107 Best Sights in Wales

A large science-discovery center for children, Techniquest has 160 interactive exhibits, a planetarium, and a science theater. Regular events include science experiments, films about how stars are born and die, and sessions specially themed for toddlers.

Close to the castle, this small but informative museum recalls the town's maritime history and its growth as a fashionable resort. Kids will appreciate the section on Tenby's role in the golden age of piracy. Two art galleries feature works by local artists, including Gwen and Augustus John.

Literally a stone's throw from the English border, Tintern is one of the region's most romantic monastic ruins. Founded in 1131 by the Cistercians and dissolved by Henry VIII in 1536, it has inspired its fair share of poets and painters over the years—most famously J. M. W. Turner, who painted the transept covered in moss and ivy, and William Wordsworth, who idolized the setting in his poem "Lines Composed a Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey." Come early or late to avoid the crowds. The abbey, 5 miles north of Chepstow and 19 miles southeast of Abergavenny, is on the banks of the River Wye.

Remote, atmospheric, and astoundingly little-known, Tre'r Ceiri is one of the most impressive ancient monuments in Wales. Today parts of the 4th-century fort's outer walls are still intact (rising more than 18 feet in places), and within are the ruins of 150 stone huts. They were inhabited by a Celtic tribe known as the Ordovices, and may have survived as a settlement for up to 700 years. From Porthmadog, take the A497 west, then turn left onto the A499 just before Pwllheli. At the village of Llanaelhaearn, turn left onto the B4417. Less than a mile down this road is an unmarked footpath on the right leading straight up a hill to Tre'r Ceiri.

Bought by the National Trust in 2011, Tredegar House is one of the grandest stately homes in Wales. Highlights of the self-guided tour include the grand baroque Jacobean New Hall and the enormous Victorian kitchens, both restored to their former glory. Don't miss the lavish Victorian Side Hall, lined with portraits of the Morgan family, which owned Tredegar until the 1950s. The grounds include immaculately laid-out formal gardens and an orangery. Tredegar is just outside Newport, 12 miles northwest of Cardiff.

An extremely rare surviving example of a fortified medieval manor house, Tretower Court was built in the early 1300s and expanded in the 15th century. The atmospheric interior contains a large hall, which was probably used for public business, and a solar, a private space used for working and relaxing. Buildings such as these were huge status symbols in their day, as they combined the security of a castle with the luxury of a manor house. On the grounds are the ruins of an earlier Norman castle and a medieval barn; the latter has been turned into a visitor center and restaurant. Tretower Court, restored in the 1930s, is signposted from the idyllic village of Crickhowell, which is 5 miles northwest of Abergavenny.

This late-15th-century home shows how a prosperous trader would have lived in Tudor times. Kids can try on Tudor-style costumes. The gift shop sells handmade pottery based on unique, original designs found at the house.

The National Centre for Welsh Folk Music is in the converted Victorian Market Hall and Assembly Rooms. It has a fascinating interactive folk music exhibition and performance space hosting regular concerts. 

Near Llangollen is this verdant valley, known locally as "Little Switzerland." The B4500 road, running between Chirk and the village of Glyn Ceiriog, at the foothills of the Berwyn Mountains, is one of the region's great drives. It's just remote enough that you can often have the road to yourself.

At Aberystwyth Station you can hop on the steam-powered Vale of Rheidol Railway for an hour-long ride to the Devil's Bridge (Pont y Gwr Drwg, or, literally, "the Bridge of the Evil One"), where the rivers Rheidol and Mynach meet in a series of spectacular falls. Clamped between two rocky cliffs where a torrent of water pours unceasingly, there are actually three bridges, one built on top of the other. The oldest bridge is about 800 years old. Don't miss the collection of old engines in the on-site museum.

Inviting comparisons to Bilbao's Guggenheim, Cardiff's main arts complex (known locally as "The Armadillo" for its coppery, shingled exterior) is an extraordinary building, inside and out. The materials used in the construction are intended to represent "Welshness." (Slate is for the rocky coastline, for example, while wood is for its ancient forests.) The massive words carved into the curving facade read "In These Stones Horizons Sing" in English and Welsh. Inside there's a maritime feel, from the curving wooden stairs to balconies evoking the bow of a ship. A broad range of cultural programs takes place on the various stages, from ballet and opera to major touring musicals. There are often free daily musical performances in the foyer along with cafés, bars, and a shop selling Welsh gifts.

You can take a short rail ride on this narrow-gauge railway, tour the engine sheds, and clamber onto the locomotives housed here. If the train looks small, wait until you see the miniature version that's a hit with kids.

You can take a day trip on a coal-fired steam locomotive at this narrow-gauge line that operates on the scenic route of a 25-mile abandoned railway line from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, linking with the Ffestiniog Railway. Preorder a food basket to picnic on the train, the Snowdonia Star.

In the colonnaded Shire Hall, built in 1842, this museum stages top-quality exhibitions by leading Welsh artists and holds artifacts of Welsh rural life, including a large collection of carved love spoons. Be sure to check out the perfectly preserved 19th-century law court. Y Gaer is also now a community center for the town and houses its library.

About 10 miles up the coast from Aberystwyth is Ynyslas Beach (pronounced "Unn-iss-lass"), a popular local beauty spot. Where the River Dyfi flows into the sea at Cardigan Bay, enormous dunes undulate from the sandy beach in a network of hillocks crisscrossed by wooden bridges. Ynyslas Beach is part of a nature reserve that is home to several species of butterfly and—unusual for the British Isles—lizards. The strong currents make the sea here unsuitable for swimming. Ynyslas is 8 miles north of Aberystwyth on the B4572. Amenities: food and drink; parking (£4). Best for: sunsets.

One of only three walled Roman forts in Europe, this small 3rd-century structure with three walls and towers overlooks Holyhead's harbor and watched for Irish raiders until abandoned at the fall of the empire. The church of St. Cybi, now inhabiting the interior grounds, dates mainly to the 16th century. Heavily damaged by Oliver Cromwell's soldiers during the English civil wars, it was restored in the mid-19th-century and houses impressive Carrara marble statues and stained-glass windows. A second church on the south end was converted into a school for poor children in the 1700s.

Inside Wales's oldest lifeboat house, built in 1858, on the water's edge, you can learn about Holyhead's martime history and traditions. Glass cabinets display a wealth of related artifacts, including model ships, medals, Victorian scuba gear, and captured French cannons, with further information given by the museum's eager guides. An attached annex focuses on Holyhead's experiences in the two world wars. A bistro with an outdoor deck serves coffee and baguette sandwiches.