7-Night Essential Wales Experience

Day 2

Accommodation

Charming Coach Inn - Crickhowell, Wales

Check in policies:

Check-in time is after 3.00pm on your day of arrival. Check-out time is before 11.30am.

Daily Itinerary

Cardiff – Brecon Beacons

After enjoying a scrumptious breakfast at the hotel, we’ll travel through the fabled Welsh valleys and countryside to Brecon Beacons National Park. We’ll stop at the Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths. Dating to 74 AD, this is one of only three permanent Roman fortresses in Britain. To give the soldiers a break, a giant swimming pool was created, holding 80,000 gallons of water. See a Roman soldier, projected on the water, diving into the depths! Depending on time, we’ll discover Welsh mining heritage at the Bit Pit Coal Museum. This evening, we’ll enjoy each other’s company over a traditional dinner.

Included Meals: Breakfast; Dinner

Trivia: How large is the Brecon Beacons?
Feeling just as wild as Snowdonia, this 520-square-mile park has heather, moors, glacier-carved valleys, Iron Age hillforts, rowan trees, and rugged mountain peaks.

Overnight Location

Crickhowell, Wales

On the map: Crickhowell is a picturesque town nestled in the beautiful Usk Valley, to the south of the Black Mountains, the eastern range of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The town and its surrounding villages have attractions that are enticements for all visitors to this wonderful corner of Wales.

A settlement has existed here at least since iron-age settlers built a fort on the top of Crug Hywel, also called Table Mountain after its flat top. In the town, a motte and bailey castle, the remains of which still exist, were built by the Normans.

Day 3

Accommodation

4-Star Boutique Spa Hotel - Llandudno, Wales

Check in policies:

Check-in time is after 2.30pm on your day of arrival. Check-out time is before 11.00am

Daily Itinerary

Brecon Beacons – Llangollen – North Wales

After breakfast, we journey through the border area of Mid-Wales. Llangollen, population 349, is a seat of Welsh culture and the jumping off point for visiting the Aqueduct. This UNESCO World Heritage Site, Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, is the longest and highest structure of its kind, and a rare feat of engineering as well as displaying an artistic sensibility. After visiting the UNESCO Site, we pass the Valle Crucis Abbey. And then? We stop and enjoy afternoon tea together at a cozy, local rea room. We arrive at the spellbinding North Welsh Coast, and have the evening at our leisure to relax, renew, and enjoy our destination hotel.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Trivia: What is special about Llangollen?
Tucked into a pocket of the River Dee, this town was named after St. Collen, a 7th century monk who founded a religion community, called a llan, here. There is also whitewater rafting, and a 14th century bridge, especially popular as a promenade during the Victorian era.

Included Sightseeing

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, Wales

The Pontcysyllte Aqueduct is a navigable aqueduct that carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in the Vale of Llangollen in north east Wales. The 18-arched stone and cast iron structure is for use by narrowboats and was completed in 1805 having taken ten years to design and build.

Overnight Location

Llandudno, Wales

On The Map: Llandudno is a coastal resort, town, located on the north coast of Wales. 

Llandudno, known as the 'Queen of the Welsh Resorts', is the largest seaside resort in Wales. The town's name is derived from its patron saint, Saint Tudno. Llandudno's immaculate seafront, perfectly framed by two headlands, is a seaside classic. The town's award-winning pier (pictured), dates from 1878. At 2,295 feet, the pier is the longest in Wales, and is a Grade II listed building. Llandudno Town has managed to retain its grand Victorian and Edwardian elegance and splendour, in spite of modern development. The Great Orme Tramway was completed in 1902, and is the only cable-hauled public road tramway in Britain. The tram climbs to an altitude of 1 mile (with a tram-change halfway up!), and offers spectacular views of the surrounding countryside and coastline. On a clear day, it’s possible to see as far as the Isle of Man, Blackpool and even the Lake District! If you wish to delve deeper into the region's history, a visit to the Great Orme Copper Mine is a must. 4,000 years old, its discovery in 1987 dramatically changed historian's views about Bronze Age society. It is thought to be the largest prehistoric mine ever discovered, anywhere in the world.

Day 4

Accommodation

4-Star Boutique Spa Hotel - Llandudno, Wales

Check in policies:

Check-in time is after 2.30pm on your day of arrival. Check-out time is before 11.00am

Daily Itinerary

North Wales

Delight in your hearty breakfast and use this day to relax and explore the towns of Llandudno and Conwy. Another one of Edward I’s Castles, Conwy, is easily accessible. Constructed as part of a wider project to create the walled town of Conwy, it played an important part in the history of Wales. Check out the Medieval walls—they are exceptional. Later, you might want to visit what the Guinness Book of Records confirmed as the smallest house in Great Britain. It’s stayed in the same family, along a picturesque quay, and is owned by the original family member’s great-great-granddaughter. Duck into one of the tidy cafes or traditional pubs and while away the afternoon.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Trivia: What is Castle Conwy famous for?
What remains of Conwy Castle is the most complete set of residential rooms inhabited by royalty during the Medieval period in England and in Wales. Even the Tower of London does not compare. You’re absolutely free to explore. Go up the spiral staircase and discover the servants’ secret passages, the king’s Great Chamber, and chapel. You’ll have an eye-opening view into life at a Medieval royal court.

Suggested Sightseeing

Conwy Castle, Wales

Conwy castle is a gritty, dark stoned fortress which has the rare ability to evoke an authentic medieval atmosphere. The first time that visitors catch sight of the castle, commanding a rock above the Conwy Estuary and demanding as much attention as the dramatic Snowdonia skyline behind it, they know they are in the presence of a historic site which still casts a powerful spell.

Overnight Location

Llandudno, Wales

On The Map: Llandudno is a coastal resort, town, located on the north coast of Wales. 

Llandudno, known as the 'Queen of the Welsh Resorts', is the largest seaside resort in Wales. The town's name is derived from its patron saint, Saint Tudno. Llandudno's immaculate seafront, perfectly framed by two headlands, is a seaside classic. The town's award-winning pier (pictured), dates from 1878. At 2,295 feet, the pier is the longest in Wales, and is a Grade II listed building. Llandudno Town has managed to retain its grand Victorian and Edwardian elegance and splendour, in spite of modern development. The Great Orme Tramway was completed in 1902, and is the only cable-hauled public road tramway in Britain. The tram climbs to an altitude of 1 mile (with a tram-change halfway up!), and offers spectacular views of the surrounding countryside and coastline. On a clear day, it’s possible to see as far as the Isle of Man, Blackpool and even the Lake District! If you wish to delve deeper into the region's history, a visit to the Great Orme Copper Mine is a must. 4,000 years old, its discovery in 1987 dramatically changed historian's views about Bronze Age society. It is thought to be the largest prehistoric mine ever discovered, anywhere in the world.

Day 5

Accommodation

Country House Hotel - Lampeter, Wales

Check in policies:

Check-in time is after 3.00pm on your day of arrival. Check-out time is before 11.00am

Daily Itinerary

North Wales – Snowdonia National Park – West Wales

After breakfast, we continue our Welsh odyssey, stopping for a photo op at a village with the longest name in Europe: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. This is a good place to stretch our legs, laugh, and ask our guide about pronunciation! Then we explore  Caernarfon Castle. It is internationally known as being one of the great buildings of the Middle Ages. The fortress-like castle hugs the River Seiont. Then we’re onward to Llanberis Slate Mine. We’ll be amazed to see a demonstration and go to its museum, learning about the Welsh Slate Industry.  Next, we travel to our evening destination through thrilling Snowdonia National Park. We’ll enjoy a group dinner, regaling each other with stories of the day.

Included Meals: Breakfast; Dinner

Trivia: How old is Caernarfon Castle?
This Medieval fortress is in Gwynedd, northwest Wales. The first fortification on the site was a motte-and-bailey castle built in the late 11th century. King Edward I of England replaced it with the current stone structure in 1283.

Overnight Location

Lampeter, Wales

On the Map: Lampeter is a town and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi.

Lampeter is the smallest university town in the United Kingdom. It was established as a market borough in medieval times and has been the focus of the farming community in the area to this day. This essential stop on your visit to West Wales allows you to enjoy the ambience of a largely unspoiled Welsh market town. Stroll through the grounds of the University with its neo gothic style Old Building, modelled on the Oxford quadrangle or ramble down High Street to see historic architecture including an 18th Century coaching inn and the Town Hall, which now houses the Welsh Quilt Centre.

Day 6

Accommodation

Atmospheric Spa Hotel - Haverfordwest, Wales

Check in policies:

Check-in time is after 3:00pm on your day of arrival. Check-out time is before 11:00am.

Daily Itinerary

West Wales – Pembrokeshire

After breakfast, get ready for an amazing day. We board a historic steam train and travel in style. The landscape of the Rheidol is stunning, and this mode of transportation is the finest for experiencing authentic Wales’s scenic wonder. There are tight bends around hills, mountain tunnels, soaring green pastures, pristine lakes, and quiet forestlands. After exploring the park, we’ll visit the National Wool Museum and learn about the busy 19th century wool industry in Wales. This is a particular joy for people who love artisan crafts, fiber artists, and history buffs. We end our day in Pembrokeshire. Spend this evening at leisure—there is a wealth of Celtic and pre-Celtic sites, castles, and off-shore islands here.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Trivia: What does the Pembrokeshire Coast look like?
It is extraordinary. There are crazily-shaped volcanic hills, inlets that were carved by glaciers, arches of limestone, sea stacks, and blow holes. The cliffs rise above in colors of red and gray, and the beaches are surprisingly sandy.

Overnight Location

Haverfordwest, Wales

Known for being Pembrokeshire County’s central town, Haverfordwest is an attractive and ancient county town. In Elizabethan times, the town was the second-largest port in Wales and remained the main port in West Wales until the coming of the railway in 1853. The center of the town is dominated by the Western Cleddau and the castle that towers above it, and features a variety of shops and attractions.   

Day 7

Accommodation

Atmospheric Spa Hotel - Haverfordwest, Wales

Check in policies:

Check-in time is after 3:00pm on your day of arrival. Check-out time is before 11:00am.

Daily Itinerary

Pembrokeshire, including Tenby and St. Davids

After breakfast, we’ll surrender to the beauty of the Welsh countryside and head to a picturesque and historic fishing village, medieval Tenby. What a glorious spot! Situated on a headland, and surrounded by Norman walls, we have plenty of time to discover the winding streets, cafes, and small shops. Then we go to St. Davids for the stunning Gothic ruins of Bishop’s Palace. St. Davids is a tiny cathedral village, built on the site of a monastery founded by St. David (Dewi Sant) in the 6th century. After exploring, we go back to our hotel, rest up a bit, and prepare for joy. This evening we gather for our farewell dinner, sharing memorable moments.

Included Meals: Breakfast; Dinner

Trivia: How important was the Bishiop’s Palace in St. David?
For an ambitious cleric in medieval Wales, there was only one top job: Bishop of St. Davids in Pembrokeshire. In the 12th century, a pope declared that two trips to St. Davids was equal to that of one to Rome. This turned the center into a place of pilgrimage for the western world. Literally thousands of believers made their way to visit the newly built cathedral. But, the bishop’s home itself was not up to par. Henry de Gower, bishop, declared the home fit only for “servants and animals” and set about building a palace. The east part was his private quarters. The south, for ceremony, was where the bishop dispensed justice, held feasts, and welcomed pilgrims.  

Overnight Location

Haverfordwest, Wales

Known for being Pembrokeshire County’s central town, Haverfordwest is an attractive and ancient county town. In Elizabethan times, the town was the second-largest port in Wales and remained the main port in West Wales until the coming of the railway in 1853. The center of the town is dominated by the Western Cleddau and the castle that towers above it, and features a variety of shops and attractions.   

Day 8

Daily Itinerary

Pembrokeshire – Cardiff

After our final breakfast, we head back to the capital city, and center of Welsh song, Cardiff. On our way we’ll enjoy more scenic wonders and make a stop at St. Fagans National Museum of History. This park, farm, traditional cottages, and Maker’s Market is one of the most popular heritage attractions in Wales. It’s a perfect place to buy yourself a locally-crafted parting gift.

Included Meals: Breakfast

You'll be arriving late in the day to Cardiff so you may need to add a post night in Cardiff depending on your flight's departure time. Please ask your Authentic Expert should you like help facilitating this.