Wales is roughly divided into South Wales, West Wales, North Wales and Mid Wales. There are no official boundaries between these regions, but to us, North Wales begins around Machynlleth, just below Eryri (Snowdonia)
Due to the distance involved, any Tour including North Wales would have to be a Multi-Day Tour. Whilst we know North Wales very well, South Wales is still our home, and our driver guides we may not know all of North Wales quite as well as they know the South
After North Wales is the 2nd most populated part of Wales. Compared to South Wales though, it is still very lightly populated with no large cities, and only a handful of large towns. Most of North Wales is small towns and Villages
- Wrexham – Home to the oldest international football ground in the World, and made Famous by “Welcome to Wrexham” on Disney+
- Llandudno – Home of The Great Orme
- Conwy – near Llanduno, and home of Conwy Castle and the smallest house in the UK
- Caernarfon – Home to Caernarfon Castle where King Charles III was invested as Prince of Wales
- Beaumaris – On Anglesey, and home to the unfinished Beaumaris Castle
- Harlech – Home to the steepest street in the UK, and Harlech Castle
- Beddgelert – Picturesque village in Eryri, and home of the legend of “Gelert, the Faithful Hound”
- Betws-y-Coed – Picturesque Village with a number of Waterfalls
- Llanberis – At the foot of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), the tallest Mountain in England & Wales. Dinorwic Quarry, once the largest slate quarry in the world and the National Slate Museum
- Bangor – University Town, and home to one of the oldest Cathedrals in Wales
- Bala – Small town on the banks of Lake Bala, the largest glacial lake in Wales
- Machynlleth – Ancient Capital of Wales, and location of “Glyndwrs Parliment” where Owain Glyndwr was crowned Prince of Wales in 1406 during his rebellion
Castles in North Wales are dominated by “The Big Four” Caernarfon, Harlech, Conwy & Beaumaris. All Built by Edward 1 following his conquering and annexation of Wales in 1485 and all UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These 4 Castles are regularly considered to be the best in Wales;
Caernarfon Castle – One of Wales most complete and impressive Castle
- Conwy Castle – Sitting on the banks of the River Conwy, the castle dominates the small town of Conwy, and you can walk almost the entire length of the Town Walls from the Castle to the Quay Side
- Caernarfon Castle – One of Wales’ most complete and impressive Castles. We rate Caernarfon as one Top 3 Castles in Wales
- Harlech Castle – An impressive Castle, that was once on the coast, but due to shifting coast lines, is now around a mile inshore. Owain Glyndwr had his last stand here during his Rebellion in the 15th Century, and the Royalist in Wales made their last stand against the Parliamentarians in the 17th Century. A small, but impressive Castle, and also makes our Top 3 Castles in Wales
- Beaumaris Castle – On Anglesey, it was intended to join Conwy, Caernarfon and Harlech Castle as a “Ring of Steel” around Gwynedd, but it was never completed
- Castell y Bere – Ruins of a native Welsh Castle built by Prince Llewelyn in the early 13th Century to protect the southern border of Gwynedd against neighbouring Ceredigion. Little remains of the castle in its remote location in Eyri
- Dolbarn Castle – A small native Welsh Castle in Llanberis with commanding views of Lyn Padarn, Llyn Peris and Dinorwic Quarry
- Bangor Cathedral – One of the oldest Cathedrals in Wales
- Valle Crucis Abbey- Romantic Ruins of a 13th Century Abbey
One thing North Wales is short of is Landscape and Scenery. North Wales is the most picturesque region of Wales, from its large towering mountains, to its small villages, rivers and woods. The list of places to visit in North Wales for landscape and scenery is almost endless, but these are some of our favourite places in North Wales to stop and take in the views
- South Stack Lighthouse – On the northern tip of Anglesey, near Holyhead. Spectacular views out across the Irish Sea, and also a Bird Sanctuary
- Swallow Falls – This cascade waterfall is Wales’ highest waterfall, falling a total of 138 feet over multiple drops with numerous viewing platform never fails to impress
- A498 Llyn Gwynant Lookout – Looking out across Llyn Gwynant from about 400m above, across Eryri with Mountains in the distance and Yr Wyddfa to the right
- Pen-y-Pass – Spectacular road near the base of Snowdown, with fields of Rocks and Boulders on either side
- Llyn Ogwen / Pont Pen y Benglog – Views across Llyn Ogwen in one direction, and down into the Valley below in the other
- Great Orme – On the edge of Llandudno, with views out into the Irish Sea one way, and back down across Wales and Eryri in the other direction
- A55 – Multiple places along the North Wales Express Way with spectacular views. On Anglesey as you travel back towards the mainland, you can see the Mountains of Eryri Rising in the distance. As you travel along the road towards Conwy on the edge of the Irish Seat you will travel through tunnels as the mountains drop right into the sea
- Bettws-y-Coed – Picturesque village not far from Swallow Falls with more waterfalls on the same river
Nature has done a good job making North Wales look stunning on its own. That doesn’t mean to say no body has tried to improve anywhere and there are a few Gardens to enjoy in North Wales
- Bodnant Gardens – Possibly the most famous Gardens in North Wales, covering more than 80 acres in the grounds of Bodnant House
- Treborth Botanical Gardens – Botanical Gardens in Bangor
- Happy Valley Gardens – Terraced Gardens and Woodland Walks on Great Orme
North Wales has a number of Steam Railways, and Heritage Railways
- Great Orme – More of a Tram than a train, this travels up to the summit of Great Orme from near Llandudno Pier
- Snowdon Mountain Railway – Diesel Trains run from the Station in Llanberis all year round, depending on the weather. During the summer months, Steam trains also travel to the summit
- Wales Highland Railway – This company runs multiple trains and routes across Eryri including Caernarfon – Beddgelert, Caernarfon – Porthmadog, Caernarfon – Rhyd Ddu, Porthmadog – Beddgelert, Porthmadog – Tan y Bwlch, Blaenau Ffestiniog – Porthmadog
- Llangollen Railway – 10 mile route through the Dee Valley AONB
As you would expect from an area with a huge amount of History, North Wales has a few museums to visit
- National Slate Museum – Located in DInorwic Quarry. Due to reopen in 2026 following a £21m redevelopment, the National Slate Museum tells the story of Slate mining in North Wales, and how Welsh Slate was shipped around the world
- Llechwedd Slate Caverns – Choice of two underground tours of a disused part of an active Slate Mine, to discover life as a Victorian Slate Miner
- Great Orme Mines – A 4.000 years old copper mine. Great Orme Mine is thought to be largest Pre-Historic Mine discovered in the world
- Sygun Copper Mine – A Former copper mine near Beddgelert
- Nant Gwrtheyrn – A Welsh Language & Heritage Centre. Located in a former quarry village, there are exhibitions on the history of the village, and a museum in a former quarrymen’s cottage. The centre also tells about the history and development of the Welsh Language, as well as hosting Welsh Language Courses
Almost all restaurants and pubs in North Wales pride themselves on serving Welsh dishes, with local Welsh produce, so in North Wales, you are never too far from somewhere where you can sample Welsh Cuisine, and Welsh Drinks. These are a couple of place you could visit to ensure you experience Welsh Food & Drink
- Bodnant Welsh Food Centre – Near Bodnant Gardens near Conwy, Bodnant Welsh Food Centre sells produce from local Welsh suppliers, as well as having a restaurant on site serving Welsh dishes
- Aberfalls Distillery – A Whisky & Gin Distillery on the edge of Bannau Brycheiniog that provides tours, and offers samples of their Gin & Whisky
- Penderyn Distillery – Located in Llandudno, this was the 2nd Distillery Penderyn opened after their HQ in Bannau Brycheiniog. Just as in Penderyn itself, tours and tastings are available at their Llandudno Distilery
- Red Wharf Bay Vineyard – Take a tour of the Vineyard on Anglesey with the owner and find out about the mistakes they made, and what they learnt before tasting their wine