11 Best Things to Do in Wales

Snowdonia is a beautiful and iconic national park in the northwest corner of Wales and is where you’ll find Snowdon – 1 of the tallest mountains in the UK. There are 13 other peaks over 3,000 feet high in the massive 823 sq mile park, making it an outdoor adventurer’s paradise. In fact, it is listed among the most popular places for hiking and climbing in Britain, although there is also the Snowdon Mountain Railway for those who want the view without the walk. The rugged landscape is bathed in history and legend, featuring in the tales of King Arthur.

Some areas of the Brecon Beacons are so bleak and mountainous that they are famously used as a training ground for the UK’s elite soldiers. The rest of the 520 sq mile national park is one of Wales’ more beautiful bits. The park contains loads of great hiking routes, beautiful waterfalls, caves and wild ponies, among other wildlife. Be sure to check out Zip World, which lets you fly above an old slate quarry on 1 of the world’s fastest ziplines.

Portmeirion Village is a little taste of Italy on Wales’ west coast. Built over most of the 20th century, the beautiful gardens, colourful buildings, fountains and church closely resemble a Mediterranean coast village. You can enjoy pizzas, gelato and coffee on the terrace, or explore the 70 acres of woodland gardens, which are home to unusual imported trees like Californian coast redwoods, Chilean maiten trees and a New Zealand dancing tree. If it sounds a little like a theme park, you’re not far wrong. The village has limited opening hours and a fairly reasonable entry fee.

Among over 640 castles in Wales, Caernarfon really stands out. Since its construction in 1283, it has been besieged, captured and retaken several times, yet remains among the best-preserved medieval fortresses in Europe. It was still playing an important role in national history as recently as 1969, when it hosted Prince Charles’ investiture as Prince of Wales. The castle itself is a formidable structure, featuring many multi-sided towers along its walls, though the buildings within have long-since disappeared. The charming historical town around the castle is also fun to explore, and is home to plenty of good cafés, pubs and restaurants.

Of the resort destinations along the North Wales coast, Llandudno is probably the largest and most popular. Known as the “Queen of the Welsh Resorts”, the town is nestled beneath The Great Orme. An attraction in itself, there’s a tramway leading up to the top, from where you get spectacular views of the town and its pier. You’ll also find a cable car and an artificial ski slope nearby.

The town itself has a good selection of hotels, cafés and restaurants. If you’re in Wales around the May bank holiday weekend, don’t miss the Victorian Extravaganza – a fun Victorian-themed carnival in Llandudno.

Hay-on-Wye is a tiny riverside village right on the Welsh-English border that's very charming and pretty. It’s also a book lover's paradise. It is home to numerous second-hand book stores and the annual Hay Festival, which has rapidly grown from a tiny village fete to one of the biggest literary events of the year. The festival attracts big-name authors and readers by the thousands for the 10-day event around the end of May. 

The village itself has a beautiful rustic, rural look – the perfect example of a typical Welsh village, with a small historical castle and a few local pubs.

The national dish of Wales is unexpectedly simple, but is remarkable because of the quality of the ingredients used. Essentially just cheese-on-toast, the use of creamy Welsh cheeses and good, thick-cut bread makes it a national treasure. There are plenty of great places in Cardiff where you can get your true taste of Wales, but some of the best are found in the Castle Quarter Arcades. Look out for Madame Fromage – as the name suggests, they really know their cheeses, with over 150 varieties to choose from.

Cardiff Castle is certainly great to see, especially for its beautiful Arab Room and the wonderful clock tower. However, it’s the outer walls which are really remarkable. Evenly spaced along a specific length of it are stone animals, clinging to the sloped tops of the wall. The bizarre selection includes a hyena, 3 lions, a wolf, a bear and even a seal. Originally completed in 1892, the so-called Animal Wall remains one of the most popular and most photographed parts of Cardiff.

The delight of Welsh cuisine mostly comes from the use of the freshest and tastiest ingredient. You’ll find the best examples of these at the various farmers’ markets around the country, but one of the biggest and best is Swansea Market. The most noticeable smell, as you wander around the giant indoor market, will be the fresh Welsh cockles and fish. Look out for the fresh meats – especially the Welsh lamb – as well as the bakers selling Welsh cakes. The market also contains a few clothing, jewellery and electrical stalls, for when you’ve eaten your fill.

This Welsh village holds the undisputed title of the longest name in the UK and one of the longest in the world. The village itself is extremely unremarkable, being little more than a collection of houses, a couple of pubs, a post office and a train station. It’s fun to visit anyway, just for a selfie by the ludicrously long road signs. 

There’s also an old church, which gives the villages its remarkable name. The translation from Welsh is: “St Mary’s Church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool of Llantysilio of the red cave”. Usefully, the train station sign shows the 58-letter name written phonetically, so you can try pronouncing it yourself.