Wales travel suggestions needed

Posted by Carrie (Ypsilanti, MI, USA) on 01/22/20 02:41 AM

I will be going to Wales in March. I am having trouble figuring out an itenary. I use trains/buses and stay in hostels to keep the cost down. I plan on staying 8-10 days in Wales.

I had originally planned on flying into Cardiff and doing day tours but a friend suggested touring in the north.

So that would mean flying into Manchester or Liverpool and taking a bus/train upon arrival which could be a bit of a hassle. I also can not figure out a good northern base city to stay in.

Any itenary ideas would be helpful.

Posted by ryan_and_gill

01/22/20 01:49 PM

392 posts

your friend obviously knows you well but perhaps you can tell us about what your interests are. There is the opportunity for both north and south wales and flying in and out of both airports, or there are decent bus connections from Cardiff to Heathrow.

Posted by jaimeelsabio

Mid-Atlantic area

01/22/20 06:30 PM

6508 posts

We had a car, but our rough itinerary was Heathrow-Tintern-Tenby-St. Davids-Aberystwyth-Caernarfon-Ludlow-Stratford Upon Avon-Heathrow. Since we had a car, we stopped at a number of places between those I mentioned, and spent an entire day on Anglesey. Our trip was 15 days and many of the places we visited can’t easily be reached by public transportation.

Posted by geovagriffith

01/22/20 09:42 PM

7642 posts

We have visited both the north and south of the country. Both are great places to visit.

For the South, Cardiff is great to start. It's main sites are Cardiff Castle, The Museum of Welsh Life and other nearby castles. The best would be Caerphilly Castle.
Then proceed to Tenby for a couple of days. More castles are there to see. Pembroke Castle is nice.
St. David's is located at the tip of the SW point of Wales and is a very historic place with a cathedral and other sights.
The Brecon Beacons Park is worth a drive through, very scenic.

There are many castles all over Wales. Also, Tintern Abbey, near the English border is good to see.
For the North, Conwy town and Castle are a must see. Snowdonia National Park is awesome. Caernarfon town and castle are a high point.

Posted by Carrie OP

Ypsilanti, MI, USA

01/23/20 02:44 AM

27 posts

I don't plan on renting a car but plan on using trains and buses. I am looking for suggestions of cities where I could base my touring . I am planning on arriving in either Cardiff or Manchester. I am not sure if I want to base in the south or north. I am also looking for tour companies where I can do day trips.

Posted by geovagriffith

01/23/20 01:57 PM

7642 posts

https://www.viator.com/Cardiff/d5158-ttd

For the north, we did a great tour from Liverpool that visited Conwy and the beautiful national park.

You could really enhance your trip by renting a car in South Wales. Driving on the left is not so bad.

Posted by liz2016

Ohio

01/23/20 07:00 PM

33 posts

Hi Carrie,
We signed on with Real Wales Tours for our five day tour but they have shorter tours including hiking and biking with transport to locations included. They came highly rated and our experience making arrangements has been terrific. www.realwalestours.com/
They are based out of Cardiff so if you are based in the south, this might be a good option.