For a small country, Wales packs a lot in. It’s a Celtic country located to the west of England and is about 180 miles (250 km) long and 60 miles (90 km) wide. It’s easy to travel around and the scenery is constantly changing too.
Travelling north to south takes about four and a half hours. From mountains to coastline, small communities to cities, and road signs in Welsh and English, your clients will have to account for photo opportunities, coffee and local pub stops en-route.
There is a lot to see and experience. Wales has over 600 castles, three national parks, 12 great little steam trains, and four UNESCO World Heritage Sites - North West Wales Slate Landscape; Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd; Blaenavon Industrial Landscape; and Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal. There are also award winning beaches, lots of colourful market towns, and Cardiff, our capital city. The more adventurous can zipline down the longest or fastest zipwire in the world at speeds up to 120 mph.
Enjoy the views of the local countryside along one of our walking or cycling trails, climb or abseil on one of our mountain peaks. With around 20 per cent of locals speaking Welsh as a first language, there’s a strong sense of place too.
Sample locally produced food and drink at traditional pubs, cafes and restaurants. Try a Welsh cake, Welsh rarebit, salt marsh lamb or Welsh black beef along with a Welsh beer, cider, wine or one of a variety of soft drinks.
1. Visit one of our castles (there are over 600), four have UNESCO World Heritage Status and the tower at Caerphilly out leans the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
2. Put on your walking boots - we’ve got 20,504 miles (32,998 km) of walking paths including three National Trails and the Wales Coast Path.
3. The National Museum Cardiff houses the best collection of impressionist paintings outside Paris - and it’s free to visit too! There are six other National Museums of Wales as well as over 90 accredited museums and galleries around Wales to explore.
4. Visit Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. It’s a compact city and easy to get around with plenty to see and do including Cardiff Castle, National Museum Cardiff, the Principality Stadium (the home of Welsh rugby) and the waterside developments in Cardiff Bay. Watch the video below for a virtual tour.
5. Take a journey along The Wales Way, our family of three touring routes, each one unique and passing through spectacular scenery.
6. Our three national parks celebrate three different landscapes. The rocky mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia) that contrast with the greener mountains; the waterfalls of the Bannau Brychieniog; and the rugged Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Wales also has six National Landscapes (formerly AONBs).
Where better to try coasteering than the country it was created in. Get in a wet suit, clamber over and up onto the rocks of the shoreline, only to jump off them into the sea. Professionally supervised that is.
8. Take your time – a garden like Bodnant has taken a century and a half to mature, so don’t rush and enjoy the plants and flowers that are on show throughout the year! There are many other gardens to explore too.
9. Experience life underground and take a tour of caves and mines. Your clients can take their pick from any one of our mines from silver, gold, copper, lead, coal and slate.
10. Meet the food and drink producers. Learn to cook and taste a Welsh cake or enjoy our national dishes including Welsh rarebit, salt marsh lamb or Welsh black beef dishes, all cooked by professionals who have had lots of practice. Taste our award winning whiskies, gins, wine, beers and chocolate.
Find out about Wales' language, culture, location and climate on wales.com (external site).
