At a glance: the top 18 things to do in Wales
1. Cruise around Skomer Island to see puffins (Pembrokeshire)
2. Explore Blaenavon above ground (South Wales)
3. See Rhossili Bay from the cliffs and beach (Gower Peninsula)
4. Walk around Cwm Idwal and drive through Eryri National Park (North Wales)
5. Drive through the Elan Valley reservoirs (Mid Wales)
6. Admire Bosherton Lily Ponds and Barafundle Bay (Pembrokeshire)
7. Hike Llyn y Fan Fach (Bannau Brycheiniog)
8. Visit Pembroke Castle (Pembrokeshire)
9. Walk the cliffs around St Govan’s Chapel (Pembrokeshire)
10. Stroll around Tenby in the evening (Pembrokeshire)
11. Go underground at Big Pit (South Wales)
12. Hike Pen y Fan (Bannau Brycheiniog)
13. Discover Caernarfon Castle (North Wales)
14. Attend evensong in St Davids (Pembrokeshire)
15. See Conwy Castle on the city’s medieval walls (North Wales)
17. Chill in Llandudno (North Wales)
18. Explore Caerphilly Castle (South Wales)
I spent 10 days in Wales, which was more than enough time to realize there’s no shortage of things to do in Wales—and that's both a blessing and a curse. Here, let me illustrate exactly what I mean.
Wales has more castles per square mile than literally any other country. Which technically means you could fill an entire itinerary of things to do in Wales with just castles. Wales also has over 1,000 miles of coastline, so you could fill a whole itinerary with just coastline. It also has 15 peaks over 3,000 feet, so you could just go hiking...
See where I’m going with this? The real challenge is how to balance all the major things to do in Wales within one itinerary. Including non-castle-and-coastline things like the UNESCO coal mine, Skomer Island’s puffins, exploring medieval towns, and more.
But now that I've done everything on this list myself, I can tell you exactly what to prioritize and what not to waste precious Wales travel time on. Because when you also consider those killer driving distances, prioritizing becomes everything.
Read more from my Wales travel blog.
I’ve cherry-picked Wales for the best of the best castles, coasts, hikes, walks, and other miscellaneous things to do in the country.
Let me start with a super important note: You will only see puffins on Skomer Island if you visit between April and mid-July. I got lucky and happened to book my trip for the end of May without even realizing this was the case. Hooray for me!
As for you, don’t take your chances. I highly recommend going to Wales this time of year because seeing puffins was easily one of the best things I did in Wales.
Logistically, it’s a little bit annoying to plan. You have to reserve the landing cruise far in advance. For the cruise, book 2 to 3 weeks beforehand, especially this time of year.
Plan to get there 30 minutes early for time to park, walk down to the boarding pier, and check in for the tickets. Don’t make my mistake, I was basically the last one to board and only made it 2 minutes before departure. Man, was that a close one.
The ship itself was a bit small, I was expecting a bigger ship. But it fit a surprising number of puffin-eager tourists. As for the ride itself, it was a positive experience with nice weather but a rough sea. The good news: it was fairly short. Longer ones tend to get boring, but bam, in just 10 minutes we were in puffin-ville.
Pro tip: If you struggle with seasickness, sit in the back of the boat.
The puffins were e v e r y w h e r e. It felt like millions. Really, it’s more like thousands, but who cares, I only expected a few, and I got a whole island full of them. I’m not even that into birds, but they were a real treat to watch fly. They’re super fast and beat their wings up to 400 times per minute.
And they were far more adorable than I was expecting. Smaller too. And a bit klutzy with the way they were dragging their feet. It became a thousand times cooler when I got a close-up view. There aren’t many places in the world where you can get up close and personal with thousands and thousands of puffins. At least not anywhere else I’ve been.
It was absolutely worth the time to see, and I can’t understand why the cruises were so cheap. But hey, not complaining. The island with the dramatic cliffs, the ridiculous puffin colony, the cruise itself, and even the chance to see seals are well worth your time.
Fun fact: Puffins weigh about the same as a can of soda. So, next to nothing.
I found the UNESCO Blaenavon landscape both interesting and unusual. Industrial heritage attractions are quite rare, even in a country like Wales, which has a strong industrial history. Even more reason why you shouldn’t skip this one.
When I say “this one,” maybe it’s better I say “these three.” The Blaenavon landscape is made up of these (all UNESCO) parts:
Right as I approached Blaenavon, it took me by surprise—I was expecting mountains, but the place is in the middle of a field. Same for the parking: pay-and-display parking, again, in the middle of a field. Why?
The ironworks part was really interesting, but the museum stole the show, and it’s where I ended up spending most of my time after the underground tour. Even if you don’t take the tour, it’s worth going to Blaenavon just for the museum. I loved it. It's interactive, easy to follow, and full of fascinating stories.
I especially liked learning about the mining families. You can really feel how proud Blaenavon is of its industrial and coal mining heritage, no matter how horrendous the conditions were. And boy were they horrendous. Yikes. I don’t envy the miners.
The museum is quite large and will easily take you an hour. As for me, I arrived late—whoops—and only got 30 minutes. At least it was a great 30 minutes.
Rhossili is, in short, a world-class bay. It’s as immense as it is beautiful. Which is to say, super immense. You are in for a hike if you want to explore any of it. And you should, it’s one of the nicest beaches I’ve ever seen.
Getting there from the parking lot was a breeze. It’s just a 70 m descent down some stairs. Very easy, very worth it.
Once I got there, I was blown away by the stunning view along the cliff walk. The bay and the beach look stupidly dramatic with the mountain peaks in the background. Just wow. It’s also something like paragliding heaven. There was no paraglider in the sky, which just added to the view.
For the absolute best of the best views of the bay, go directly behind the gate to the beach, turn around, and thank me later.
We spent at least one hour here, probably a bit longer. If you want even more time to admire it all, there are great cafes and restaurants with views over the bay.
I seldom do any beach time, but in Wales it’s time very well spent. I consider Rhossili among the best beaches I’ve seen throughout all my travels. Just absolutely mind-blowingly beautiful.
Pro tip: Go in the afternoon for the best pictures.
If you're looking for one hike that perfectly captures Eryri National Park’s natural beauty, the answer is Cwm Idwal. I absolutely loved this place. It’s exactly how I imagined hikes in Wales: rainy, cold, and with majestic views towards the dramatic mountains.
You start at the Llyn Ogwen parking lot, where I was able to get 4 hours of parking for GBP 5 (USD 7). There are two other short circular hikes that start from here, but we went for the one around Llyn Idwal, the lake under the 1,001-meter-tall giant Glyder Fawr.
It was the right choice for us. It's a low-effort, high-reward hike. The beautiful scenery is every bit as dramatic as Wales gets, but the walk itself isn’t strenuous at all. In fact, it’s super kid-friendly, and there were lots of toddlers skipping around on the path.
The whole time, I was treated to views of epic black slate cliffs and long waterfalls. It really reminded me of some of the fjords in Norway. The hike itself should only take 1 hour, but it took us 1.5 hours because of how often we stopped for photos. Yeah, a half hour of photos. That’s how pretty it is here.
I should also mention that I visited in terrible weather. The clouds decided to come out and play throughout my entire Eryri visit. But honestly, I didn’t mind. I still enjoyed some of the best views of my entire trip. Actually, the rain, mist, and dark cliffs somehow made it feel even more dramatic and moody. Turns out not even clouds can spoil a landscape like this.
Pro tip: Start clockwise as the views are gonna be just a little bit better.
Driving to the Elan Valley reservoirs was part of the adventure. It’s far from everywhere, so I enjoyed a dramatic 2-hour drive to the middle of nowhere in Mid Wales.
But don’t be fooled by the countryside remoteness, this is an absolutely massive tourist destination with a large visitor center and everything. It was full of people on a Wednesday in the beginning of June. Not surprising, it was nicely done and full of information. I was able to grab a map, which ended up being super useful.
The most famous reservoirs are:
Caban Coch is the first one I saw, which is fitting since it’s the oldest. And simplest. It’s a cute stone bridge that is designed to look like a waterfall when it’s overflowing.
Next up was Claerwen Dam, the biggest one, with one of the most beautiful settings in rolling green hills. It was probably my favorite, tied with Craig Goch Dam. Plus I got to explore 3 short trails with great viewpoints while I was there.
Craig Goch Dam is so epic that Harry Potter fans come and look at it because it reminds them so much of the movies. And I can understand why, even though I’ve only seen them once. I get it. It was absolutely full of water and flowed like a waterfall. We spent 30 minutes here, that’s how cool it was.
It was just a lovely day of hiking all around, with a clever loop from visitor center to visitor center. Next time I’m definitely going to rent a bike and do it that way. Without it, it took us about 2.5 hours.
All that being said, beware of sheep shit. It’s everywhere.
Pro tip: Go circular in the same direction that the dam levels grow. If you went the other way around, each one would get less dramatic, which would lessen the effect.
Barafundle Bay is one of the prettiest beaches in Wales. And it gets bonus points for sharing a walking trail with the equally pretty Lily Ponds.
In almost any other country, I'd call Barafundle Bay an absolute standout. In Wales? There's so much competition that the best I can say is that it's yet another ridiculously beautiful bay.
I'm saying that not to knock Barafundle Bay but to compliment the Welsh coastline and illustrate just how stunning Wales' beaches can get. By the time I got to this one, I was starting to be a bit tired of beaches, cliffs and coast, so a part of me thought, "oh, just another beach." But in retrospect, that was unfair to it; it really is one of Wales' prettiest.
My recommendation: Make it one of the first bays you see in Wales. That way you can fully appreciate just how elite-tier it is.
Getting there takes a bit of effort. First, you need to park at Stackpole for GBP 4 (USD 5.50) for up to 3 hours, and bear in mind that the parking lot is big but can get full very quickly on a busy day. We didn't have that problem, we went on a drizzly day, so it was almost empty. Silver lining. Plus, it was still warm. Oh, and bring cash—there's no card payments here.
From there it's about a 20-minute walk to the beach, which was pretty easy.
My first thought when I arrived was that if this bay were in the tropics, it would be like the most visited and prettiest bay in that country. But in Wales—nope. It's among many similar pretty bays. Poor Barafundle, not getting its due.
I spent 40 minutes there, but honestly I could have spent an entire day without getting sick of those views of the cliffs combined with the bright green grass.
The path from Barafundle Bay—once I managed to drag myself away from it—was super easy and well marked. And it’s hard to miss the ponds once you get there. You might think of a small circular little thing when you hear that word. Nope. Think more like ‘lagoon’ or ‘really large public swimming pool.’
Ironically, the thing I loved most about these lily ponds was that they were natural but so perfectly pretty that they almost looked artificial. I didn’t even know ponds like these could exist in nature. I always thought they were in parks. Nope, this is the real deal.
If I had to use two words to describe them, they would be ‘spectacular’ and ‘unusual.’ Both are compliments. And I was lucky enough that lilies were blooming during my visit. Which shouldn’t be that exciting at, well, a lily pond, but still.
I was surprised by how many hikes in Wales offer low-effort trails with high-reward views. Llyn y Fan Fach is the perfect example. It’s smaller and simpler than Pen y Fan but no less worth seeing.
Yes, there’s the option to take a more difficult route—Llyn y Fan Fach has multiple hiking options, and some are definitely tougher than others. But we opted for the easy one. Not because we’re lazy, I swear, but because we’re economical with our time. The point is to see Llyn y Fan Fach, not spend a full day on a hike.
The trail starts from a tiny car park that fills up much faster than Pen y Fan's. And the road to it is a single-lane pain. I would definitely go in the morning as I wouldn’t want to meet all the other cars on their way out.
There were magnificent views from the start as usual because of the low tree line. It was really very nice, on par with the Scottish Highlands when it comes to views. It specifically reminded me of Quirang in the Isle of Skye with its unusual relief of mountains.
All in all, it took us just 35 minutes to reach the lake. See, economical. The hike is simple and ‘paved,’ but can be very slippery because when I say paved, I mean a dirt road made of small rocks. Still, it wasn’t too difficult, and considering the work we did, we didn’t deserve the views we got.
We then went all the way up the hill to get even better views, which somehow is possible. After just 100m more of elevation gain, we were rewarded with even more epic lake views surrounded by insanely steep and dramatic mountains. It’s just brilliant.
The whole thing, including the surrounding ridges, took us about 2 hours. You could easily do it early in the morning and then spend the rest of your day hitting other top things to do in Wales. That’s the best way to do it, in my opinion.
I know, I also can’t believe it took me 7 things to do in Wales before getting to a castle. But it was inevitable, and here’s one of the best out of Wales’ 600+: Pembroke Castle.
Why is this a great castle in Wales? Well, it’s the most historically significant one because it’s where the Tudor dynasty was born. Henry VII himself was born right here in these walls. If you have any interest at all in that era of history, you’re going to geek out like crazy in this castle.
It’s also ginormous—one of the largest in the whole of the UK—and super old. Like, built in the year 1093 old. It predates North Wales’ castles by 100 years. Nothing compared to the 1,000 years Pembroke Castle has been around, but still really cool.
The parking lot wasn’t as big as I expected, but I was still able to easily find a spot. I liked that I was able to pay by card. Bear in mind that you can’t use Cadw pass to get into the castle, which is unfortunate.
There’s a free guided tour if you wanted to use it, but I opted for the self-guided one so I could go at my own pace.
Don't skip the intro video, it's super interesting and gave me a nice overview of the Tudors’ and the castle’s fascinating history. The well-done exhibits just continued from there. Like most castles in the UK, they are super engaging, informative, and interactive. I loved the designs and graphics as well. No dry history here.
And there was info everywhere. Just about everything in the castle bears some information, even the coffee tables. The info nicely combined local castle history and general British history. For example, one of the lords of the castle drafted the Magna Carta. I’d say that’s pretty important to British history...
I recommend visiting on a rainy day, that’s what I did, and it was a nice break from the dreary gray sky. And reserve at least 1.5 hours for the castle visit itself, plus a little extra if you want to see the outside as well. (You should.)
My history nerd tip: Don’t skip the story of the remarkable William Marshall, one of the most important people in British history. He’s almost unknown outside of Britain but was a living legend in the Middle Ages.
Seeing St Govan's Chapel is one of the most unusual things I did in Wales. Who looks at a dramatic sea cliff and thinks "Yep, let's build a chapel down there"? Apparently some random guy in the 6th century did, and I'm glad for it because it makes for one of Pembrokeshire's most memorable sights.
I say ‘memorable’ because it’s one of the most famous features in Pembrokeshire...and I almost forgot to visit. Dumb Honza, you know better. Thank goodness I went after all, because I got some of the most unique, and dare I say unusual, cliff views of the trip.
And yes, it’s from the 6th century. What an age. I am always surprised by how old the sights in the UK are.
The chapel is only a couple of minutes' walk from the large free parking lot (AKA the best kind of parking lot), but don't rush back to your car afterward. The surrounding cliffs are just as spectacular and Huntsman's Leap is only another five minutes away. Another unusual cliff. I’m not sure about the name though, I can’t imagine anyone leaping over it.
With both the chapel and the cliffs, I spent 30 minutes here, which I think is the perfect amount.
Look at Tenby at number ten. Ten-by. I swear that was unintentional. Heh, uninTENtional. Okay, I’ll stop now.
Tenby is the perfect place to base yourself for exploring Pembrokeshire and the west coast, but it’s worth seeing itself too. It’s much larger and more interesting than I expected, and pretty all around—not just on the coast but in the center and along the city walls.
Just to illustrate all the things there are to do in Tenby, I saw:
(Re: Tenby Castle, don’t expect much of a castle. It’s more like a rock tower. Just a quick note.)
I walked around with no set destination and was rewarded with kickass views toward Tenby Beach, the cliffs along the coast, colorful houses, and medieval architecture.
I say stroll around Tenby in the evening specifically because that’s when it really shines. Everything that looked pretty during the day is multiplied at night. I spent 2 nights here, and both confirmed this conclusion. So get out, stroll after sunset, and thank me later.
First things first: reserve the Blaenavon mine tour upfront, we didn’t have tickets ahead of time, and it almost cost us a visit. Which would have been a huge shame. I liked the pit even more than some castles, and for me, that’s saying a lot.
I can’t show you how cool it was because we couldn’t take pictures—can't take anything with a battery down there because of sparks—so you’ll just have to take my word for it. Sorry.
First of all, shout-out to our tour guide, he was lovely and a true local expert. And a real miner, wow!
As he walked us through, he told us various interesting stories from the start of mining in the early 19th century until its closure. In its heyday, it was one of the world’s biggest coal mines. Not surprising, considering that it goes 90m underground.
I was especially moved by the stories of the early days, where children as young as 5 worked for 12 hours in total darkness. Can’t imagine my 1-year-old son doing that. No social contact, poor wages, no sunlight, danger of burning…absolutely crazy, and all because of greedy mine owners trying to save a buck.
Personal stories like that made this easily one of the best mines I’ve seen, and I’ve seen a lot in Europe. But as for the inside itself, Wieliczka in Krakow is more interesting. Don’t expect a coal chapel with coal artwork.
If you have any interest in hiking Wales, you can’t miss Pen y Fan. It’s one of the quintessential Wales hikes because it’s the highest mountain in South Wales. But don’t let that scare you off. It’s not Everest. It’s another classic Welsh “low effort, high reward” hike.
It’s so low effort, in fact, that I ran into many families with young kids. And so many people in general. I haven't seen many hikes this crowded, which is why I’ve ranked this lower than Llyn y Fan Fach even though it’s bigger.
Pen y Fan is also famous as the location of the SAS "Fan Dance" selection hike. If you're lucky, you might even spot Britain's famous special forces training here. I didn’t, though. Sad face.
But I did run into Bear Gryllis. The most famous person I’ve met, and it was on some Welsh hike. Life is weird sometimes.
Pro tip: You can’t pay for parking by card, which surprised us a lot. And for some reason it didn't allow us to download the app either. But good news, you can pay for parking at the building. Thank me later.
The hike is circular, and the trail is in very good condition despite the sheer number of people who walk it each day. As for the views on the way up, they’re very British with a low tree line and rolling green hills. Just missing a crumpet and a cuppa tea.
On the way up, I passed another summit—Corn Du—which is a great point to aim at on your way up. From there, it’s mostly flat with beautiful views toward Pen y Fan. The vibe was very Glencoe, if you know what I mean.
I consider myself a fit guy (if I do say so myself), which made the hike a lot shorter than it probably would have been otherwise if I didn’t have such big muscles. So all in all, with photo breaks included, it took me 58min to reach the summit.
When I got there...The views. Oh man. It was really beautiful. And very steep. If you told me the pictures were from the Isle of Skye, I would believe you. And it was huge and flat, so I wasn’t packed in the crowd like a sardine.
The only disappointing part was that the lakes below it look closer and bigger in the pictures. Not as impressive in person.
My advice: Although I did the whole circular route, I'd actually recommend returning the same way you came, AKA via the first half. The loop’s second half is steeper and less enjoyable.
And here I thought Pembroke was big. Nope. Caernarfon Castle is THE castle by size, second only to Caerphilly. Be prepared to scale 20+ floors overall when you visit because of all the towers combined.
Of Wales’ 600+ castles, there are only 4 UNESCO World Heritage Site ones. Caernarfon is by far the most spectacular of them. By ‘most spectacular’ I mean most dramatic, most interesting, and most actual curating and information inside the castle. The other three need to take notes. C’mon UNESCO, take it up a notch.
But let me start off with a warning: expect to pay a pretty penny (pound?) for parking. GBP 2.6 (USD 3.50). The most expensive lot we saw in the entire country. The entry to the castle is expensive too: GBP 15.6 (USD 21) per person.
Thankfully we had the Cadw Explorer Pass, which I highly recommend, so we managed to save GBP 31.2 (USD 42). Money we then used for parking. Welp.
I visited in the afternoon, and it wasn't very crowded. Always a plus. And it was a sunny day, so the views of Snowdonia National Park from the towers were just magnificent. The one time we lucked out with the weather!
As cool as ruins can be, I prefer castles that are actually, y'know, built. That way they can have exhibits and info in them. Something the other UNESCO castles lacked but Caernarfon has in spades. It’s full of fun facts and educational videos, yay for history nerds.
Fun fact: Caernarfon Castle was built by King Edward I in 1283. Talk about ancient castles, right?
What I loved most about the curation is that each tower has its own unique museum and story. The first ones I saw were Eagle Tower and Queen's Tower, which are huge and have main exhibits inside. Plus, great views of the sea and sand nearby.
I especially liked the exhibit about the Welsh kings, don’t miss that one. There’s even a museum of the British Army and Welsh regiment, if you’re into that kind of thing. Lucky for me, I very much am. Not as lucky for my girlfriend...
We ended up spending about 1h 15mins here and would have spent longer if not for pesky closing hours. I easily could have spent up to 3 hours there. Yes, it’s that much better than the other UNESCO castles.
Fun fact: The first Prince of Wales, Edward II, was born here.
Right off the bat, let me assure you that evensong is not your basic mass where some pastor comes up and lectures you about Jesus. That would be lame, and I would never recommend you do that. Instead, evensong is a musical experience and a genuinely high-quality one at that.
You’re basically sitting inside this enormous medieval cathedral while a choir sings accompanied by the organ. And by choir I mean a choir that performs on the BBC. And it showed. What a great performance. I loved the bass of the organ.
It’s much less touristy and more religious than I was expecting. And no, you don’t have to be religious to go. They’re very welcoming of all visitors. I’m the least religious person in the world—my belief in God is like negative 100%—and not only did I go, I really enjoyed it. If I did, anyone will.
And if you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t worry. When you enter, you get a blueprint for the evensong so you don’t look like an idiot.
Speaking of not liking masses, I actually did like the final sermon. The priest was legitimately funny. He should moonlight as a stand-up comic when he’s not at church.
It’s absolutely one of the best things to do in Wales. This is about the only Mass I ever visited. If more of them were like this, maybe I’d go.
If you happen to be in St Davids in the afternoon like I was, it’s worth sticking around for the evensong. It’s usually held on weekdays at 6 pm and weekends at 4 pm, which was when I went. But check before you go because the times change often.
Important note: It costs over GBP 2700 (USD 3650) daily just to maintain the cathedral and its grounds. So don’t be cheap, donate. Especially because going to evensong is free. They even have a card reader. In a church.
You can’t go to Conwy and not see the walls. It’s like going to Venice and not seeing canals. They’re absolutely massive, everywhere, and literally circle the Old Town. Unavoidable. And that’s a good thing: I loved the medieval atmosphere they gave pretty much all of Conwy.
But looking at them isn’t enough. You gotta go on them. Yeah, you can actually enter the walls in Conwy and circumnavigate the entire Old Town from above. How cool is that? The only other town I visited where you could do something like this was Ávila in Spain, so this is a pretty unusual experience.
The whole thing stretches for ¾ of a mile and gave me a completely different perspective on Conwy, literally. From up on the walls, I got to stare down at the medieval streets and houses with the castle right there next to me. “Photo op” is an understatement. More like “photo stop every two seconds and take another one.”
Conwy has another advantage in the looks department: it’s right between the estuary and the mountains of Eryri, so the views from the walls opened up even beyond the cool medieval streets themselves and into the mountains. While I was standing on crazily well-preserved medieval architecture. Ridiculous.
Walking the walls ended up being the highlight of my Conwy visit. You don't need to make a whole day out of it, but I'd absolutely make time for it when you're here. It’s not like the walls are hard to find.
Devil’s Bridge is the closest I got to walking on water. But like, with three bridges for support. I’m not Jesus after all. But I did get damn close to the water, so I almost felt like I was walking on it.
There was almost no one there when I arrived at 4:30, which was a huge plus. The minus side is that I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked. I absolutely would have spent 1–2 hours here if I could, but I only had about half an hour. Oh well. Next time.
You get a choice between a GBP 2 (USD 2.70) short walk that takes about 20 minutes and a longer route that takes around 45 minutes and gets you to the waterfall for about 2x the price. We chose the shorter one because that's all we had time for, but it still didn’t disappoint. And don't expect another of Wales' easier hikes here. It’s steep and has a lot of stairs. Actually quite a workout.
The area itself is super nice and green. When I visited in early June, there were rhododendrons in bloom everywhere. It sort of reminded me of the gorges in Austria. You’ve got gorges, waterfalls, greenery, and blossoms all packed into one small area. There are even dragon statues around for kids. (Okay, I liked them too.)
And it was almost like the place was charmed for us. It had been raining the whole day, but right when we arrived, the clouds disappeared, it became a clear day, and we got nice views over the gorge. Maybe it was the magic of the dragons. I don't know.
There’s also plenty of free parking, plus cafes and restaurants nearby, so this is an easy stop to combine with dinner. And if you arrive late like I did, there’s an automatic door where you can pay for entry, which is pretty damn convenient.
I only went to Llandudno for the Cottage Loaf restaurant and wow, what a nice surprise the town itself ended up being. It’s a nice Victorian resort town that’s absolutely worth the evening stroll with its houses, restaurant, and (of course) wharf.
Actually, I might go so far as to call it THE most classic Victorian seaside resort in all of Wales. If you’re looking for that, Llandudno is for you. I will say, though, that it does feel a bit out of place next to Snowdonia’s villages. But hey, that’s just something that makes it special.
It’s very picturesque and open air with super strong ‘spa town’ vibes. Except with, y'know, dramatic cliffs everywhere in the background. Including the Great Orme cliff. Llandudno gets bonus points for that.
And of course I have to shout out Llandudno’s pier. It’s 700 meters long, making it the longest pier in Wales. I walked it deep into the Irish Sea with the Great Orme looming in the background. Epic is an understatement.
Honestly, I never knew this town existed before my visit. I didn’t even plan to visit it at all, just wanted to eat at Cottage Loaf. And I ended up liking it very much.
Speaking of, Cottage Loaf was incredible. By far the best restaurant we visited in Wales. Amazing Welsh beef pie and sticky toffee pudding. If that doesn’t sell you on Llandudno, I don't know what will.
There's no better grand finale for my list of things to do in Wales than the country’s biggest castle. Caerphilly Castle is a monster. It was monumental even from a distance, and it took me 10 minutes just to walk around the outside.
It’s absolutely magnificent and very typical castle-ish, like something straight out of a fantasy movie. This is the kind of place I picture when I think ‘castle.’ There’s even a leaning tower like in Pisa as a cool bonus.
It was a bit of a struggle to find parking, but there’s a large lot behind the castle. Most of the parking in Wales is pay-and-display. Thankfully it was cheap—just GBP 1.5 (USD 2) per 2 hours—but make sure you take a picture of your license plate if you’re renting. I didn’t and had to go back to the car twice. Super annoying, especially in a castle this large.
I’ve come to develop high standards for UK castles, and Caerphilly matched the quality. I found only good copywriting and interesting facts, not random all-over-the-place anecdotes.
That being said, the tour is self-guided, which is always my preference. That way you can spend your time on the most interesting sights and breeze through the breezeable stuff. And the castle makes it super easy—the navigation is foolproof. Just follow the arrows, that’s it.
For me, the most interesting part was the table customs and habits in the Great Hall. See, a classic example of how British castle curators pick a few interesting stories instead of trying to tell all the history of a place. Which would probably be impossible anyway.
It was so interactive and interesting that even little kids seemed to enjoy it. It’s not like they can read all the stories in the castle, but you know what? All the kids loved the exhibit that generally told the story of the early castle. And there were dragons on display, plus the story of the Welsh dragon, so they were really having a blast.
If kids didn’t get bored, you won’t either. And it didn’t take too long to see. All in all, I saw everything within 1 hour and 15 minutes and didn’t rush at all.
After spending 10 days exploring Wales, I think the biggest mistake you can make is assuming you have to limit yourself to specific things to do in Wales. But that’s not true. Castles, mountains, beaches, medieval towns, industrial heritage—you can have all of it.
And honestly, you should. One day you can be wandering around a medieval castle, the next hiking through the mountains, and the next walking along some ridiculously dramatic coastline. Or even all of the above in just one day.
I also realized that Wales is a country where the things I ended up loving the most weren’t the things I came for. I expected to love the famous landmarks like castles and mountains (and I did), but some of my favorite things to do in Wales ended up being at places like Elan Valley, Big Pit, and the smaller coastal towns and bays like Llandudno.
So don't try to turn this into a checklist and race from attraction to attraction. Pick the things that sound most like you, give yourself enough time to actually enjoy them, and leave some room for the places you didn't know you'd like. There’s a real possibility those will end up being your favorites.
Factor in driving time. Wales is slower to drive than it looks.
Most parking is pay and display. Don’t forget to show that ticket nice and clearly on your windshield.
Be ready to improvise when there’s rain. That could mean popping into a castle on a day you wanted to see the coast.
Popular mountain parking lots fill up. It’s always good to get to hikes earlier anyway, but this is just another reason.
Get the Cadw Explorer Pass. It saved me tens of pounds over the course of my trip.
I have nothing against Cardiff. I’m sure it’s very nice. I just wanted to prioritize the coast and the more rural places in Wales during my trip.
If you’re more into cities than I am, you’ll find these in Cardiff:
I actually did go here. But I’d skip it on my next visit.
Sure, it’s interesting to look at. It truly feels like the Italian Riviera. But why am I paying GBP 20 for a theme park without, y’know, rides? That’s just silly. Aside from taking pics and cafes, there is nothing else to do.
If it’s raining, sure, pop over and wait for the weather to clear up. It’s a nice enough visit for that, with interesting history. Otherwise I wouldn’t go out of my way.
When it comes to Wales’ coast, the bar is set very, very high. So high that Barry Island doesn’t make the cut. Sorry, Barry.
Go here if you want to go to a rare Victorian seaside “Luna park.” And unlike Portmeirion, there are actual rides here. But I don’t think it’s that special compared to other places in Wales.
I’ll just come out and say it: Pentre Ifan is absolutely not worth a stop. Yes, I respect the historical significance, but honestly, it’s a few rocks in the middle of the field. Granted, rocks that are 5,500 years old and effectively older than Stonehenge, but boy, is there nothing.
I lost about an hour to drive to it and back, and I wasn’t even that far away. Which may not sound like a lot, but it’s not worth driving more than 10 minutes for. For the international tourist, it’s not worth spending time here that you could otherwise spend somewhere way more exciting.
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At a glance: the top 18 things to do in Wales
1. Cruise around Skomer Island to see puffins (Pembrokeshire)
2. Explore Blaenavon above ground (South Wales)
3. See Rhossili Bay from the cliffs and beach (Gower Peninsula)
4. Walk around Cwm Idwal and drive through Eryri National Park (North Wales)
5. Drive through the Elan Valley reservoirs (Mid Wales)
6. Admire Bosherton Lily Ponds and Barafundle Bay (Pembrokeshire)
7. Hike Llyn y Fan Fach (Bannau Brycheiniog)
8. Visit Pembroke Castle (Pembrokeshire)
9. Walk the cliffs around St Govan’s Chapel (Pembrokeshire)
10. Stroll around Tenby in the evening (Pembrokeshire)
11. Go underground at Big Pit (South Wales)
12. Hike Pen y Fan (Bannau Brycheiniog)
13. Discover Caernarfon Castle (North Wales)
14. Attend evensong in St Davids (Pembrokeshire)
15. See Conwy Castle on the city’s medieval walls (North Wales)
17. Chill in Llandudno (North Wales)
18. Explore Caerphilly Castle (South Wales)
Hi, I’m Jan. I travel fast and intensely, whether I’m exploring the buzz of Tokyo in 3 days or road-tripping through mountains and beaches on a 3-week Thailand adventure. And no matter where I am, you’ll always find me in a comfortable hotel at night and eating the best food.
If that sounds like your kind of journey, hop on board, and let’s explore the world together!
I started this blog after realizing how tough it can be to find reliable, authentic travel info. You wouldn’t believe how many “travel bloggers” never even visit the places they write about! On Next Level of Travel, you can count on my full honesty and insights drawn from my firsthand experiences.
Here’s the deal: not every destination is all superlatives and unicorns. I’ll let you know if a tourist attraction isn’t worth your time, like skipping overrated stops in my 2-week Spain itinerary. And when I find something truly special—like the perfect mix of culture and nature in Cape Town—you can trust that it’s worth adding to your itinerary.
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