Where to Stay in Wales
Wales is a small country that refuses to behave like one. In a couple of hours you can cross from a mountain summit to a surfing beach, from a slate quarry to a castle keep.
Start high. Yr Wyddfa stands 1,085 metres above Eryri, and Britain's only rack railway has climbed from Llanberis to its summit since 1896. Give a day to the castles: Caernarfon, Conwy, Harlech and Beaumaris share a World Heritage listing between them. Then walk. The Wales Coast Path runs 870 miles, right round the country.
Nothing here is far from anything else. Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham all sit within an hour of open hills, and the cliffs of Pembrokeshire, Britain's only coastal national park, are a morning's drive from the Brecon waterfalls. Trains run along both coasts and up the middle, and the roads that look slow on the map are usually the ones worth taking.
Browse by type of stay
Pick the kind of break you're after.
Places to stay across Wales
A mix of B&Bs, cottages, hotels, lodges and caravans from across Wales.
Cae Berllan Cottages
Caernarfon
From £100 per night
B&B★ Featured
Broadway House Guest Accommodation
Laugharne
From £95 per night
Lodge★ Featured
Clai Mawr Holiday Lodge
Pentraeth
From £100 per night
Caravan Parks★ Featured
Ynys Goch Caravan Holidays
Amlwch
From £50 per night
B&B★ Featured
Beach House B&B with Free Parking
Llandudno
From £80 per night
Cottage★ Featured
Ivy Self Catering Cottage
Port Eynon
From £200 per night
Hotel★ Featured
Bishopsgate House Hotel
Beaumaris
From £85 per night
B&B★ Featured
Dwy Olwyn B&B Accommodation
Dolgellau
From £85 per night
Browse by area
Explore region by region — tap a marker on the map, or pick an area below.
Anglesey 
Llŷn Peninsula 
Snowdonia 
North Wales Coast 
North East Wales 
Mid Wales & Powys 
Brecon Beacons 
Ceredigion 
Pembrokeshire 
Carmarthenshire 
Swansea & Gower 
Cardiff & the Vale 
South Wales 
Wye Valley More About Wales
Wales is the western edge of Celtic Britain, the part the Romans garrisoned but never settled and the Anglo-Saxons never took. Its two names tell the story between them. The English one comes from a Saxon word for foreigners; the Welsh call it Cymru, from an older word meaning fellow countrymen.
Offa, king of Mercia, dug the border line in the eighth century. It was a bank and ditch running with gaps from the Severn to the Dee, 169 miles of it, with the ditch facing Wales. You can still walk the length of it. The Offa's Dyke Path runs 177 miles from Chepstow to Prestatyn.
The native princes held on for two centuries after the Normans came. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd was recognised as Prince of Wales by an English king in 1267 and killed in a skirmish near Builth Wells on 11 December 1282. Edward I answered with stone, and Caernarfon, Conwy, Harlech and Beaumaris were begun over the dozen years that followed.
It was not quite the end. On 16 September 1400 Owain Glyndŵr declared himself Prince of Wales, took most of the country's castles and summoned a parliament at Machynlleth. He was crowned in 1404 before envoys from France, Scotland, Spain and Brittany. He was never captured, and nobody knows where he lies.
Welsh is the oldest living language in Britain, and about one person in six speaks it. In Gwynedd and on Anglesey it is still the everyday language of the shops and the school run, and it comes first on the road signs. Nobody expects a visitor to speak a word of it.
The National Eisteddfod still moves to a different town every August, and it is the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Everything on stage is in Welsh, with translation on headphones, and anyone can walk in. The Urdd, its version for young people, fills a field every May.
Four Welsh landscapes are UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Edward I's castles, the slate country of the north-west, the ironworks at Blaenavon and the Pontcysyllte aqueduct. Pontcysyllte is the highest canal aqueduct in the world, and you can still walk over it, 126 feet above the river.
Some six hundred castles still stand in Wales, more for its size than in any country in Europe, and wherever you stay you are close to one. Cadw, the Welsh government's heritage body, looks after a good many, and plenty cost nothing to walk round.
Explore Wales region by region
Each part of Wales has its own distinct character — here's a quick guide to help you decide where to stay:
- Anglesey (Ynys Môn) — an island ringed by beaches and coastal path, from the lighthouse at South Stack to the dunes of Newborough and the castle town of Beaumaris.
- Llŷn Peninsula — surf beaches and fishing villages within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: Abersoch, Aberdaron and the National Trust harbour at Porthdinllaen.
- Snowdonia (Eryri) — Wales's highest mountains and finest walking, with lively bases at Betws-y-Coed, Beddgelert and Llanberis and adventure days at Zip World.
- the North Wales Coast — classic seaside and castles: Llandudno's Victorian promenade and the Great Orme, medieval Conwy, and the beaches of Colwyn Bay and Rhos-on-Sea.
- North East Wales — the Dee Valley and Llangollen, the UNESCO Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and walking on the Clwydian Range.
- Mid Wales & Powys — big skies and quiet valleys, the second-hand book town of Hay-on-Wye, Machynlleth and the waters of Lake Vyrnwy.
- the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) — Pen y Fan, waterfall country around Ystradfellte and some of the darkest night skies in Britain.
- Ceredigion — the Cardigan Bay coast where dolphins are often seen, with the harbour towns of Aberaeron and New Quay and seaside Aberystwyth.
- Pembrokeshire — the UK's only coastal National Park: Tenby, St Davids and beaches such as Barafundle, linked by the Pembrokeshire Coast Path.
- Carmarthenshire — Dylan Thomas's Laugharne, the National Botanic Garden of Wales and the hilltop ruin of Carreg Cennen.
- Swansea & the Gower Peninsula — Britain's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with the sands of Rhossili and Three Cliffs Bay and the village of Mumbles.
- Cardiff & the Vale of Glamorgan — the capital's castle and Cardiff Bay waterfront, plus the Glamorgan Heritage Coast and the resort of Barry.
- South Wales & the Valleys — mining heritage at Blaenavon's Big Pit, mighty Caerphilly Castle and green valleys within easy reach of the M4.
- the Wye Valley — gentle riverside walks between Chepstow and Monmouth and the romantic ruins of Tintern Abbey.
Popular ways to search
Looking for something in particular? These are some of the most popular breaks people search for in Wales:
- Hot tub lodges in Wales and cottages with hot tubs
- Dog-friendly cottages — including dog-friendly cottages in Pembrokeshire and on the Gower
- Sea-view cottages and hot tub lodges in Snowdonia
- Current special offers and what's on in our Wales events guide
Planning your trip to Wales
When to visit
Wales is a year-round destination. July and August bring the warmest weather and the busiest beaches; late spring (May and June) and early autumn (September) are quieter and often just as bright, with lower prices. Autumn and winter suit mountain walks, waterfalls in full flow and firelit country inns — and it's when you'll find the best off-season deals.
Getting here and around
Most visitors arrive by car, which is easily the best way to reach the coast, the mountains and the quieter countryside. Direct trains serve Cardiff, Swansea, Aberystwyth, Bangor and Llandudno Junction. Scenic lines such as the Cambrian Coast and the Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways are an attraction in their own right. Once you're here a car is handy, as rural bus services can be limited.
Why book direct where you can?
- No agency booking fees when you book direct with the owner
- Direct contact with the owner on most properties
- Honest descriptions and genuine local knowledge
- A wide choice of independent accommodation across Wales
Frequently asked questions
- Do I book through Wales Tourists Online or with the owner?
- We're a directory, not a booking agent. Most of our properties can be booked or enquired about directly with the owner — we encourage that wherever possible — though some owners prefer to take bookings through their agent. Either way, the right contact or booking link is on each listing.
- Where are the best beaches in Wales?
- For sand, head to Pembrokeshire (Tenby, Barafundle), the Gower (Rhossili, Three Cliffs Bay) and Anglesey (Newborough, Benllech); the Llŷn Peninsula is a favourite for surfing.
- Where is the best walking in Wales?
- For mountains, head to Snowdonia or the Brecon Beacons; for coast, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path and the Gower Peninsula are hard to beat.
Browse holiday accommodation across Wales
By area: Anglesey · Brecon Beacons · Cardiff & Vale of Glamorgan · Carmarthenshire · Ceredigion · Llŷn Peninsula · Mid Wales & Powys · North East Wales · North Wales Coast · Pembrokeshire · Snowdonia · South Wales · Swansea & Gower · Wye Valley
By type: B&Bs & Guest Houses · Hotels & Inns · Cottages & Self-Catering · Lodges & Cabins · Caravan & Camping