It’s difficult to pick out a list of the best places to visit in Wales because there are so many wonderful parts of this country. Wales has a bit of everything which is what we love about it – seaside resorts, beaches and some mighty mountains, so there’s something for everyone. We have been to Wales many times and every time we go, we love it even more. The landscapes and scenery in Wales is some of the best there is. Below is a list of all of the best places that we’ve been to in Wales.
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The Brecon Beacons
The Brecon Beacons are a mountain range in the South of Wales, covering 520 square miles in the mid and south of Wales. The Brecon Beacons was one of the first 10 areas in Britain to be given national park status.
South Wales highest mountain, Pen Y Fan, can be found here, which stands at 886m. There are some fantastic hikes to do in the Brecon Beacons.
The SAS actually use the Brecon Beacons for their training!
We recently visited The Brecon Beacons whilst we were travelling Wales in our motorhome and we completed the Brecon Beacon horseshoe circular hike. The trail starts by climbing up the Craig ddu ridge, following the ridge up to Corn Du, Pen Y Fan and then down Jacobs Ladder. Then there is a climb up to Crybin and then Fan Y Big. This route took us around 6 hours to do, it was a big hike (around 20km) but we really enjoyed it!
We found the route on the AllTrails app, if you are interested at all here is the link – Brecon Beacon Horseshoe Circular | Map, Guide – Merthyr Tydfil, Wales | AllTrails
The Mumbles
The Mumbles is a headland situated in the south of Wales on the edge of Swansea Bay. The coastal area is known for its water sports and is popular with surfers. There are also several cafes and restaurants in the area with many boutique shops.
In addition to being great for surfing, there’s plenty to do when you’re not out on the waves- there’s fishing, kayaking tours, or just sitting back at one of many cafes enjoying some food or drink while watching people go by!
We particularly enjoyed taking our kayak out on the sea to the lighthouse and enjoying a cocktail whilst sat on the promenade looking out over to the sea. There was also a street food market on whilst we were there, so there’s lots and lots to do in the Mumbles.
The Gower
The Gower peninsula is an area of rural coastline in the south west of Wales. It was the first place in Britain to be named an area of outstanding natural beauty, and this is with good reason. It’s completely beautiful with beaches that stretch for miles with white sand and turquoise clear water.
We visited The Gower for the first time recently and we absolutely loved it. We went to Rhossili Bay which is one of the most unbelievably beautiful beaches we have seen in the UK. Here there is a coastal path you can take to a fantastic viewpoint called worms head where there is a chance to see some seals!
Some other great places to visit in the Gower are Three Cliffs Bay and and Oxwich Bay.
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park-
The Pembrokeshire Coast is probably the most stunning part of the coast in Wales. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park covers 186 miles of beautiful beaches, coastal paths to walk, cliffs, coves and so much more. Listed below are a few of our favourite places on the Pembrokeshire Coast.
Tenby
Tenby is a seaside town in Pembrokeshire, Wales with popular tourist attractions of coastal cliffs and sandy beaches. The promenade connects the harbour to the castle while on Church Hill across the bay, medieval St Mary’s church can be seen.
In our opinion, Tenby is one the most lovely seaside towns in the UK. With the pastel coloured buildings and quaint little streets filled with cafes, shops and restaurants, it’s a fabulous seaside town to wander around and enjoy.
We did a great seal safari boat trip from Tenby to Caldey Island where we saw lots of seals and sea birds!
Freshwater West
Freshwater West is a beautiful beach on the Pembrokeshire Coast. The main reason that we think this is one of the best places in Wales is because we’re big Harry Potter fans and you can find Dobby’s grave here!
Freshwater West beach was used as the filming location for Dobby’s death in the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film and a shrine has been left there for Dobby. It’s a must-see spot if you love Harry Potter as much as we do.
If you’d like to know more about Dobby’s grave then we have written a blog post which you can check out here – Dobby’s Grave At Freshwater West Beach 2022- Harry Potter
Freshwater West Beach is also a great place to park for campervans and motorhomes. You’re not allowed to park overnight in the actual car park, but you will see vans parked down the side of the road and we stayed here for 2 nights and had no issues. The views over the beach are beautiful to wake up to.
St Davids
St David’s is the smallest city in the UK and has an incredibly beautiful cathedral. It is the resting place of Wales patron saint, St David, and this is where it’s name was derived. St David was said to have been born on a cliff top in a storm and the site is marked by the ruins of a tiny chapel and a holy well. St David’s is a very historic and interesting place in Wales. It is a lovely city to walk around with plenty of cafes, shops and pubs.
The Blue Lagoon – Aberieddy
The Blue Lagoon Wales is located at Abereiddy Beach and is truly an amazingly beautiful spot to visit in Wales.
The Blue Lagoon Wales was previously a sea quarry that flooded, leaving behind this beautiful spot that is popular for swimming, coasteering and other water sports.
If you would like to learn more about the Blue Lagoon then we have written a blog post which you can check out here – A Complete Guide To The Blue Lagoon Wales – Abereiddy Beach
Cardigan Bay
Cardigan Bay is the largest bay in Wales and is a paradise for spotting dolphins and other wildlife, it actually has the largest population of dolphins in Europe. It’s easy to see why dolphins choose this bay as their home, as it’s a very beautiful part of Wales. There are many different dolphin spotting boat trips that you can take to Cardigan Bay which we did and we would thoroughly recommend.
Snowdonia
Snowdonia is Wales largest national park and home to Wales largest mountain, Snowdon. Mount Snowdon is probably Wales biggest tourist attraction. Snowdon has an elevation of 1085 metres above sea level and is a great mountain for the whole family. If you don’t fancy hiking up the mountain then there is the option to take the Snowdon Mountain Railway. We have reached the summit of Snowdon via hiking and via the railway and we can confirm that they are both great fun!
The scenery in the Snowdonia National Park is absolutely spectacular and makes the hike up Mount Snowdon very worthwhile! Snowdonia is certainly one of the best places to visit in Wales.
Portmeirion
Portmeirion is a slice of the Mediterranean in Wales. Portmeirion is a resort town on the coast of North Wales. It was designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1976 in the style of an Italian village. With vibrant, bright colours and iconic architecture, you truly are transported to Italy when you visit. If you’re looking for something unusual to do in Wales, then we highly recommend a visit here.
If you’d like to know more about Portmeirion then you can check out our blog post here – Portmeirion – Stunning Italian Village In Wales
If you’re looking for something unique and unusual to do then this is definitely one of the best places to visit in Wales.
Barry
If you’re a fan of the hit UK sitcom, Gavin and Stacey, then you will no doubt have heard of Barry. It’s one of the most iconic spots in Wales. Barry is a seaside town in the south of Wales, not far from Cardiff, and it is also the largest town in Wales.
Barry is most famous for being Stacey’s hometown in Gavin and Stacey, if you haven’t seen Gavin and Stacey before, then you need to watch it right now, it’s amazing! We loved visiting Barry and looking out for all the spots we recognised from the TV show and we really enjoyed our time there. If you’re a fan of Gavin and Stacey then Barry is certainly one of the best places to visit in Wales!
There are beaches, a promenade, amusement arcades and a pleasure park, so there is lots of family fun to be had in Barry.
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I have always wanted to travel and luckily I always got to travel to some amazing countries while I was growing up with my family and this really encouraged me to continue this and get out into the world on my own when I was older.
My goal growing up was really to see as much of the world as I could, but then I started going to work and really concentrating on my career and travel took a back seat. I still tried to get away a few times a year but I always knew there was an end goal which was to travel as much as possible.
So I got my head down and worked as hard as I could as an e-commerce manager. I have always been techy, I love computers and websites, so that’s where it gave me the idea to start this blog and also have my own web design agency. If you want to check it out or need any help then please take a look rrwebdesign.co.uk (shameless plug there)
But after covid, we both knew this was now the right time to take the leap and go and see the world after being trapped inside our house and working from home for a couple of years. We realised more than ever that you only get one life and you really need to make the most of it and do what you love!
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