Places to visit

Our capital is a hotbed of history and culture, and also features plenty of great shopping, plus places to eat and drink. Cardiff Bay is a popular social area, with bars and restaurants close to the Millennium Centre, a large complex which is home to the national orchestra of Wales. The Millennium Stadium, right in the middle of the city, often hosts major musical events as well as international sporting occasions.

Cardiff Castle provides plenty of historic interest, with Caerphilly Castle a mere 20-minute drive away. Living museum St Fagan’s National Museum Of History offers a glimpse into the more recent past with more than 50 buildings from all over Wales re-built including a Victorian school, a medieval church and a Workmen’s Institute. Cardiff is also home to BBC TV’s Doctor Who studio, with many visitors sightseeing locations from the series.

Home to Yr Wyddfa (aka Mount Snowdon, at 1,085 metres the highest peak in Wales), this stunning area is also referred to as Snowdonia, and covers approximately 850 square miles. It’s the perfect location for outdoor enthusiasts and adventurers.

The mountain railway offers a scenic route to the summit of the iconic mountain, while the surrounding valleys, waterfalls and lakes provide dramatic landscapes for hikers, wildlife enthusiasts and photographers. Amongst 300 sites nationwide, the legend of King Arthur is rich here – his legendary sword Excalibur is said to be beneath either Llydaw, Dinas or Ogwen in the heart of the region.

This unusual, highly colourful location provides a striking slice of Italy right in the heart of North Wales. Designed and built over five decades by architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, Portmeirion has become famous around the world due to its unique architecture and lush gardens. Visitors can explore the village’s subtropical gardens, take time out on the nearby beautiful sandy shores or wander through its whimsical streets.

There are plenty of shops, restaurants and cafes, plus woodland gardens and stunning estuary views – it’s the perfect place to relax. Portmeirion has also been used on numerous occasions for filming – including the 1960s TV fantasy series The Prisoner and some episodes of Doctor Who in the mid-1970s.

This picturesque riverside town in North Wales sits on the banks of the River Dee, and is probably best known for the annual Llangollen International Eisteddfod. This festival has been running for almost 80 years, attracts performers from across the planet and celebrates music, dance and the arts. Llangollen Canal, a picturesque UNESCO World Heritage Site, runs over an engineering marvel – the stunning Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, the UK’s longest and highest.

Visitors to Llangollen can white-water raft on the Dee, hike in the hills surrounding the town, enjoy historic residence Plas Newydd House or the Llangollen Motor Museum, and see historic ruins at the Castell Dinas Bran, which overlooks the town, and the Valley Crucis Abbey.