Wales Attractions

Caernarfon Castle is a medieval castle in Gwynedd, NW Wales. There was a motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Caernarfon from the late 11th century until 1283 when King Edward I of England began replacing it with the current stone structure. The Edwardian town and castle acted as the administrative centre of north Wales and as a result the defences were built on a grand scale. There was a deliberate link with Caernarfon's Roman past – nearby is the Roman fort of Segontium – and the castle's walls are reminiscent of the Walls of Constantinople.

The Millenium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and the Wales national football team but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage of Wales Rally Great Britain, Speedway Grand Prix of Great Britain, boxing and many music concerts, including Tina Turner, Madonna, The Rolling Stones, U2, Stereophonics and the Tsunami Relief concert. It was built ready for Cardiff to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

Cardiff Castle is a large castle whose foundations are based upon a Roman fort. In the nineteenth century, it was the one of the homes of the Marquis of Bute. The Norman fort in the centre, the Welsh regimental museum and and excavated Roman ruins are open, and tours of the Bute household are available. The Bute part of the castle is quite amazing. The interior was all done in the early 1900's in a very idiosyncratic and interesting style. There is barely an inch that is not adorned with some sort of artistic work. Yet, it is not overwhelming. The craftsmanship is well worth a look. Admission is £8.95 for adults, £6.35 for children and £7.50 for students and seniors. Admission with a tour is £11.95 for adults, £8.50 for children, and £9.95 for students and seniors. There are family group discounts.

Snowdonia National Park was established in 1951 as the third National Park in Britain, following the Peak District and the Lake District. It covers 827 square miles (2,140 km2), and has 37 miles (60 km) of coastline. The national park features lakes, castles, waterfalls, and even steam railways. Local signs are often both English and Welsh and many aspects of traditional Welsh life, including food, clothing, and crafts, are still to be found. The region is very popular for hiking, mountaineering, white-water kayaking, and other outdoor pursuits. It features Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales at 1,085 m (3,560 feet).

Conwy castle, built by Edward I in 1289, is smaller than Beaumaris or Caernarfon castles, but it has a lot of charm. It sits at the mouth of a tidal inlet, and the views of the sea on one side and gently rolling green hills on the other are beautiful. The castle was designed to have an outer and inner ward. Each ward was protected by four towers more than 70 feet (21 m) high, 30 feet (9.1 m) in diameter and consisting of several floors. The inner ward's towers also had the additional defence of archers' turrets.

Aberystwyth Arts Centre is one of Wales' busiest and largest arts centres, based on Aberystwyth University's Penglais campus Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. It hosts a theatre (312 seats), concert hall (900 seats), studio (80 seats) and cinema (125 seats), as well as four gallery spaces and cafes, bars, and shops. The arts centre contains four main types of exhibition areas, as follows: Cinema The 125 seat cinema is one of only two in the town and dedicates itself to showing a variety of films including Hollywood, foreign and independent films, and classic films, ranging from Casablanca to Raiders of the Lost Ark. It is also currently home to the Abertoir horror film festival. Galleries As well as playing host to various special events throughout the year including the International Ceramics Festival, the Arts Centre also has four custom built galleries. Gallery...

The Brecon Beacons National Park was established in 1957. It covers 519 square miles (1344 km²), 332 100 acres stretching from Llandeilo in the W to Hay-on-Wye in the E. It encompasses the ranges confusingly named the Black Mountains (in the E of the Park, on the border with England) and the Black Mountain (in the W). The area to the W of the Brecon Beacons range is known as Fforest Fawr (Great Forest). The W half of the National Park gained European and Global Geopark status in 2005. Fforest Fawr Geopark includes not only the historic extent of Fforest Fawr but also the Black Mountain and much of the central Brecon Beacons together with surrounding lowlands. Most of the National Park is moorland, with some forestry plantations, and pasture in the valleys. In 1966 the Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre was opened as an interpretive facility to better enable visitors and tou...

Situated above the River Conwy, Bodnant Garden is one of the most beautiful gardens in the UK spanning some 80 acres. The garden overlooks the Conwy valley towards the Carneddau range of mountains and holds great appeal to professional and amateur photographers, artists and gardeners. The Garden is separated into two parts. The upper garden around Bodnant Hall consists of informal lawns and terraced gardens whilst the lower portion (known as the 'Dell') is formed by the valley of the River Hiraethlyn and contains the Wild garden. Bodnant Garden has been carefully designed and features a wide range of interesting and beautiful plants from all over the world, particularly China, North America, Europe and Japan that are suited to the Welsh climate and soil. In addition, care and emphasis has been placed to the plant the plants and trees in such a way that they enhance each o...

Llandaff Cathedral is the seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, head of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. It is situated in the district of Llandaff in the city of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The cathedral dates from 1107 and features some spectacular architecture. The surrounding town is an interesting place to explore with a local coal magnates house (Ansol Court) donated to the people of Cardiff and open for visitors. The Ghost tour has become a very popular thing to do in the area.

Castell Coch (also known as the Red Castle) is a 19th-century Gothic Revival castle built on the remains of a genuine 13th-century fortification. It is situated on a steep hillside high above the village of Tongwynlais, to the N of Cardiff in Wales, and is a Grade I listed building as of 28 January 1963. Designed by William Burges, with an impressively medieval appearance, working portcullis and drawbridge, and sumptuous interiors which rival those of Cardiff Castle, it has been described as "the most spectacular example of (that architect's) translation from High Gothic into High Victorian." Entry costs around £3.50 for adults

Bute Park in Cardiff, Wales, is an extensive area of mature parkland easily accessible from the city centre. Flanked by the River Taff, Sophia Gardens, Pontcanna Fields and Cardiff Castle, Bute Park is a very popular 'green lung' full of historic and wildlife interest. Few cities have such a spacious green area in the heart of their city. The Taff Trail can be accessed at the northern end of Blackweir Fields. A water bus stop is located adjacent to Canton Bridge at the southern end of the park offering trips to Cardiff Bay, Penarth and the barrage.

St Fagans National History Museum, commonly referred to as St Fagans after the village it is located in, is an open-air museum in Cardiff chronicling the historical lifestyle, culture and architecture of the Welsh people. Located in the grounds of St Fagans Castle in western Cardiff, the museum is part of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales, formerly the National Museums and Galleries of Wales. It is also one of the most popular tourist attractions in South Wales, and one of the UK's 10 most popular free tourist attractions. The Castle gardens are especially beautiful and visitors are unlikely to be able to see everything in a single visit due to the size of the grounds. The museum and castle is a great attraction for children. Entry Free

National Museum Cardiff is a museum and art gallery in Cardiff, Wales. The museum is part of the wider network of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales (formerly the National Museums and Galleries of Wales). Entry is kept free by a grant from the Welsh Assembly Government. The National Museum of Wales was founded in 1907, when it inherited the collection of the Cardiff Museum, which shared the building of Cardiff Central Library. Construction of a new building in the civic complex of Cathays Park began in 1912, but owing to the First World War it did not open to the public until 1927. The museum has collections of archaeology, botany, fine and applied art, geology and zoology. The art collection is particularly noted for the collection of 19th-century French works assembled by Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, heiresses to a fortune made in exporting coal. This include...

The Welsh Mountain Zoo (or Colwyn Bay Zoo) is a zoological garden located near the town of Colwyn Bay in Conwy County, Wales. The zoo was opened on 18 May 1963 by the wildlife enthusiast and naturalist Robert Jackson. The zoo covers an area of 37 acres (15 ha).