Wales is the smallest of the three nations on the island of Great Britain, and most of what visitors come for sits at its two ends. In the north-west, Snowdonia (Eryri) holds Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales and England, the slate quarries and the castles of Edward I, Caernarfon among them. In the south-east, Cardiff, the capital, has its castle, two free national museums and the waterfront of Cardiff Bay. Both have their own pages.
Welsh and English are both official languages, so road signs and stations come in both, and many places have two names: Snowdon is Yr Wyddfa, the Brecon Beacons are Bannau Brycheiniog. This page adds two places that fit around the destinations: the cathedral city of St Davids on the Pembrokeshire coast, and Pen y Fan, the highest summit in South Wales.
See St Davids Cathedral in Britain's smallest city
St Davids, Pembrokeshire
Half a day with the walk to St Non'sFree
Walk into a hollow below Britain's smallest city to a cathedral where two pilgrimages once equalled one to Rome.
What it is
St Davids, at the western tip of Pembrokeshire, is Britain's smallest city, and its cathedral sits in a hollow below the streets where St David founded his monastery; the present church was begun in 1181. In 1123 Pope Calixtus II decreed that two pilgrimages here equalled one to Rome. Inside, notice the floor, which rises nearly four metres from west to east, and St David's shrine, rededicated in 2012.
How to do it
It opens 10:00 to 16:00 from Monday to Saturday and 13:00 to 15:00 on Sundays; the suggested donation is £5, and guided tours cost £10, under-18s free. There is no cathedral car park, so use Oriel y Parc. Then walk out to the ruined chapel of St Non, David's traditional birthplace, by the coast path.
Good to know
From 19 October 2026 the Quire is shut for six to eight weeks of tower repairs.
Climb Pen y Fan, the highest summit in South Wales
Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons)
3 to 4 hours for the 4-mile routeFree
Climb over Corn Du to the 886-metre top of South Wales and back in three to four hours.
What it is
At 886 metres, Pen y Fan is the highest point in South Wales, in Bannau Brycheiniog, the national park still widely called the Brecon Beacons.
How to do it
The usual way up is the 4-mile (6.5 km) route from Pont ar Daf or the Storey Arms on the A470, about 8 miles south of Brecon, over Corn Du and back in three to four hours; Visit Wales rates it fine for active children. The National Trust car park at Pont ar Daf charges 24 hours a day, so park only in marked spaces, or take the train to Merthyr Tydfil and the T4 bus to Storey Arms. Experienced walkers can loop the 10-mile Horseshoe Ridge instead.
Good to know
The weather turns fast: wear boots, carry layers, water and a charged phone, and keep children close at the top, where the drop is sheer.
Choose by what you want from Wales. For mountains, castles and heritage railways, give Snowdonia four days. For museums, castles and rugby, Cardiff takes two or three days and is the easiest part of Wales to reach from London. Pen y Fan is a day out from Cardiff, straight up the A470. St Davids, at the far western tip of Pembrokeshire, is a trip of its own: go for the cathedral and stay for the coast path.
How to combine them
North and south Wales are far apart in travel time. The A470 runs from Cardiff through Bannau Brycheiniog and the middle of the country to Snowdonia, a long day at the wheel, and trains between Cardiff and the north coast run through the English border towns of Shrewsbury and Chester. Most visitors therefore pick one end, or arrive in the north from London Euston, Manchester or Chester and leave from Cardiff for London Paddington, or the reverse.
Getting around
In Snowdonia, the Sherpa'r Wyddfa buses circle Yr Wyddfa and stop near every path to the summit, and one day ticket covers every bus in North Wales. In and around Cardiff, local trains reach Cardiff Bay, Caerphilly and Llandaff in minutes. Elsewhere a car makes life easier: the Pembrokeshire coast and the Pen y Fan car parks are thinly served by public transport, though the T4 bus from Merthyr Tydfil station stops at Storey Arms for Pen y Fan.
When to go
May to September suits the mountains and the coast: the Snowdon Mountain Railway reaches the summit only from about May to late October, and the summit visitor centre opens in the same months, weather permitting. Winter turns Yr Wyddfa and Pen y Fan into serious mountains with snow and ice. Cardiff works in any season, and its rugby weekends, with the autumn internationals in November and the Six Nations early in the year, fill the city's hotels.
Questions travellers ask
Is it Snowdonia or Eryri?
Both. Since 2022 the national park authority uses only its Welsh name, Eryri, and calls Snowdon Yr Wyddfa, but most visitors and many signs and businesses still say Snowdonia. The same goes for the Brecon Beacons, now Bannau Brycheiniog.
Can I visit Wales as a day trip from London?
Cardiff, yes: Great Western Railway trains run from London Paddington to Cardiff Central, a short walk from the castle and the stadium. Snowdonia and Pembrokeshire are too far for a day; give them at least two or three nights.
Do I need to speak Welsh?
No. Everyone speaks English, and signs, timetables and menus are bilingual. Learning to say diolch, thank you, is appreciated, and knowing that a place may appear under its Welsh name helps with maps and road signs.
Which Welsh castles are worth seeing?
In the north, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech, three of Edward I's castles that share World Heritage status with Beaumaris. In the south, Cardiff Castle for its Victorian rooms, Castell Coch for its fairy-tale towers and Caerphilly, the biggest castle in Wales. Each has an entry on the Snowdonia, Cardiff or United Kingdom page.
