Should you’re planning a visit to Wales, then you definately’ve come to the proper place! On this information we’re going to share every thing you must know to plan the proper Wales journey. That is based mostly on our experiences of touring in Wales and likewise my time dwelling in Wales, which I did for a few years. I used to be truly born in Wales!
On this publish, we’ll cowl the very best occasions 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 plenty of extra suggestions that can assist you plan the proper Wales journey.
We’d counsel studying this information alongside our detailed Wales street journey itinerary, which offers you extra concepts of a particular 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 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, principally alongside the Irish Sea.
The historical past of Wales is pretty advanced. Folks have been dwelling right here for a whole bunch of hundreds of years, with steady habitation for at the very least 9,000 years. For the reason that Roman occasions, many battles had been fought between the Welsh and the English as all 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’ll be able to 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. 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 probably the most extensively spoken language.
If you’re not that acquainted with the historical past of Wales, we are able to extremely suggest 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’re more likely to go to in Wales (e.g., castles, museums, church buildings, Iron Age ruins), however it can 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 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 probably springs to thoughts once you consider Wales are the castles, a facet impact of all the varied wars through the years. Wales has an enormous variety of castles, together with plenty of 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.
Should you do plan on seeing loads of castles, then we are able to extremely suggest choosing up a Cadw move. 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, may even 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 good for hikers of all skills. 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 complete gamut, from lovely sandy stretches to these coated in pebbles. So if you happen to’re after a very good 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 totally different hen 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 kinds 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 via to mammals, reptiles, and extra!
Lastly, Wales can be an awesome vacation spot for lovers of mythology. This must 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.
Total, we predict it’s truthful to say that Wales shouldn’t be 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 you have 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 (similar to if you happen to arrive into Cardiff Airport from outdoors the UK), then you definately would want to undergo passport management and have the proper visa and any crucial documentation.
You’ll be able to 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.
Should you arrive into one other a part of the UK similar to England or Scotland, then you definately don’t have to undergo any additional controls once you journey to Wales, be that by automotive, prepare, or aircraft.
Attending to and from Wales
Wales is a straightforward 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 be nicely 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 places 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 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 could allow you to join between Wales and the Republic of Eire.
There are additionally a number of excursions that embrace Wales, departing from places similar to London or Bristol. Extra on excursions afterward 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 nearly actually hear Welsh being spoken throughout your go to.
The principle method 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 study 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 persons are fairly used to it.
Should you’d like to enhance your pronunciation, it is a good starter information. An excellent information e-book to Wales must also embrace 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 street indicators are in Welsh in addition to English.
Should you drive in Wales, you’ll shortly study some Welsh phrases from the street indicators, notably “Araf” which suggests “Sluggish”. Within the majority of instances although, indicators will probably be in each English and Welsh.
Apart from that, driving in Wales is similar as driving in the remainder of the UK. Drive on the left of the street and you should definitely 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’ll be able to see extra suggestions in my information to driving within the UK.
If you’re renting a automotive (evaluate costs right here), you’ll be able to drive the automotive between England and Wales with none points.
Bear in mind that almost all of automobiles within the UK use a handbook transmission, so you should definitely specify an automated if that’s what you’re used to driving. Simply be aware that these do usually carry a worth premium as they don’t seem to be as frequent.
Relying on the place on the planet you’re visiting from and the language your license is in, you may additionally 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’ll be able to 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 suggest and use the Traveline web site. It’s a free service supplied 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’ll get higher costs if you happen to e-book on-line prematurely. We suggest 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 think about, 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 many of the remainder of the world, together with mainland Europe and america will want an adapter like this.
American travellers may even need to examine their tools helps the 220v normal, because the U.S. makes use of a 110v normal. The voltage a tool helps will probably be written clearly on the ability adapter, often within the type of 110v – 240v.
In our expertise most trendy laptops, telephone and digicam chargers, and different small electronics are common, while bigger gadgets like hair dryers and hair straighteners are usually not.
See extra on journey adapters and the way to decide on one to your journey in our information to the greatest journey adapters.
Foreign money in Wales
Wales makes use of the identical forex 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 forex in use in Wales seems precisely the identical as that utilized in England.
Be aware that that is totally 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, often known as British Summer time 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 very best time to go to Wales is. While Wales is a year-round vacation spot, there are actually benefits and drawbacks to visiting at totally different occasions of yr.
Greatest for Climate
Wales has a comparatively delicate local weather year-round with out super extremes.
If you would like hotter climate and longer hours of daylight for sightseeing, then the very best time of yr to go to goes to be from late Might via to mid-September.
This time of yr offers you the very best likelihood of excellent climate and sunny days, though be aware that rain and cooler temperatures are attainable 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 similar to Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol, and Manchester, and guests from these cities repeatedly take journeys to Wales. It’s an particularly well-liked 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 faculty holidays varies slightly 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 faculty time period and are usually per week in period. 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 throughout the hotter summer time months, and through faculty holidays, particularly the Easter holidays, spring half-term, and summer time 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 occasions.
Should you nonetheless need good climate, we’d counsel June or September to be optimum months, though April and Might can supply good climate if in case you have a little bit of luck in your facet!
Greatest for Mountaineering / Climbing Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa)
While you’ll be able to hike in Wales at any time of yr, we might counsel that the very best occasions for climbing are going to be just like that for visiting for the very best climate. So that’s going to be from late Might to mid-September.
No matter time of yr you propose to go 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 may be very useful.
The most well-liked hike in Wales by far is the hike up Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa in Welsh). You’ll be able to each hike and take a prepare to the summit, each of that are well-liked choices.
In our expertise, Snowdon may be busy yr spherical, however the hotter summer time months are undoubtedly the preferred 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 preferred, and taking one of many different much less well-liked routes such because the Snowdon Ranger path or the Rhyd Ddu path.
After all, Wales has an awesome many extra mountains you’ll be able to hike, nearly all of that are far much less busy and well-liked 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 plenty of 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 checklist of festivals in Wales right here).
The biggest competition 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 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.
Should you plan on visiting the Eisteddfodd (or another competition in Wales), you’ll undoubtedly need to plan nicely 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 ordinary.
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 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 advice could be to spend at the very least per week if attainable to get a good suggestion of what’s on supply and to have time to discover a few of the nation’s highlights.
You probably have much less time, say three to 5 days, then we might suggest specializing in one space or area of the nation quite than making an attempt to cowl an excessive amount of floor.
So, for instance, with three days you would possibly need to deal with visiting Cardiff and south-west Wales or discover a part of north Wales with visits to Caernarfon and Snowdonia Nationwide Park.
You probably have per week or extra, then you’ll be able to broaden your itinerary to cowl extra of the nation.
We are going to share some steered itineraries additional on on this information that can assist you plan, and we even have a 7 – 10 day Wales street journey itinerary it’s 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 go well with.
We’ve got stayed at an enormous vary of lodging choices throughout Wales, together with residence leases, guesthouses, mattress and breakfasts and motels. Normally we want to both keep at a regionally owned mattress and breakfast or small lodge. However for longer stays, we usually e-book an residence or cottage.
When in search of lodging, we suggest a mixture of the next websites:
- Reserving.com – that is often our first cease for all kinds of lodging varieties, from motels to visitors homes to flats. We just like the highly effective filter system that enables us to hone in on precisely what we would like in every location, in addition to the map instrument that lets us see totally different choices in several areas.
- Sykes Vacation Cottages – for longer stays in Wales (and the broader UK) we additionally use Sykes. They specialise in vacation cottages, and now we have stayed at some actually pretty properties via their system.
- Vrbo UK – if we’re particularly in search of an residence or trip rental, we’ll additionally often look on Vrbo. They provide a wide variety 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’s best to attempt in Wales once you go to, and if there are any uniquely Welsh dishes. Effectively, the reply is sure there are.
While there are actually loads of similarities between Welsh meals and English meals, together with staples similar to fish and chips and the complete fried breakfast expertise, there are some dishes which might be frequent to Wales. Listed below are some to attempt:
- Cawl – one in every of extra conventional Welsh dishes, cawl (pronounced cowl) dates again to the eleventh century at the very least 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 well-liked “sausage” is a standard vegetarian sausage primarily constituted of leeks, cheese, and breadcrumbs. It dates again to at the very least the 18th century however rose in reputation throughout World Struggle II on account of meat rationing and stays well-liked at the moment.
- Welsh truffles – this small cake is constituted of dough, raisins, currant and candied fruit peel after which cooked on a griddle. It may be eaten scorching or chilly and is texturally extra just like a shortbread than a cake. We prefer it served scorching 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 principally 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 identify, isn’t a bread in any respect. As an alternative, it’s a puree constituted of 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 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 embrace 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 gaining popularity as nicely!
In addition to particular dishes, there are additionally many meals that Wales is mostly identified for. These embrace 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 shouldn’t have any downside discovering some native Welsh produce.
We are able to additionally suggest The Welsh Home for making an attempt a wide range of Welsh meals. They’re in just a few places, together with in Cardiff close to the fortress. The final time we visited that they had a “Style of Wales” menu possibility which allow us to attempt loads of totally different Welsh dishes for a really cheap worth.
Suffice to say, we don’t suppose you’re going to go hungry throughout your keep in Wales.
Easy methods to get round Wales?
There are fairly just a few choices for getting round Wales, which we’ll undergo now.
By Automotive
Our most well-liked possibility for touring in Wales is to drive ourselves. Wales has loads of sights which might be slightly off the crushed path, and a automotive makes it loads 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 quite than multi-lane freeways (referred to as motorways within the UK).
As such, journey occasions can take a bit longer than in different components of the UK. It’s tough to zip throughout Wales and journeys might take longer that you just anticipate from simply wanting on the map.
This isn’t a foul factor, because the surroundings is mostly pretty, and there are many issues to cease and take a look at anyway. Nevertheless, you’ll simply need to bear in mind when planning that even when the distances don’t look notably lengthy, it could possibly take a little bit of time to get from place to position.
If you’re planning on touring by automotive and have to hire, we suggest evaluating automotive rental costs on Uncover Automobiles right here. They evaluate all the principle suppliers so you will get the very best worth to your journey.
Public Transportation
As talked about within the part on public transport, Wales has a reasonably good public transport community.
The principle factor to know if you’re planning to journey in Wales by public transport is that you just’ll undoubtedly need to plan nicely prematurely. Additionally, you will need to bear in mind that it could possibly take fairly a little bit of time to get between places.
I’ve accomplished a good bit of journey by prepare and bus in Wales, and while the surroundings is all the time very fairly, it could 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 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 in every single place. So if there’s someplace you actually need to see, do examine to make sure you can truly get there by the mode of transport you want to use.
Total, while you’ll be able to undoubtedly get round Wales by public transport, for folk on a restricted timeframe who need to see loads, we might most likely suggest 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 likely to be questioning what the very best places are for doing so. Listed below are some suggestions.
First, we’d counsel 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 can simply discover alongside the south coast to Tenby and even St. David’s.
Alternatively, if you happen to’d want to discover extra of the mountains, then head to North Wales. I’d suggest taking the prepare line alongside the north coast from the English metropolis of Chester (or Liverpool), which connects to plenty of different prepare and bus routes.
This can help 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 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 while not having a automotive.
Be part of a Tour
Among the finest technique to see Wales in our opinion, particularly if you happen to want 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 position.
You do lose a little bit of flexibility when taking a tour after all, as they often observe a set itinerary. That is notably the case if you happen to be a part of a gaggle tour. A non-public tour will usually supply much more customization, with the draw back that they are typically dearer.
That stated, in our expertise most group excursions deal with the highlights that guests need to see anyway. Simply make certain when selecting a tour to make sure it visits nearly all of sights and sights you actually need to see in Wales.
We’ve got some really useful excursions of Wales within the part of this information on really useful excursions. It’s also possible to see a spread of excursions by numerous suppliers at totally different worth 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 selection of excursions to select from that go to Wales, of various period 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 could be our first choose of accessible small group excursions of Wales. We’ve taken an awesome 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 steered Wales street 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.
- You probably 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 spread of operators on TourRadar which is able to allow you to kind and filter by period, locations visited and worth.
Highlights in Wales
There’s loads to see in Wales, sufficient to fill many weeks of explorations. As it may be laborious to determine what to see, we wished to share a few of our private highlights within the nation. That is certainly not an exhaustive checklist, 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 every thing south of round Aberystwyth) and the northern half of Wales (every thing north of Aberystwyth).
We expect this is sensible as a result of if you’re on a shorter timetable it would be best to deal with a extra manageable space.
If you’re fortunate sufficient to have extra time then you’ll be able to undoubtedly go to the entire nation!
South Wales Highlights
South Wales has loads 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 can find ample climbing and wildlife viewing alternatives.
This a part of Wales can be house to historical burial grounds, lovely church buildings, castles, seashores, and extra!
Listed below are some highlights to think about 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 probably greatest referred to as being the way to the spectacular Snowdonia Nationwide Park, which is truthful sufficient as it’s a really lovely a part of the world.
Nevertheless, there’s heaps extra to this area of the nation, from epic castles via to heritage steam railways and great seashores.
Listed below are just a few highlights to think about 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 Different Expertise
- Barmouth Seashore
- Aber Falls
- Portmeirion
Urged Itineraries for Wales
There’s a lot to see in Wales! We wished to share some steered itineraries for visiting the nation for various durations, so you’ll be able to 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. If you’re counting on public transport, we’d undoubtedly suggest specializing in a smaller space so you’ll be able to spend extra time seeing sights and fewer time touring.
If you’re on a tour or in your individual automobile, you’ll probably be capable of match extra in.
1 – 3 Day Wales Itineraries
With one to 3 days in Wales we might extremely suggest specializing in a particular space of the nation, similar 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 gorgeous coastal village of Tenby.
An alternative 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 prepare journey up Snowdon. You would simply spend a beautiful one to 3 days visiting castles, exploring seashores and climbing 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 suggest making an attempt to see the entire nation on this time interval as it would really feel a bit rushed. As an alternative, deal with a specific 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 counsel beginning in Cardiff, working your method alongside the south coast, after which heading up in the direction of Aberystwyth.
Alongside the best way you’ll be capable of go to cultural sights, expertise lovely coastal walks and absorb plenty of castles.
Alternatively, head as much as north Wales. With a bit extra time you’ll be able to 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 counsel basing your self in two or three places, similar 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 high to backside if you happen to so wished. We’d counsel 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’ve got a steered 1 week Wales itinerary (may be adjusted to 10+ days) for doing simply that with a number 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 may be extremely variable. Rain is feasible at any time of yr, as are cooler temperatures.
So once you plan what to pack to your journey to Wales it would be best to be ready for a wide range of situations. Moreover, as loads of the actions in Wales contain time spent outdoor and notably climbing, you’ll need to plan and pack accordingly to make sure you are ready.
We’d suggest 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 wished to share some extra sources we predict would possibly show you how to with planning this and future journeys within the UK.
- We’ve got an in depth 7 – 10 day street journey itinerary for Wales, with day-to-day highlights, recommendations on the place to remain, and much extra.
- Should you’re in search of extra street journey inspiration within the UK, now we have a two week UK street journey itinerary and a one week UK street journey itinerary. We even have a one week Cornwall itinerary
- Should 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 very best day journeys from Edinburgh. We even have a North Coast 500 planning information and North Coast 500 seven day itinerary
- Should you’re not acquainted with driving within the UK, see my information to driving within the UK for useful suggestions.
- We’ve got 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, recommendations on a weekend in York, recommendations on Visiting Oxford on a Day Journey, and issues to do in Cambridge to get began
- Should 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 beneath, and protected travels!
