Wales

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Quick Facts

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Local name

Cymru

Capital

Cardiff (Caerdydd)

Government

Parliamentary Democracy - part of the United Kingdom

Nationality

Welsh

Population

2 966 000 ^[1]

Languages

English, Welsh

Religions

Christianity (Protestant, Catholic)

Currency

Pound Sterling (GBP) £

Calling Code

+44

Time Zone

GMT (UTC)

Daylight Saving Time

BST (UTC+1)

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Introduction

Tenby 8

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In the 8th century, Offa, the king of a neighbouring kingdom built a long dyke to mark the border of Wales and his kingdom. Offa's Dyke is now a key physical feature of Wales' landscape, not least because it now acts as the border between Wales and England. Keen walkers are drawn to the dyke, which is widely considered one of Wales' best walks.

It's low-key attractions like Offa's Dyke which make Wales the fabulous destination that it is. This is a place where walled medieval towns and Victorian-flavoured seaside resorts draw the crowds. Stunning scenery certainly graces Wales' coast and countryside, but don't expect flashy tourist glamour. Cardiff, the capital, is a fine example of this: devoid of big city glitz, Cardiff's attractions revolve around its inner-city castle, national museum and stylish architecture. National parks like Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons are ideal for hiking and walking (two activities which seem highly popular in Wales).

Brief History

Geography

Regions

• Anglesey, Lleyn and Snowdonia
• North Wales Coast and Borderlands
• Mid Wales and Brecon Beacons
• Ceredigion
• Pembrokeshire
• Carmarthenshire
• Swansea, Gower and the Vale of Neath
• Cardiff, Coast, & Valleys of South Wales
• Wye Valley and Vale of Usk

Cities

• Bangor is a small city in Gwynedd, North Wales.
• Cardiff is Wales' capital and most populous city.
• Newport is Wales' third largest city, located between Cardiff and Bristol.
• Porthmadog is a small coastal town in Gwynedd, North Wales.
• Pembroke a town in West Wales.
• Swansea, on the South Wales coast, is Wales second most populous city.
• St David's is the United Kingdom's smallest city, with a population of only 2000. It is the birthplace of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales.

Sights and Activities

Gwynedd Castles and Town Walls

The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd are placed on the Unesco World Heritage List. They consist of the castles of Beaumaris and Harlech and the fortified complexes of Caernarfon and Conwy. Both are located near Gwynedd in north Wales. These very well preserved monuments are examples of the colonization and defence works of Edward I (1272–1307) and the military architecture of the time.

Snowdonia

Snowdonia National Park is one of the natural highlights of the country, located in the north of Wales. The area is great for all sorts of activities, including hiking, mountaineering and white-water kayaking. Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales at 1085 meters above sea level is also to be found here and can be climbed. The park is full with waterfalls, beaches, mountains and hills, but also castles and traditional Welsh life can be obverved here.

Gower Peninsula

In the south of Wales, near Swansea, is another so called Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in the form of Gower Peninsula. It contains of spectactular coastal scenery, fantastic sandy beaches, cliffs, woodlands and medieval castles with in between some small rural places, all to be explored on foot or by bike. Most of it can be explored from the larger place of Swansea but there are far better smaller seaside towns to stay like Oxwich.

Other sights and activities

• Blaenavon Industrial Landscape - also on the Unesco World Heritage List
• The Isle of Anglesey
• Clwydian Range
• The Wye Valley - both Areas of Outstanding Naturaly Beauty
• Brecon Beacons National Park - mountains and castles
• Pembrokeshire Coast National Park - coastal scenery
• Caernarfon Castle - in the town of Caernarfon
• Tenby - medieval walled town
• Historic (steam) railways - there are several in Wales, most of them only for tourists, a few still being public lines

Events and Festivals

Weather

Wales has a typical maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. June to September is summer season with temperatures between 16 and 21 degrees Celsius and nights around 12 degrees. Winters are still above zero, even at night. The highest and lowest temperatures possible are just above 30 degrees and just below -10 degrees Celsius, though higher parts can even get colder.
Precipitation is evenly distributed throughout the year, with autumn and winter being the wettest time and spring being the driest time. May is the driest and most sunny month of the year.

Getting There

By Plane

Cardiff International Airport (CWL) is the main airport for Wales. The main destinations from this airport are Ireland, Netherlands, Spain and other parts of UK. The main airlines in this airport are bmibaby, Flybe, Thompsonfly and Thomas Cook Airlines.

By Train

There are many options of getting to Wales by train. Arriva Trains Wales has links to and from England. Arriva also runs the famous Heart of Wales train line.
Virgin Trains connects England with North Wales, while Central Trains goes to the Midlands. First Great Western provides frequent services to London for example.

Check National Rail for timetables and The Train Line for tickets.

By Car

There is an excellent system of motorways connecting Wales to both England and Scotland directly and rental cars can easily be taken here.

By Bus

Eurolines and National Express provide services to Scotland and England, with some connections to continental Europe as well. Megabus is another big operator with buses to both England and Scotland.

By Boat

From Ireland

• Irish Ferries between Rosslare and Pembroke.
• Irish Ferries Dublin and Holyhead.
• Stena Line between Rosslare and Fishguard.
• Stena Line between Dun Laoghaire and Holyhead.
• Stena Line between Dublin and Holyhead.

Getting Around

First have a look at possibilities at Traveline Cymru for buses, trains and more transportation options.

By Plane

Highland Airways has probably the only air link in Wales, between Cardiff and Anglesey.

By Train

There are quite a few options of getting around by train, both by regular passenger service as well as more touristic trains. For a start, Virgin Trains has services in the north to places like Llandudno and Holyhead.

Arriva Trains Wales has an extensive network of trains operating in the north, centre and south of Wales.

The Great Little Trains of Wales website gives an idea of numerous options on old trains like steamtrains. Probably the best known would be the one at Ffestiniog, Porthmadog in Snowdonia, with it beautifully restored locomotives and carriages from the last century. Others include the Welshpool and Llanfair Railway, the Talyllyn Railway and the Bala Lake Railway.

Other famous train lines include the Snowdon Railway and the Rheidol Valley Railway.

By Car

For road conditions and much more contact the Traffic Wales website. Wales is a great place to travel around by road, and although many of the interior roads are narrow and winding, all are paved and in relatively good condition. Rental cars and petrol are not cheap compared to the rest of Europe, but many international and local companies have offers if you book directly with them before arriving in Wales.

By Bus

There are several bus companies with many destinations throughout Wales served at least daily. Try Arriva Bus Wales, Veolia Transport, First Cymru (Southwes Wales) and Stage Coach Bus (South Wales).

By Boat

Most of the ferry services are actualy to and from Wales, but some ports along the coast have some services linking eachother.

Red Tape

For visa-related information, refer to the United Kingdom article.

Money

See also: Money Matters
Further information: United Kingdom

Being part of the United Kingdom, Wales uses the same pound sterling as its currency with the international currency code GBP (Great Britain Pound). The currency sign for pound is £ (the symbol is derived from the letter L). It is also known to the locals as quid (both singular and plural), which a slang term, so you might hear people say "two quid" instead of two pounds. One pound is divided into 100 pence (singular: penny).

Work

Study

Language

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also: Travel Health

Safety

See also: Travel Safety

In case of emergency, dial 999 or 112 for Police, Ambulance, Fire Brigade and Coast Guard. It's free of charge.

Although tourist areas are generally safe, travellers should still practise some common sense safety precautions just as they do anywhere in the world.

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also: International Telephone Calls

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