At a glance: my quick Wales travel guide
How many days do you need to visit Wales?
Which region of Wales should you choose?
Best Wales regional combinations for saving time + map
2. North Wales’ Eryri + Conwy + Anglesey
3. Brecon Beacons + South Wales
4. Pembrokeshire + Mid Wales and Elan Valley
Best time to visit Wales + how to plan around the weather
My Wales travel guide has one mission: to stop you from making the rookie mistake of underestimating the country. If 10 days sounds like overkill, think again. I needed 10 days for my trip because the sights are so spread out and the roads are so slow that prioritizing which regions to visit mattered way more than the distances on the map.
And believe me, my car became my best friend. Wales spreads an almost unfair amount of sights across a large amount of space—coast, mountains, industrial history, a ridiculous number of castles—so driving is by far the most practical option. Unless you wanna spend your holiday on random Welsh buses. I didn’t.
So don’t book 3 days in Wales with the hopes of cramming everything in. It’s not going to happen. Instead, use my Wales travel guide to see exactly how I structured, planned, and lived the perfect Wales trip to spend more time along the coast than on the road.
Read more from my Wales travel blog.
Abereiddy's Blue Lagoon looked this good even through the drizzle
Don’t know anything about Wales? Great. I didn’t either before I went. Here’s a quick look at what the UK’s often overlooked but beautiful country in Great Britain is all about.
Beautiful Bosherston's lily ponds
For me personally, the answer is a total yes. If you’re a nature lover going for the mountains and have seen Scotland, this is the obvious place to go next. If not, I would go to Scotland first. But for the coast, warmer climate (by UK standards), natural beauty, history, and castle after ancient castle, Wales is hard to beat.
The reason I say “me personally” is that I love to drive, I like quiet places, and I’m happy to be around more trees and coastline than other people. No offense. (Although speaking of Welsh people, I really can’t complain. They were so cheery all the time that I felt like I was in some Disney movie.)
However, if you’d rather hop on a metro and zip from sight to sight in a big, busy city, you might find Wales too slow-paced. This is not a trip for the thrill seekers. This is a country you could visit with your grandma and spend the afternoon eating pot pies together in a cozy cafe.
Although I hear there's ample mountain biking and zip wire opportunities if you're into that. I didn't bother. Maybe next trip?
Here’s a quick summary for you to make it as easy as possible to decide.
Wales is for you if:
Wales is not for you if:
Fun fact: Although Wales has its own language, only about 17% of Welsh people actually speak it. But you might hear "Bore Da" instead of "good morning"!
St Davids alone could eat up half a day, and that's before you've left Pembrokeshire
In my humble opinion, the ideal amount of time in Wales is 10 days.
But Honza, Wales is little... Not true. Don’t be fooled by the map like I was at first. Listen to the name instead: Wales is not compact but long like, well, a whale. Long means lots and lots of driving.
With 3-5 days: You can only see one region of Wales. Choose wisely. That means either North or South Wales, not both.
With 7 days: You can see two regions of Wales if they’re next to each other. But they have to be next to each other.
With 10 days: This is the sweet spot and how long I spent in Wales, which makes sense if you want time to see several regions without rushing. Three regions was plenty to get a well-rounded taste of the country.
With 14 days: Enjoy a route through South, West, and North Wales plus room for spontaneous detours along the way.
The less time in Wales you have, the longer you should spend deciding where to use it. Wales’ regions ended up being more different from each other than I expected, so really take your time making the right pick/s.
My quick Wales travel guide chart can help:
Map of the best parts to visit in Wales
It’s really important to be strategic about what regions go where in your itinerary. Here’s my Wales travel guide ranking of the best regional combos for the most practical use of your time.
This cove alone almost talked me out of ever leaving Pembrokeshire
Three Cliffs Bay
Why it works: Gower and Pembrokeshire are the ultimate Wales coastline duo. I started in Gower before continuing west into Pembrokeshire, which turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of my trip. I expected to breeze through the coast, but the epic landscape ended up becoming one of my favorite parts of Wales.
Where to sleep: I spent the first night in Gower and the second in Pembrokeshire. That way I was able to keep continuing west instead of driving back and forth.
If you'd rather skip the planning, there's a Gower day tour that covers Mumbles, Three Cliffs, and Worms Head in one go.
Conwy Castle
Penmon Point single-handedly justified making Anglesey a worthy stop
Why it works: This is the best route for first-time visitors because it gives you a little bit of everything Wales has along the Irish Sea. Eryri has the mountains, Conwy has the castles and historic towns, and Anglesey has the coast. Bam, that’s Wales.
Where to sleep: I found Conwy to be an excellent base because it's close to Eryri, Anglesey, and the North Wales coast. If you're planning several days in this area, you don't need to move hotels very often. I recommend Hotel Ixora in Comwdy Snowdonia.
Here are guided tours that cover your whole North Wales route.
Castle Caerphilly's leaning tower tilts more than Pisa, and somehow nobody talks about it
Why it works: This is one of Wales' easiest nature-city combos. Brecon Beacons National Park is just an hour away from Cardiff Bay, so I was able to grab breakfast at a nice city cafe to fuel up for my mountain hikes right afterward. And then, bittersweetly, return to civilization.
Where to sleep: If you're only planning one or two hikes, staying in Cardiff and taking day trips into the national park is fine. If you're there to hike though, I'd spend a couple of nights in Brecon instead.
Elan Valley is peaceful valleys and mountain roads, no small talk required
Why it works: Not into cities at all? This is the route for you. Pembrokeshire gives you the coastal views. And Mid Wales has peaceful valleys, mountain roads, and quaint little coastal towns with random hole-in-the-wall cafes that have great coffee.
Where to sleep: After my night in Pembrokeshire, I drove into Mid Wales and spent the night there next. Otherwise it’s too much back-and-forth driving, which is pretty much the worst way to spend your Wales vacation. I really recommend using the hotel The Dunes in Tenby as your base.
Planning tip: Another rookie mistake is trying to combine North and South Wales on a short trip. It might look doable on a map, but Wales' slow roads mean you'd spend a lot more time driving than sightseeing.
This is why I said drive, roads this narrow don't show up on a train schedule
By car from England (my personal recommendation): This is the easiest option. South Wales is connected to England by the M4 across the Severn, while the A55 runs along the North Wales coast.
The most popular cities to visit from are Bristol, Chester, Liverpool, and Birmingham. Plus no annoying border checks since everything’s in the UK.
It's also popular to drive straight from central London to Cardiff since it takes only 3 hours.
By train from England: Direct trains connect a few English cities with Wales. The main train stations are:
But once you get off at the platform, you might feel like, “What now?” Because...well, you’ll kinda be stuck. It’s hard to get around the country without a car. You’re better off driving in and sticking with your wheels. It’s just more convenient that way.
By plane: Yeah, it’s possible to fly to Wales, but driving in from England is better. Why? Well, the Cardiff airport is lacking when it comes to international connections. Nearby airports in England cover way more routes, so it’s easier to just fly into England then drive. Usually cheaper too. More competition at the bigger airports means lower prices overall.
No bus gets you up here, only your own two feet and a car to the trailhead
I would only use public transport in Wales if all my tires fell off as my car spontaneously combusted. Okay, just kidding...half kidding. But driving is by far the best option. Let me explain why.
Sure, you can get to the bigger towns like Cardiff and Swansea easily enough by train. But once you get there, you’re gonna feel stranded. Especially if you want to get to whichever national park, beach, castle, or small village strikes your fancy.
Look, there’s nothing wrong with Wales’ bus system. There’s the long-distance TrawsCymru network that’s gotten good reviews and covers all the main touristy spots like Pembrokeshire and Eryri. But for my style of travel, where I like to make a bunch of scenic stops at my leisure and explore more rural areas, a car is by far the better option. Fell free to check out my favorite comparison site for car rentals.
I drove everywhere during my trip, and I don't regret it for a second. What surprised me wasn't that I needed a car; it was how much driving there actually was. Wales looked tiny while I was planning my itinerary, but once I arrived, I realized almost everything was like one or two hours apart. It would've been that much longer if I’d relied on public transport.
Another reason I don’t regret renting a car is that I actually enjoyed the drives in Wales. Some of the highlights of my trip were the views from the road itself, whether I was driving through the mountains or along the coast. Flexibility and views mean going by car is absolutely the way to do it.
Gospel Pass gave me an adrenaline rush and this view, worth every white-knuckle turn
As pretty as driving in Wales can be, don’t overpack your days with stop after stop after stop. I was often tempted to squeeze in “just one more viewpoint/hike/castle,” but then I would have been on the road for longer than I was actually sightseeing. I ended up having to prioritize some things over others because there’s only so much time in a day.
That’s not to say that driving is dull, wasted time. It’s definitely not. Some roads, like the Llanberis Pass or Gospel Pass, are things to do in their own right because of the scenery. (And the adrenaline rush Gospel Pass gave me—that was a scary drive.) It’s all part of the experience. Still, better to spend more time on a hike than in a car, don’t you think?
Parking was also something of an experience. Most places I went to had dedicated parking lots, but oddly enough, they don’t all work the same way. Most of them had pay-and-display machines, but some surprisingly didn’t even take cards at all, so keep a few pounds on you just in case. (Pounds, not Euros. Don’t forget about Brexit.)
If there's one thing that made driving in Wales easier than I expected, it was the Welsh culture. No one ever tailed me, honked aggressively, sped like a madman, or even cut me off. I almost couldn’t believe it. They’re that nice even on the road?!
Good food within walking distance is my top priority
The best way to travel Wales is to pick a base and stick to it. That means fewer pesky hotel changes, more convenient driving times, and longer stays in each area.
Here’s my guide to the best base per region:
Ten minutes of gray drizzle, then this, that's Welsh weather in a nutshell
I randomly planned to go to Wales at the end of May, and it turned out to be the best time of year to go. I got the least amount of rain, the most amount of greenery, and the chance to see puffins at Skomer Island. I really lucked out.
That said, I don't think there's a "bad" month to visit Wales. Every season has something going for it. Summer has the longest daylight hours and the best chance of warm weather, but also the most crowds. Fall gives you quieter roads and beautiful leaves, but winter can be even calmer if you're more into the castles and history than the hiking.
Instead of worrying too much about the calendar, I realized it was better to have a flexible itinerary. That’s because Welsh weather is kind of bipolar. It’ll switch from sun to cloudy drizzle before you can say “umbrella.” So instead of sticking 100% to a fixed itinerary, I visited castles when I knew it was gonna rain and enjoyed the coasts when it didn’t.
However, that didn't always work, because the weather is really unpredictable in Wales and this is one of the world’s rainiest countries. I wasn’t always able to avoid getting all soggy. Oh well, that’s the UK for you.
Caernarfon Castle
Caerphilly is a Cadw site, so this is exactly where that pass starts paying for itself
You don’t need to plan months in advance for most of Wales, but there are a few exceptions. Besides those, my Wales travel guide advice is simple: reserve the things that sell out, then keep the rest of your itinerary flexible so you can react to random weather changes. Because that’s just how Wales is.
Right off the bat, I can tell you to book Skomer Island in advance. This is the biggest non-negotiable because landing trips are capped to protect the wildlife and everyone wants a peek at the puffins. Even boat cruises can fill up. I’d book 2-3 weeks ahead of time just to be safe.
Note: This only applies from April until the middle of July, when the puffins come in from the sea to have little puffin babies. So don’t arrive in late July looking for them. That’s a recipe for disappointment.
I’d also urge you to book accommodation ASAP, especially if you plan to follow in my footsteps and visit in late spring-early summer. Places like Tenby, Conwy, and Llanberis can book up far in advance. I’d only worry about this during peak season though; it’s not really a struggle at any other time.
The other thing I always recommend—it’s basically a travel rule of thumb—is to get to parking lots early for busy hikes. Those things fill up quick, and you don’t want to unnecessarily add to your hike by parking far, far away. This especially applies to Cwm Idwal, which fills up fast even in rainy weather, and Llyn y Fan Fach, which has a ridiculously tiny parking lot. And if you plan to hike in Snowdonia, make sure to get Pen y Pass parking in advance.
My #1 Wales travel guide tip: get the Cadw Explorer Pass. It’s a pass that gives you access to lots of different sites in Cadw. I used it a ton, and it saved me hundreds of pounds on admission fees. It quickly paid for itself after I visited multiple castles. I sound like a walking ad, but seriously, it was a great way to travel if there are a lot of historic spots on your itinerary.
Walking Conwy's walls looks quick until you're an hour in and still going
I promised to show you the mistakes to avoid in my Wales travel guide, so here are my top tips:
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At a glance: my quick Wales travel guide
How many days do you need to visit Wales?
Which region of Wales should you choose?
Best Wales regional combinations for saving time + map
2. North Wales’ Eryri + Conwy + Anglesey
3. Brecon Beacons + South Wales
4. Pembrokeshire + Mid Wales and Elan Valley
Best time to visit Wales + how to plan around the weather
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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