We're thinking about a trip to Wales for the 1st time. What are the don't-miss places (scenery, history, arts, etc.)? What is the driving like, in going between towns? (We've driven in other parts of Britain, and usually find it takes quite a bit longer to get around than the mileage would suggest). Also, are there good towns to use as a base for day-trips? Ideally, we would like to rent a cottage or such for a week while we go around sightseeing. Finally, how are prices in Wales, compared to London?

Any particular area you want to go to? North? South? West? If you want to rent a cottage you will need to decide that. Travelling takes time so don't assume if you have a cottage in A you can do a day trip to B at the other end of Wales.

Driving in Wales takes a *long* time. From here in Edinburgh to my PILs in Pembroke takes 10-11 hours and 5-6 of that is after we enter Wales. There is no motorway apart from the M4 which runs just over halfway along the south coast (well, near the south coast - no sea views). Apart from that it's all little winding roads apart from the odd stretch of dual carriageway which isn't usually much faster. It is beautiful, though.

As the previous poster said, you need to narrow it down a bit more. If you want to see a lot you might do better to stay a few days in the south and a few days in the north as they are very different.

I only really know south Wales but there I'd aim for somewhere in the middle, east/west-wise, so that if you are energetic enough you can cover everything from Tintern Abbey, Monmouth and Abergavenny in the east, through to Cardiff with its castle, museums, etc, the industrial heritage of the Valleys, the Brecon Beacons, the unspoilt Gower peninsula, through to the Pembrokeshire National Park, Pembroke Castle and St David's in the west. Staying on the Gower would be quite central. Or one of the villages to the west of Cardiff, such as East Aberthaw which has a great pub ! (It's also very near Wales's only airport - I don't know where you're coming from ?) In fact if you don't want to drive a lot every day that would be quite enough for a week - it's probably more than I'd do in a week !

Someone else will be better able to advise you on north Wales.

Good bases for north Wales are Conwy, Betwys Y Coed or even the Victorian sea-side resort of Llandudno. The north Wales coast road provides reasonable access (traffic permitting) all the way to Holyhead on Anglesey. There is plenty to see, castles at Conwy, Caernarvon, Beaumaris (on Anglesey), Penrhyn (not a real castle but a grand Victorian stately home) to name a few. There is impressive mountain scenery in the Snowdonia national park and you can take the steam cog railway to the summit of Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. Portmerion with it's Italianate village is well worth visiting and my favourite garden, famous for it's rhododendrons is Bodnant, not far from Conwy. There is also some beautiful coastline, particularly on Anglesey and the Lleyn peninsula. There is more than enough in north Wales to keep you occupied for a week or two.

Agree with the above recommendations. Bodnant Garden is a must in my opinion one of the very best I have ever seen. The whole country is jam packed with lovely scenery so I would find it difficult to choose just a few places!

We have found Wales to be substantially cheaper than London, especially for accommodations.

In South Wales, I suggest Chepstow, or near there. We stayed at a B and B called Brick House which is actually on a working farm near Chepstow. We were able to visit Cardiff, Brecon Beacons National Park, Brecon the town, and Tintern Abbey.

Although it is not in Wales, we went by Avebury and the "standing stones" which is highly similar to Stonehenge.

In north Wales, we enjoyed the Snowdonia area. We stayed in a little town almost on the coast. I cannot recall it the exact name because I could not pronounce it!!

You will not find friendlier people!
If you walk into a shop, and the people are speaking Welsh, they will switch to English for you.

In addition to the scenery, we enjoyed watching the country side. We stopped to watch in awe while a woman on a 4 wheeler and 3 Border Collies moved a huge heard of sheep across the highway.

Those dogs are marvels at what they do.

We stopped in one town, Hay on Wye, which if famous for its bookstores.
We got into a conversation with a lady who had a mother Border Collie who was past the herding age. That did not stop her from taking her 4 puppies, about 3 months old, out into a neighboring sheep pasture and showing the little guys how to heard up about 100 sheep, all of which they parked in a corner.

Then they sat there highly pleased with themselves and kept careful watch over the flock!

The owner of the sheep called the lady who owned the dogs and asked her to please call her dogs in because he did not want his sheep to spend the whole day penned up in a little knot.

Mamma dog might not have been the best herder any longer, but she was a good teacher!

I can see those little guys now, giving the sheep that Border Collie eye and cowing them into formation.

Hm, since Chepstow actually straddles the England/Wales border I'd suggest it's not the most centrally placed location from which to visit a lot of Wales.

Just thought of another place to stay in south Wales which I think would be a good base - the Llanerch vineyard which is near Cardiff & the M4. I've not yet been myself but I knew someone who stayed there regularly and loved it.

wales is not really cheaper than london - MAYBE for accomodation but london has much more variations in pricing due to special deals, etc. Much easier to get a good deal in london. wales is much more consistent with hotel pricing.

as for everything else...don't expect much difference with london. london restaurants are very competitive. a curry or pub meal in wales will not cost any less than in london and perhaps even more. a pint of beer might be slightly cheaper in wales but not by much. plan for london prices for everything.