straighteners usually are not.
See extra on journey adapters and the way to decide on one on your journey in our information to the finest journey adapters.
Forex in Wales
Wales makes use of the identical foreign money as the remainder of the UK, specifically Pound Sterling, or GBP (Nice British Kilos). Wales makes use of the financial institution notes issued by the Financial institution of England, so the foreign money in use in Wales appears to be like 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 will 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 called British Summer time Time (BST).
BST runs from the final Sunday in March by means of to the final Sunday in October.
Finest Instances to Go to Wales
You could be questioning when the most effective 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.
Finest for Climate
Wales has a comparatively gentle local weather year-round with out super extremes.
In order for you hotter climate and longer hours of daylight for sightseeing, then the most effective time of yr to go to goes to be from late Could by means of to mid-September.
This time of yr provides you with the most effective probability of excellent 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 resembling Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, and Manchester, and guests from these cities repeatedly take journeys to Wales. It’s an particularly standard vacation spot for households.
In consequence, the busiest time of yr in Wales is mostly going to be over the varsity holidays (faculty breaks) in England and Wales.
The precise timing of college holidays varies somewhat by space, however usually there are main holidays over the Easter interval, and over the summer season months from mid-July by means of to the top of August.
There are additionally “half-term” holidays which happen midway by means of every faculty time period and are usually per 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 individuals 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 definitely could be finest served avoiding these instances.
Should you nonetheless need good climate, we’d recommend June or September to be optimum months, though April and Could can provide good climate when you’ve got a little bit of luck in your aspect!
Finest for Mountaineering / Climbing Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)
While you possibly can hike in Wales at any time of yr, we’d recommend that the most effective instances for mountain climbing are going to be much like that for visiting for the most effective climate. So that’s going to be from late Could to mid-September.
No matter time of yr you propose to go mountain climbing although, bear in mind that the climate can change in a short time. So it would be best 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 may each hike and take a practice to the summit, each of that are standard choices.
In our expertise, Snowdon could be busy yr spherical, however the hotter summer season 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 recommend avoiding the Llanberis path which tends to be the most well-liked, and taking one of many different much less standard routes such because the Snowdon Ranger path or the Rhyd Ddu path.
After all, Wales has a fantastic many extra mountains you possibly can hike, nearly all of that are far much less busy and standard 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 quite a lot of 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 most important pageant in Wales is often 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 happening in Welsh.
Should you plan on visiting the Eisteddfodd (or some other pageant in Wales), you’ll positively wish to plan effectively forward as lodging can e book out, and the realm the place the occasion is being held is more likely to be a lot busier than common.
Conversely, it’s value being conscious when and the place festivals are being held even should 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 big quantity to see and do in Wales. You would simply spend many weeks exploring the nation with out working out of issues to see and do.
Our suggestion could be to spend at the least per week if potential to get a good suggestion of what’s on provide and to have time to discover a few of the nation’s highlights.
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 may wish to deal with visiting Cardiff and south-west Wales or discover a part of north Wales with visits to Caernarfon and Snowdonia Nationwide Park.
In case you have per week or extra, then you possibly can develop your itinerary to cowl extra of the nation.
We are going to share some instructed itineraries additional on on this information that will help you plan, and we even have a 7 – 10 day Wales highway 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 like tenting, glamping, self-catered lodging, family-run guesthouses, nation home accommodations or common accommodations, you will discover one thing to go well with.
We’ve got stayed at an enormous vary of lodging choices throughout Wales, together with house leases, guesthouses, mattress and breakfasts and accommodations. Normally we desire to both keep at a regionally owned mattress and breakfast or small lodge. However for longer stays, we usually e book an house or cottage.
When on the lookout for 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 flats. We just like the highly effective filter system that enables 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 concentrate on vacation cottages, and we have now stayed at some actually pretty properties by means of their system.
- Vrbo UK – if we’re particularly on the lookout for an house 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 need extra choices for lodging reserving in Wales and the UK, see our information to reserving vacation houses within the UK for some concepts!
What to Eat in Wales?
You could be questioning what meals you need to attempt in Wales if you go to, and if there are any uniquely Welsh dishes. Effectively, the reply is sure there are.
While there are definitely a variety of similarities between Welsh meals and English meals, together with staples resembling fish and chips and the total fried breakfast expertise, there are some dishes which are widespread to Wales. Listed here are some to attempt:
- Cawl – one in all extra conventional Welsh dishes, cawl (pronounced cowl) dates again to the eleventh century at the least and is actually 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 standard “sausage” is a conventional vegetarian sausage primarily made out of leeks, cheese, and breadcrumbs. It dates again to at the least the 18th century however rose in reputation throughout World Battle II as a result of meat rationing and stays standard right now.
- Welsh desserts – this small cake is made out of 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 mainly a fruit cake stuffed with raisins, currants and dried candied fruit peel.
- Laverbread – This can be a very attention-grabbing delicacy, which regardless of the title, isn’t a bread in any respect. As an alternative, it’s a puree made out of 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 house 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 regionally brewed beers and ciders. There are additionally over 20 vineyards in Wales producing Welsh wine, and Welsh whisky is rising in popularity as effectively!
In addition to particular dishes, there are additionally many meals that Wales is mostly identified 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 procuring and cooking throughout your time in Wales, you shouldn’t have any drawback discovering some native Welsh produce.
We will additionally advocate The Welsh Home for attempting quite a lot of Welsh meals. They’re in a number of areas, together with in Cardiff close to the fortress. The final time we visited they’d a “Style of Wales” menu possibility which allow us to attempt a variety of completely different Welsh dishes for a really cheap value.
Suffice to say, we don’t suppose you’re going to go hungry throughout your keep in Wales.
How you can get round Wales?
There are fairly a number 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 are somewhat off the overwhelmed path, and a automotive makes it quite a bit simpler to achieve these tucked away castles or hidden seashores.
That stated, try to be conscious that the highway community in Wales is primarily made up of normal two-lane roads somewhat than multi-lane freeways (generally known 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 could take longer that you just count on from simply wanting on the map.
This isn’t a nasty factor, because the surroundings is mostly pretty, and there are many issues to cease and take a look at anyway. Nonetheless, you’ll simply wish to bear in mind when planning that even when the distances don’t look significantly lengthy, it may possibly take a little bit of time to get from place to position.
In case you are planning on touring by automotive and must lease, we advocate evaluating automotive rental costs on Uncover Automobiles right here. They evaluate all the principle suppliers so you will get the most effective value on your journey.
Public Transportation
As talked about within the part on public transport, Wales has a reasonably good public transport community.
The primary factor to know if you’re planning to journey in Wales by public transport is that you just’ll positively wish to plan effectively prematurely. Additionally, you will wish to bear in mind that it may possibly take fairly a little bit of time to get between areas.
I’ve finished a good bit of journey by practice and bus in Wales, and while the surroundings is all the time very fairly, it may possibly take some time to get from location to location. So simply bear in mind that if you’re on a restricted timetable, you will want to plan fastidiously in order to not spend all of your time sitting on a bus or practice.
It’s additionally value noting that while trains and buses join a variety of the nation, they don’t go completely in every single place. So if there’s someplace you actually wish to see, do verify to make sure you can truly get there by the mode of transport you want to use.
General, while you possibly can positively get round Wales by public transport, for people on a restricted timeframe who wish to see quite a bit, we’d in all probability 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 could be questioning what the most effective areas are for doing so. Listed here are some ideas.
First, we’d recommend specializing in a selected area of Wales should you plan on visiting by public transport, as then you definitely’ll have the ability 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, should you’d desire to discover extra of the mountains, then head to North Wales. I’d advocate taking the practice line alongside the north coast from the English metropolis of Chester (or Liverpool), which connects to quite a lot of different practice and bus routes.
It will 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 would simply make a loop by means 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 means of Machynlleth to Shrewsbury.
This route will allow you to discover castles, see shoreline and expertise the mountains, all while not having a automotive.
Be part of a Tour
Among the finest method to see Wales in our opinion, particularly should 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 the best way to get from place to position.
You do lose a little bit of flexibility when taking a tour after all, as they often comply with a set itinerary. That is significantly the case should you be a part of a bunch tour. A personal tour will usually provide much more customization, with the draw back that they are typically costlier.
That stated, in our expertise most group excursions deal with the highlights that guests wish to see anyway. Simply be certain when selecting a tour to make sure it visits nearly all of sights and sights you actually wish to see in Wales.
We’ve got some advisable excursions of Wales within the part of this information on advisable excursions. You may also see a variety of excursions by varied suppliers at completely different value factors and durations on TourRadar right here.
Finest 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 variety of excursions to select from that go to Wales, of various period and value.
The longer Wales excursions usually depart from London, Bristol, or Cardiff.
Some we advise are as follows:
- This 5 day highway journey with Rabbies could be our first decide of obtainable small group excursions of Wales. We’ve taken a fantastic 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 right down to south west Wales.
- This 8 day tour from Cardiff follows the same path to our personal instructed Wales highway journey itinerary. This tour consists of time in Cardiff, the Brecon Beacons mountains, Snowdonia Nationwide Park, Conwy Citadel, St. Davids, Tenby, and the Pembrokeshire Coast Nationwide Park.
- 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 Citadel, 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 Citadel, Harlech Citadel, 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 under no circumstances an exhaustive listing, 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 expect this is smart as a result of if you’re on a shorter timetable it would be best to deal with a extra manageable space.
In case you are fortunate sufficient to have extra time then you possibly can positively 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 means of 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 also be house to historical burial grounds, lovely church buildings, castles, seashores, and extra!
Listed here are some highlights to contemplate including to your Wales itinerary.
- Cardiff Citadel
- Cardiff Museum
- St. Fagans (Nationwide Museum of Historical past)
- Castell Carreg Cennen
- Caerphilly Citadel
- Tenby
- Freshwater Seashore
- Whitesands Seashore
- 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 finest generally known as being the best way to the spectacular Snowdonia Nationwide Park, which is truthful sufficient as it’s a really lovely a part of the world.
Nonetheless, there’s tons extra to this area of the nation, from epic castles by means of to heritage steam railways and fantastic seashores.
Listed here are a number of highlights to contemplate including to your itinerary for Wales!
- Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways
- Caernarfon Citadel
- Beaumaris Citadel
- Conwy Citadel
- Harlech Citadel
- Mount Snowdon & Snowdonia Nationwide Park
- Nationwide Slate Museum
- Fowl Watching within the Dyfi Valley & Coast
- Centre for Various Expertise
- Barmouth Seashore
- Aber Falls
- Portmeirion
Prompt 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 possibly can profit from 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 possibly can spend extra time seeing sights and fewer time touring.
In case you are on a tour or in your personal automobile, you’ll seemingly have the ability to match extra in.
1 – 3 Day Wales Itineraries
With one to a few days in Wales we’d extremely advocate specializing in a selected space of the nation, resembling an space of south Wales or north Wales.
For instance, for south Wales you may take into account spending a day in Cardiff after which a day or two exploring the Pembrokeshire Coast Nationwide Park, overnighting in St. David’s or the gorgeous coastal village of Tenby.
Another choice could be to deal with the mountains and castles of north Wales.
Basing your self in Caernarfon for instance would put you in simple attain of a few of the most spectacular castles in Wales, in addition to the hike or practice trip up Snowdon. You would 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 have the ability 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, deal with a selected space and hone in on a few of 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 manner alongside the south coast, after which heading up in direction of Aberystwyth.
Alongside the way in which you’ll have the ability to go to cultural sights, expertise lovely coastal walks and absorb quite a lot of castles.
Alternatively, head as much as north Wales. With a bit extra time you possibly can discover extra of this lovely a part of the world, from the peaks of the Snowdonia Nationwide Park to the UNESCO listed castles to the heritage steam railway strains.
We’d recommend basing your self in two or three areas, resembling Caernarfon, Porthmadog, Conwy, or Barmouth, and exploring from there.
6 Day+ Wales Itineraries
With greater than six days in Wales, you’ll have the ability to discover from prime to backside should you so wished. We’d recommend 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’ve got a instructed 1 week Wales itinerary (could 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 could be extremely variable. Rain is feasible at any time of yr, as are cooler temperatures.
So if you plan what to pack on your journey to Wales it would be best to be ready for quite a lot of eventualities. Moreover, as a variety of the actions in Wales contain time spent outdoor and significantly mountain climbing, you’ll wish to plan and pack accordingly to make sure you’re ready.
We might advocate studying our information to what to pack for the UK as a normal overview, but in addition to recollect the next gadgets:
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 sources we expect may assist you with planning this and future journeys within the UK.
- We’ve got an in depth 7 – 10 day highway journey itinerary for Wales, with day-to-day highlights, tips about the place to remain, and plenty extra.
- Should you’re on the lookout for extra highway journey inspiration within the UK, we have now a two week UK highway journey itinerary and a one week UK highway journey itinerary. We even have a one week Cornwall itinerary
- Should you’re heading to Scotland, take a look at our 2 day Edinburgh itinerary, our Glasgow and Loch Lomond itinerary, our information to the finest day journeys from Glasgow, our information to issues to do in Edinburgh, our itinerary for Skye and the Highlands, our information to the finest day journeys from Aberdeen, and our information to the most effective day journeys from Edinburgh. We even have a North Coast 500 planning information and North Coast 500 seven day itinerary
- Should you’re not aware of driving within the UK, see my information to driving within the UK for useful ideas.
- We’ve got guides to many cities within the UK you possibly can 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
- Should you’re on the lookout for 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’ve something you’d add to the above? Simply tell us within the feedback under, and secure travels!
