109 Best Sights in Wales

The town of Beaumaris dates from 1295, when Edward I commenced work on this impressive castle, the last and largest link in an "iron ring" of fortifications around North Wales built to contain the Welsh. Guarding the western approach to the Menai Strait, the unfinished castle (a World Heritage Site) is solid and symmetrical, with concentric lines of fortification, arrow slits, and a moat: a superb example of medieval defensive planning.

For hundreds of years, South Wales has been famous for its mining industry. Decades of decline—particularly during the 1980s—left only a handful of mines in business. The mines around Blaenavon, a small town 7 miles northeast of Abergavenny, have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and this fascinating museum is the centerpiece. Ex-miners lead you 300 feet underground into a coal mine. You spend just under an hour examining the old stables, machine rooms, and exposed coalfaces. Afterward you can look around an exhibition housed in the old Pithead Baths, including an extraordinary section on child labor in British mines. Children under 3½ feet tall are not allowed on the underground portion of the tour.

Undoubtedly one of the best gardens in Wales, Bodnant Garden is something of a pilgrimage spot for horticulturists from around the world. Laid out in 1875, the 87 acres are particularly famed for rhododendrons, camellias, and magnolias. Visit in late May to see the laburnum arch that forms a huge tunnel of golden blooms. The mountains of Snowdonia form a magnificent backdrop to the Italianate terraces, rock and rose gardens, and pinetum. The gardens are about 5 miles south of Conwy.

About 5 miles southwest of Brecon you encounter mountains and wild, windswept uplands that are tipped by shafts of golden light when the weather's fine, or fingers of ghostly mist when it's not. This 519-square-mile park is one of Wales's most breathtaking areas, perfect for a hike or scenic drive; it's also one of the world's few accredited International Dark Sky Reserves, which means it's an excellent location for star-gazing. Start at the visitor center on Mynydd Illtyd, a grassy stretch of upland west of the A470. Also known as the Mountain Centre, it's an excellent source of information about the park, including maps and advice on the best routes (guided or self-guided). There's also an excellent tearoom where you can fuel up for the journey or reward yourself with an indulgent slice of cake afterward. If you want to see it all from your car, any road that crosses the Beacons will offer you beautiful views, but the most spectacular is the high and undulating A4069, between Brynamman and Llangadog in the park's western end.

To explore the moorlands on foot, come prepared. Mist and rain descend quickly, and the summits are exposed to high winds.

The grim, majestic mass of Caernarfon Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, looms over the waters of the River Seiont. Numerous bloody encounters were witnessed by these sullen walls, erected by Edward I in 1283 as a symbol of his determination to subdue the Welsh. The castle's towers, unlike those of Edward I's other castles, are polygonal and patterned with bands of different-color stone. In 1284 the monarch thought of a scheme to steal the Welsh throne. Knowing that the Welsh chieftains would accept no foreign prince, Edward promised to designate a ruler who could speak no word of English. Edward presented his infant son to the assembled chieftains as their prince "who spoke no English, had been born on Welsh soil, and whose first words would be spoken in Welsh." The ruse worked, and on that day was created the first prince of Wales of English lineage. In the Queen's Tower, a museum charts the history of the local regiment, the Royal Welch Fusiliers. In 1969, the castle was the location of the investiture of King Charles as Prince of Wales, an event featured in the third season of the hit Netflix series The Crown. The castle has been undergoing a £4 million renovation to turn the King's Gate main entrance into an accessible visitor center. The castle is in the town of Caernarfon, 7 miles west of Llanberis.

The largest and most impressive fortress in Wales, and one of the few still to be surrounded by its original moat, Caerphilly must have been awe-inspiring at the time of its construction in the 13th century. Built by an Anglo-Norman lord, the concentric fortification contained powerful inner and outer defenses. It was badly damaged during the English Civil War (check out the leaning tower), although extensive 20th-century renovations have restored much of its former glory. The original Great Hall is still intact, and near the edge of the inner courtyard there's a replica of a trebuchet—a giant catapult used to launch rocks and other projectiles at the enemy. Additionally, an interesting collection of modern interpretive sculptures has been placed around the castle, both inside and outside. A £5 million renovation led to the opening of a new visitor center, shop, and café in 2023. To celebrate the town's famous cheese, a free festival, the Big Cheese, is held here every year at the end of July. Caerphilly is 7 miles north of Cardiff.

A mishmash of styles, from austere Norman keep to over-the-top Victorian mansion, Cardiff Castle is an odd but beguiling place, located right in the middle of the city. Take the tour of the Victorian portion to discover the castle's exuberant side. William Burges (1827–81), an architect obsessed with the Gothic period, transformed the castle into an extravaganza of medieval color for the third marquess of Bute. The result was the Moorish-style ceiling in the Arab Room, the intricately carved shelves lining the Library, and gold leaf murals everywhere. Look for the painting of the Invisible Prince in the Day Nursery; at first glance it's just a tree, but stare long enough and a man takes shape in the branches. Note the not-so-subtle rejection of Darwin's theory of evolution, represented by monkeys tearing up his book around the library's doorway. Fans of military history shouldn't miss "Firing Line," an exhibition tracing the history of Welsh regiments. The vast castle grounds, which include beautiful rhododendron gardens and a habitat for owls and falcons, are also the setting for an open-air cinema and music concerts in the summer. A visitor center houses the ticket office, a gift shop, a café, and an information center focusing on the city. Tours, including of the clock tower, are held on certain dates year-round; call or check the website for schedule and booking information.

On the edge of Brecon Beacons National Park, about 30 miles west of Brecon, this decaying clifftop fortress was built in the 12th century, and remains of earlier defenses have been found dating back to the Iron Age. The castle, though a ruin, has a partially intact barbican (fortified outer section) and some inner chambers hewn dramatically from the bedrock. The climb to get there is somewhat punishing—you have to trudge up a steep, grassy hill—but the views of the valley, with its patchwork of green fields framed by the peaks of the Black Mountains, are enough to take away whatever breath you have left. Thankfully, there's a tearoom in the farm below the castle to take a breather after the climb. Kids will love the Longhorn cattle, Welsh Mountain ponies, and sheep on the owners' farm.

Perched on a hillside is this fairy-tale castle, built on the site of a medieval stronghold in the 1870s, about the time that the "Fairy-Tale King" Ludwig II of Bavaria was creating his castles in the mountains of Germany. This turreted Victorian fantasy wouldn't look out of place among them. The castle was another collaboration of the third marquess of Bute and William Burges, who transformed Cardiff Castle. Burges created everything, including the whimsical furnishings and murals, in a remarkable exercise of Victorian-Gothic whimsy.

This impressive medieval fortress has evolved from its 14th-century origins into a grand home complete with an 18th-century servants' hall and interiors furnished in 16th- to 19th-century styles. However, it still looks satisfyingly medieval from the outside—and belowground, where you tour the original dungeons. Surrounding the castle are beautiful formal gardens and parkland. Chirk Castle is 5 miles southeast of Llangollen.

Of all Edward I's Welsh strongholds, it is perhaps Conwy Castle that best preserves a sheer sense of power and dominance. The eight large round towers and tall curtain wall, set on a rocky promontory, provide sweeping views of the area and the town walls, so be sure to take a walk around the battlements. Although the castle is roofless (and floorless in places), the signage does a pretty good job of helping you visualize how rooms such as the Great Hall must once have looked. Conwy Castle can be approached on foot by a dramatic suspension bridge completed in 1828; engineer Thomas Telford designed the bridge with turrets to blend in with the fortress's presence.

This peninsula, which stretches westward from Swansea, was the first part of Britain to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its shores are a succession of sheltered sandy bays and awesome headlands. The seaside resort of Mumbles, on the outskirts of Swansea, is the most famous town along the route. It's a pleasant place to wander on a sunny afternoon, with a Norman castle, an amusement pier, and a seaside promenade, as well as a variety of independent cafés and boutiques. Farther along the peninsula, the secluded Pwlldu Bay can only be reached on foot from nearby villages like Southgate. A few miles westward is the more accessible (and very popular) Three Cliffs Bay, with its sweeping views and wide, sandy beach. At the far western tip of the peninsula, Rhossili has perhaps the best beach of all. Its unusual, snaking causeway—known locally as the Worm's Head—is inaccessible at high tide. Gower is a popular destination with surfers and you'll find many other water sports offered here.

A wealth of legend, poetry, and song is conjured up by the 13th-century Harlech Castle, built by Edward I to help subdue the Welsh. Its mighty ruins, visible for miles, are as dramatic as its history (though you have to imagine the sea, which used to crash against the rocks below but receded in the 19th century). Harlech was occupied by the Welsh Prince Owain Glyndwr from 1404 to 1408 during his revolt against the English. The music of the traditional folk song "Men of Harlech" refers to the heroic defense of this castle in 1468 by Dafydd ap Eynion, who, summoned to surrender, is alleged to have replied: "I held a castle in France until every old woman in Wales heard of it, and I will hold a castle in Wales until every old woman in France hears of it." On a clear day you can climb the battlements for a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. A helpful visitor center explains the castle's history; you can also arrange to stay overnight in the castle in one of five luxury apartments. The castle dominates the coastal town of Harlech, 12 miles south of Porthmadog.

Bordered by lush forest and emerald green hills, Lake Vyrnwy is a haven for wildlife. It's rich in rare bird species, from falcons to siskins and curlews. Stretching out along the shores of the lake near the visitor welcome point, the Lake Vyrnwy Sculpture Park is a collection of pieces by talented local artist Andy Hancock. Arranged along a paved walking trail, many of the wooden sculptures resemble oversize versions of the lake's wildlife, including a 15-foot-long dragonfly. It's an extremely popular cycling route, and there's a bike shop and coffee shop near the visitor welcome point.

At these caverns you can descend 500 feet on Britain's deepest underground railway to a mine where you walk by an eerie underground lake. Here Victorian working conditions have been re-created, and the tour gives a good idea of the difficult lives the miners had to endure. Above are a re-created Victorian village and slate-splitting demonstrations. Wear sturdy footwear when visiting the mine—during busy times you may have to climb 70 steps as part of the tour.

This 568-acre, 18th-century estate is dotted with lakes, fountains, and a Japanese garden. The centerpiece is the Norman Foster–designed Great Glass House, the largest single-span greenhouse in the world, which blends into the curving landforms of the Tywi Valley. The greenhouse's interior landscape includes a 40-foot-deep ravine and thousands of plants from all over the world. The Ghost Forest is a stunning art installation, made from the carved stumps of 10 giant hardwood trees—a powerful statement on how rapidly the world's forests are being destroyed. Also here is the British Bird of Prey Centre, where you can watch native raptors flying daily, including a golden eagle. The grounds have lovely views across the Carmarthenshire countryside, especially from the Paxton's View lookout point. It's marked by Paxton's Tower, a Gothic folly built to honor Horatio Nelson, now owned by the National Trust (it's free to wander, though there's nothing to see inside). The garden, 20 miles northwest of Swansea, is signposted off the main road between Swansea and Carmarthen.

This splendid neoclassical museum in Cardiff's civic center houses the National Museum of Art and the National Museum of Natural History. It is renowned for its exquisite collection of impressionist and modern art, featuring many of the art world's major players as well as one of the world's best collections of British silverware. This is also the main venue of the biennial Artes Mundi, the United Kingdom's largest contemporary arts prize. The Evolution of Wales gallery, showing the country's history from the Big Bang onward, uses inventive robotics and audiovisual effects. Kids, however, will be more interested in the dinosaurs and the enormous, 9-meter (29-foot) skeleton of a humpback whale that washed ashore near Cardiff in 1982.

By far the smallest of the country's three national parks, Pembrokeshire Coast is no less strikingly beautiful than the other two. The park has several Blue Flag beaches and a host of spectacular cliff-top drives and walks, including some of the most popular stretches of the Wales Coast Path. The park has a smattering of historic sites, including the impossibly picturesque St. Davids Cathedral, built in a Viking-proof nook by the Irish Sea. The information center in St. Davids is a good place to start.

From 1778 to 1828 Plas Newydd (not to be confused with the similarly named Isle of Anglesey estate) was the home of Lady Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, the eccentric Ladies of Llangollen, who set up a then-scandalous single-sex household, collected curios and magnificent carvings, and made it into a tourist attraction even during their lifetimes. You can take tea there, as did Wordsworth and the Duke of Wellington, and stroll in the attractively terraced gardens.

Some historians consider Plas Newydd to be the finest mansion in Wales. Remodeled in the 18th century by James Wyatt (1747–1813) for the marquesses of Anglesey (whose descendants still live here), it stands on the Menai Strait about 7 miles southwest of Beaumaris. The interior has some fine 18th-century Gothic Revival decorations. Between 1936 and 1940 the society artist Rex Whistler (1905–44) painted the mural in the dining room. A museum commemorates the Battle of Waterloo, where the first marquess led the cavalry. The woodland walk and rhododendron gardens are worth exploring. Plas Newydd is not to be confused with the Gothic mansion of the same name in Llangollen.

From the Llangollen Canal Wharf you can take a two-hour trip on a narrow boat (a slender barge) along the canal to the world's longest and highest navigable cast-iron aqueduct: Pontcysyllte (Welsh for "the bridge that connects"), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The aqueduct is more than 1,000 feet long. Pontcysyllte is 3 miles east of Llangollen.

One of the true highlights of North Wales is Portmeirion, a tiny fantasy-Italianate village on a private peninsula surrounded by hills; it's said to be loosely modeled after Portofino in Italy. Designed in the 1920s by architect Clough Williams-Ellis (1883–1978), the village has a hotel and restaurant among its multicolored buildings, and gift shops sell a distinctive local pottery. On the edge of town is a peaceful woodland trail punctuated here and there by such flourishes as a red iron bridge and a miniature pagoda. Williams-Ellis called it his "light-opera approach to architecture," and the result is magical, though distinctly un-Welsh. Portmeirion is about 2 miles east of Porthmadog.

Continuously occupied since the 13th century, Powis Castle rises above the town of Welshpool. One of the most elegant residential castles in Britain, Powis is equally renowned for its magnificent terraced gardens. The interior contains an outstanding art collection, from Greek vases to paintings by Thomas Gainsborough and Joshua Reynolds. The Clive of India Museum contains perhaps the most extensive private collection of antique Indian art in Britain. Powis Castle is north of Llandrindod Wells on the A483.

The town of Llanelwedd, 7 miles south of Llandrindod, comes to life in late July for the Royal Welsh Show. The old-school livestock judging, sheepdog competitions, and craft demonstrations are spiced up with events such as vintage air displays and motorbike stunt shows. And don't miss the food pavilion, filled with tasty local options.

One of the most famous attractions in North Wales is the rack-and-pinion Snowdon Mountain Railway, with some of its track at a thrillingly steep grade. The 3,560-foot-high Snowdon—Yr Wyddfa in Welsh—is the highest peak south of Scotland and lies within the 823-square-mile national park. Weather permitting, trains go all the way to the summit; on a clear day you can see as far as the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland, about 90 miles away. You can take two types of train: a modern diesel-driven version, or a "heritage" version, complete with restored carriages and working steam engine. From mid-March to May, or in times of high winds, the journey is truncated so you don't get all the way up to the summit; if so, tickets are a few pounds cheaper.

Tickets can sell out early on busy days, so try to book in advance.

Stretching from the Welsh midlands almost to its northern coast, Snowdonia National Park covers a vast swath of North Wales. The park consists of 823 square miles of rocky mountains, valleys clothed in oak woods, moorlands, lakes, and rivers, all guaranteeing natural beauty and, to a varying extent, solitude. Its most famous attraction, by far, is the towering peak of Mt. Snowdon ("Yr Wyddfa" in Welsh), the highest mountain in Wales. The view from the top is jaw-dropping: to the northwest you can see the Menai Strait and Anglesey; to the south, Harlech Castle and the Cadair Idris mountain range. To the southwest, on an exceedingly clear day, you can make out the distant peaks of Ireland's Wicklow Mountains. There are six different walking paths to the top, but a far less punishing way is via the Snowdon Mountain Railway in nearby Llanberis.

Perched at the top of Snowdon is Hafod Eryri, an eco-friendly replacement for the previous visitor center (once described by King Charles III as "the highest slum in Wales"). The granite-roof building, which blends beautifully into the rocky landscape, has a café and exhibitions about the mountain, its ecology, and its history. If you're planning to make the ascent, the visitor center in Betws-y-Coed is the best place to stop for information.

Holyhead's most dramatic vistas surround this 91-foot lighthouse, built in 1809 and set on an island off the west coast of town. The building is open to any visitor willing to descend 400 steps down the cliff face (and later back up) before crossing a footbridge over the chasm separating it from the mainland. Once on the island, linger on the stupendous views of the sea and watch for dolphins or step into the lighthouse to see an exhibition of its history and climb to the top with guides.

The idyllic valley location of this cathedral helped protect the church from Viking raiders by hiding it from the view of invaders who came by sea. Originally founded by St. David himself around AD 600, the current building dates from the 12th century, although it has been added to at various times since. You must climb down 39 steps (known locally as the Thirty-Nine Articles) to enter the grounds; then start at the Gatehouse, with its exhibition on the history of the building. In the cathedral itself, the 15th-century choir stalls still have their original floor tiles, while the Holy Trinity Chapel contains an intricate fan-vaulted ceiling and a casket said to contain the patron saint's bones. Don't miss the Treasury and its illuminated gospels, silver chalices, and 700-year-old golden bishop's crosier. At the rear of the grounds of St. Davids Cathedral are the ruins of the 13th-century Bishop's Palace, particularly beautiful at dusk. The cathedral has a good café serving lunch made with local produce.

On 100 acres of gardens, this excellent open-air museum celebrates the region's architectural history with a collection of farmhouses, cottages, shops, chapels, a school, and a 16th-century manor house. All but two of the structures were brought here from around Wales. Of special note are the string of ironworkers' cottages, each reflecting a different era from 1805, 1855, 1925, 1955, and 1985, from the decor to the technology to the gardens. Craftspeople work at the museum using traditional methods; most of the work is for sale. Galleries display clothing and other articles from daily life, and special events highlight local customs. The native animal breeds are popular with kids.