Wales Travel Guide

Browse the Wales Photo Gallery

Top Things to See

Anglesey
Cross the Menai Strait to the island of Anglesey, notable for the remarkable Menai Bridge, and the UK's longest place name: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (commonly called Llanfair PG).

Cardiff Bay
Investigate this area with a boat trip from Mermaid Quay to the impressive Barrage - a barrier which cuts off the bay from the sea and so creating a freshwater lake. As well as watery activities, the area offers many onshore leisure activities including great kids entertainment at the Techniquest Science Discovery Center (www.techniquest.org), which is great for the kids.

Cardiff Castle
Mighty Cardiff Castle (www.cardiffcastle.com) is top tourist attraction. The castle was vastly smartened up by a renovation project in the Victorian times, but parts of the structure date back to the Middle Ages. Nearby, Bute Park, Sophia Gardens and Pontcanna Fields are ideal for a post-castle stroll.

Gower Peninsula
This breathtaking stretch of land is one of Wales' most prominent natural treasures. Stretching out next to less-than-pretty Swansea, the Gower Peninsula is a bevvy of pretty coves, crashing waves and jagged cliffs.

Harlech Castle
Venture to the northern tip of Cardigan Bay to Harlech, famous for both its castle that overlooks the peaks of Snowdonia, and for the stirring song, Men of Harlech, referring to the 15th-century defense of the castle.

Llandudno
Enjoy this popular seaside resort's 19th century charms, while Great Orme and Little Orme rise in the back ground.

Machynlleth
Learn Celtic heritage at Celtica in Machynlleth. This interesting town also boasts the Center for Alternative Technology (www.cat.org.uk), which highlights environmental issues and sustainable energy use, and Senedd-Dy Owain Glyndwr (the 15th-century Welsh parliament building).

National History Museum
Get to grips with the roots of Welsh culture at St Fagans' popular open-air National History Museum (www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans).

Pit Mines
See Wales' days as an industrial powerhouse in the former coal-producing valleys inland from Cardiff. Blaenafon (a UNESCO World Heritage site) offers industrial heritage attractions in the shape of Big Pit Mining Museum and the Ironworks (www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/bigpit).

Portmeirion
See the filming location of the cult 1960s TV series The Prisoner at the Italianate village of Portmeirion (www.portmeirion-village.com), near Porthmadog in north Wales.

Top Things to Do

Bask at the beach
While away some sunny days on the beach at one of the numerous resorts lining the coast between Cardiff and Swansea, including Aberavon, Barry and Porthcawl. Others, further west along the Gower Peninsula, include Oxwich and Port Eynon.

Boost your adrenaline
Wales' rocky landscape and tumbling waters are the ideal setting for high-thrill outdoor activities such as white-water rafting, abseiling and caving. For something a lot muddier try bog snorkeling: a unique event where participants race each other as they snorkel through swamps (www.bogsnorkeling.com).

Cardiff shopping spree
A morning's shop in Cardiff's attractive Victorian arcades is an easy way to lighten your pockets; grab some yummy titbits from Wally's Delicatessen in Royal Arcade, delve into the eclectic clothes shops in Castle Arcade and pick up some funky footwear in Buzz & Co in High Street Arcade.

Conquer Snowdon
Drink in some spectacular views and hike up Mount Snowdon, Wales' highest mountain, situated in the Snowdonia National Park. At 1,085 meters (3,560 ft) Snowdon is the UK's highest peak outside the Scottish Highlands.

Explore the Beacons
Breathe in the fresh air and green environs of south Wales' biggest inland draw: Brecon Beacons National Park (www.breconbeacons.org). Popular bases within the park are lively Brecon and market town of Abergavenny; the narrow-gauge Brecon Mountain Railway runs through the hills from Merthyr Tydfil.

Go Climbing
With its wealth of local crags and mountains, Wales is a climbing paradise. Learn at one of the mant indoor climbing center and then put your new-found skills into practice on Snowdonia.

Hop on a train
Ride on a narrow-gauge steam railway (www.greatlittletrainsofwales.co.uk). The Ffestiniog Railway passes through glorious scenery in the Snowdonia National Park, while the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway passes through gentler countryside close to the English border. Another, the Snowdon Mountain Railway (www.snowdonrailway.co.uk), climbs to the summit of Wales' highest peak.

Portmeirion Village
Explore the fascinating fantasy village that is the setting of TV's 'The Prisoner' and the one-time hotel housing writers such as George Bernard Shaw, H.G. Wells and Bertrand Russell.

Take a literary stroll
Follow a Dylan Thomas-themed walking trail through Swansea. The trail begins at the Dylan Thomas Center (www.dylanthomas.com), and leads visitors around sites associated with the late Welsh poet and playwright.

Welsh castles
With more castles than you can shake a stick at, Wales is a veritable feast of fortresses and turrets. From the impressive and imposing Cardiff Castle and the picturesque Beaumaris Castle to the haunted Bodelwyddan Castle and romantic Castell Coch, there is something for everyone.