What to do
- Many people come here for our striking landscape and scenery. Wales has three National Parks (including Pembrokeshire Coast National Park - the only coastal National Park in the UK), five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and only 2.9 million people. Unlike national parks in some other countries, our National Parks aren’t wildernesses, but living communities with beautiful countryside containing pretty villages and market towns.
- Our landscape offers opportunities for all kinds of activities - walking, cycling, climbing, golf, water sports and paragliding to name but a few.
- If you fancy climbing a mountain, we’ve got plenty to choose from. Bring your bike and you could try mountain biking on some of the best runs in Europe. But if you're not feeling quite so energetic, our highest mountain, Snowdon, has a train that takes you all the way up to the summit.
- How about heading for the beach? We’ve got award-winning beaches right around our 1,200km (750 mile)-long coastline.
- If you don’t fancy rock climbing or rock pooling, why not spend time in our bustling city centres, tiny craft shops, designer outlets and galleries.
Where to stay
- City Centre Hotel? Idyllic Holiday Cottage? Green Campsite? Seaside B&B? Plan your perfect trip with our range of accommodation at Visit Wales
What to see
There’s a lot to see in Wales, here are some ideas:
- Food Markets and Festivals
We like to show off our local produce at our many farmers markets and food festivals across the country. Swansea food market is the largest food market in Wales. From Monday – Saturday, visitors can sample the famous Welsh cockles from the tidal Penclawdd Sands and buy locally caught fresh fish. It’s also a good spot to sample freshly baked welsh cakes. www.walesthetruetaste.com
Home to the ‘Great Glasshouse’. At the centre of the National Botanic Garden of Wales is the world’s largest single span glasshouse. The glass dome covers 4,500 metres – that’s more than 23 tennis courts. www.gardenofwales.org.uk
Our national stadium, right in the middle of our capital city, Cardiff hosts many international sporting events and huge music concerts. It has a capacity for 74,500 and the first stadium in the UK to feature a fully retractable roof. In 2008 we saw our rugby team win the Grand Slam and Madonna kicking off her world tour at the stadium.
We’ve got over 600 castles in Wales. That’s more castles per square mile than any other country. Caerphilly Castle in South Wales is one of the largest fortresses in Europe and has a tower which ‘out leans’ the Italian Tower of Pisa. www.cadw.wales.gov.uk