Wales is a historic land of castles and mountains, sweeping beaches and strong national identity dating back to pre-Norman times and reinforced in 1999, when Wales was granted its own assembly. The capital, Cardiff, has seen extensive regeneration, both in the city centre and the nearby Cardiff Bay area, which is now seen as a major entertainment and administrative centre. In the rural north, farming and tourism continue to be the main sources of income.
Wales is a country of great geographical variation with many long stretches of attractive and often rugged coastline. South Wales is mainly known for its industrial heritage but the western part of the coast between Carmarthen Bay and St David’s is similar to that of the more pastoral west country of England, and backed by some equally beautiful countryside. The scenery of Mid Wales includes rich farming valleys, the broad sandy sweep of Cardigan Bay and rolling hill country. North Wales is one of the most popular tourist areas in the British Isles, with many lively coastal resorts. Inland, the region of Snowdonia has long been popular with walkers and climbers. Much of the central inland area of the country is mountainous, with some breathtaking scenery.
Populous south Wales incorporates Cardiff, the cities of Swansea and Newport, Carmarthen Bay and two national parks, Pembrokeshire Coast and Brecon Beacons. The Cambrian Mountains and the attractive coastal resorts of Cardigan Bay are highlights of mid Wales, while the north has popular seaside resorts like Llandudno and Rhyl, the island of Anglesey and the scenic delights of Snowdonia National Park.
Location: Western Great Britian
Population: 2.9 million
Capital: Cardiff
Language Spoken: English and Welsh are the official languages. Welsh is taught in all schools, and at least one-fifth of the population speaks it.
Country Dialling Code: +44
Currency & Money: Pound Sterling (GBP, symbol £)
Weather: Western real estate in the UK comes 'blessed' with rain, and Wales is perhaps beaten in the UK only by pockets of western Scotland. However, most of the rain is concentrated in autumn and early winter, with the worst of the downpours between October and January. After January the rain slackens off, temperatures pick up and days lengthen. Westerly and southwesterly winds can also make life pretty miserable. That said, the closeness of the mountains to the coast means that you can encounter very different climatic conditions within short distances. Temperatures in Cardiff rarely drop below freezing even in the depths of winter (January) and usually make it into the 20°Cs (70°Fs) in summer.
Wales is beautiful at any time of year but the soggy Welsh weather will probably play a major part in your holiday experience. To be honest, no one goes to Wales for the weather; it's unpredictable and rain is a possibility at any time - even in midsummer. However, most of the rain is concentrated in autumn and early winter, with the worst of the downpours between October and January. Winter days are startlingly short, and although you may get a picturesque blanket of snow, many smaller attractions, tourist information centres (TICs) and B&Bs close for the entire low season (from mid-October to Easter). After January the rain slackens off and, as temperatures pick up and days lengthen, it's a good time to get out walking. Spectator sports, too, hit their peak, with both the rugby and football calendars coming to a close. In July and August, peak season for Wales and the major school-holiday period across Britain, attractions, accommodation and roads get choked with visitors, prices rise and even the kindest of locals can get annoyed with the crush. However, this is prime time for a long, lingering night at one of Wales' countless festivals or a concerted assault on its highest peaks. In general, spring and autumn are the best times to visit, combining pretty good weather with glorious countryside, but avoiding the crowds, clogged roads and accommodation rush of midsummer.
• Shop in Cardiff's (website: www.visitcardiff.com) attractive Victorian arcades.
• Enjoy the natural surroundings in south Wales' biggest inland draw, Brecon Beacons National Park (website: www.breconbeacons.org), whose main touring bases are Brecon and Abergavenny. The narrow-gauge Brecon Mountain Railway runs through the hills from Merthyr Tydfil.
• Spend a day on the beach at one of the numerous resorts lining the coast between Cardiff and Swansea, including Aberavon, Barry and Porthcawl. Others, further west along the Gower Peninsula, include Oxwich and Port Eynon.
• Follow a city centre walking trail through Swansea - probably best known as the birthplace of Dylan Thomas (1914-1953). The trail begins at the Dylan Thomas Centre (website: www.dylanthomas.com), and leads visitors around sites associated with the poet and playwright.
• Experience nature and history in the former county of Pembrokeshire (website: www.visitpembrokeshire.com), in the southwest, which has many castles as well as the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The best-known religious building in the area is the cathedral of St Davids, Britain's smallest city.
• Ride on a narrow-gauge steam railway (website: www.greatlittletrainsofwales.co.uk). The Ffestiniog Railway passes through glorious scenery in the Snowdonia National Park, while the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway passes through gentler countryside close to the English border. Another, the Snowdon Mountain Railway (website: www.snowdonrailway.co.uk), climbs to the summit of Wales' highest peak.
• Play the Welsh national sport of Rugby Union (website: www.wru.co.uk) - there are hundreds of clubs around the country. The venue for the big matches is the Millennium Stadium (see Top Things To See).
• White-water raft, rock-climb or take part in other adventurous pursuits, available in many parts of the country, whose landscape is ideal for these.
• Bog snorkel in a unique event where participants race each other as they snorkel through swamps (website: www.bogsnorkelling.com).
• Admire Cardiff Castle (website: www.cardiffcastle.com). Despite extensive rebuilding in the 19th century, parts date back to the Middle Ages. Also enjoy the National Museum Wales (website: www.museumwales.ac.uk), which has collections of Welsh archaeology, arts and crafts.
• Take a tour of the imposing Millennium Stadium (website: www.millenniumstadium.com), home of Welsh Rugby Union.
• Investigate the Cardiff Bay area, with a boat trip to the impressive Barrage (which seals the Bay off from the open sea), or a visit to the Techniquest Science Discovery Centre (website: www.techniquest.org), which is great for the kids.
• Experience historical Welsh culture at St Fagans with its open-air National History Museum (website: www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/stfagans).
• Sample a taste of south Wales' days as an industrial powerhouse in the former coal-producing valleys inland from Cardiff. Blaenafon (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) offers industrial heritage attractions in the shape of Big Pit Mining Museum and the Ironworks (website: www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/bigpit).
• Venture to the northern tip of Cardigan Bay to Harlech (website: www.harlech.com), famous for both its castle that overlooks the peaks of Snowdonia, and for the stirring song, Men of Harlech, referring to the 15th-century defence of the castle.
• Cross the Menai Strait to the island of Anglesey, notable for the remarkable Menai Bridge, and Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (commonly called Llanfair PG), which boasts the UK's longest place name.
• Learn about Wales' ancient Celtic heritage at Celtica in Machynlleth (website: www.celticawales.com). This interesting town also boasts the Centre for Alternative Technology (website: www.cat.org.uk), which highlights environmental issues and sustainable energy use, and Senedd-Dy Owain Glyndwr (the 15th-century Welsh parliament building).
• See the filming location of the cult 1960s TV series The Prisoner at the Italianate village of Portmeirion (website: www.portmeirion-village.com), near Porthmadog in north Wales.
Flying
Cardiff International Airport (CWL) (website: www.cwlfly.com) is 19km (12 miles) from Cardiff. To/from the airport: A rail link connects the airport with Cardiff Central station. A bus runs between Cardiff city centre and the airport. Taxis are available outside the terminal building. Car hire is available. Facilities: Restaurants, shops, bureaux de change, ATMs, children's play area and executive lounge.
Ferry
Main ports: Fishguard, Holyhead (Anglesey) (website: www.holyheadport.com), Pembroke (website: www.mhpa.co.uk) and Swansea (website: www.abports.co.uk), all of which have ferry connections to the Republic of Ireland, with companies including Irish Ferries (tel: 0870 517 1717; website: www.irishferries.com) and Stena Line (tel: 0870 570 7070; website: www.stenaline.com).
Rail
There are two mainline routes into Wales. One runs from London Paddington to Fishguard along the south Wales coast (branching at Whitland to serve Haverford West and Milford Haven), while the other links Holyhead with Chester and northwest England. In addition, the line from Cardiff to Chester (via Newport, Hereford and Shrewsbury) links the south Wales cities with Abergavenny in Gwent and Wrexham in Clwyd. There are also two smaller cross-country lines: these run from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Barmouth, Harlech, Porthmadog and Pwllheli; from Shrewsbury via Welshpool to Aberystwyth; and from Craven Arms (on the Shrewsbury–Ludlow line) through Llandrindod Wells and Llandovery down to Swansea. For details, contact National Rail Enquiries (tel: 0845 748 4950; website: www.nationalrail.co.uk).
Road
The best road approach to Wales from southern England is via the M4 motorway, which runs from west London to Newport, Cardiff and Swansea, almost to Carmarthen. The A5 links London and the Midlands with the ferry port of Holyhead, and the A55 links Holyhead with Chester. The best cross-country road is probably the A44/A470 from Oxford to Aberystwyth.
Rail
Road
Many of the smaller roads are slow, and in upland areas may become impassable during bad weather. The latest traffic information is available from Traffic Wales (tel: 0845 602 6020; website: www.traffic-wales.com).
Travel in Towns and Cities
All the main centres have local bus services. There is a good network of local train services radiating from Cardiff.
Bridgend
Cardiff
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
Snowdonia National Park
Swansea
Aberystwyth