At a glance
5 days · Day 1: Conwy (UNESCO) · Day 2: Snowdon + Llanberis · Day 3: Caernarfon (UNESCO) + Newborough Beach · Day 4: Portmeirion + Ffestiniog Railway · Day 5: Llechwedd Slate Caverns + optional Harlech Castle (UNESCO) · 3 UNESCO sites · From ~£120 per person per day.
5-Day North Wales Itinerary
Five days gives time to see North Wales properly — Snowdonia, Anglesey, the Llŷn gateway and the magnificent railway journeys that connect them. This itinerary covers three of the four UNESCO Iron Ring castles and two of the most unusual experiences in Britain: Portmeirion and the Ffestiniog Railway.
Getting here: M56 → A55 North Wales Expressway. Junction 19 (signed "Llandudno Junction / A470 / Betws-y-Coed") for the Conwy Valley. Manchester to Conwy: ~85 miles, 1h 30m.
Day 1 — Conwy Castle and Medieval Town
Arrive in Conwy by mid-morning. Visit Conwy Castle (£13.10 adult) then walk the free town walls circuit — 1.3km around the complete medieval perimeter. Afternoon: Llandudno, Great Orme or Bodnant Garden (10 miles south, adult ~£17.50 — the laburnum arch is exceptional mid-May to early June). Evening: base in Llandudno or Conwy.
Day 2 — Snowdon and Llanberis
Early start (7:30am). Drive to Pen-y-Pass (LL55 4NU, pre-book parking or use Snowdon Sherpa). Walk the Miners' Track to Snowdon summit (1,085m — highest in England and Wales) — 7.5 miles return, allow 5–6 hours. Alternative: Snowdon Mountain Railway from Llanberis (~£45–62 return). Afternoon: explore Llanberis — Llyn Padarn and the Llanberis Lake Railway. (The National Slate Museum is closed for redevelopment until ~2027; the former Electric Mountain visitor centre has permanently closed.) Base in Llanberis or return to Llandudno.
Day 3 — Caernarfon Castle and Newborough Beach
Morning: Caernarfon Castle (LL55 2AY, £13.10 adult — the most impressive of the Iron Ring fortresses, with the Eagle Tower and the town walls). Allow 2–2.5 hours. Visit the Segontium Roman Fort (free, 10 min walk from town) if interested in the Roman period. Afternoon: drive 18 miles to Newborough Forest car park (LL61 6SG, charged) and walk to Newborough Beach and Llanddwyn Island (two lighthouses, St Dwynwen's church ruins, 1.5-mile walk from car park, free beach). Base in Caernarfon or Criccieth.
Day 4 — Portmeirion and Ffestiniog Railway
Morning: Portmeirion (LL48 6ER, adult ~£12 garden admission) — Sir Clough Williams-Ellis's extraordinary Italianate village on the Dwyryd Estuary. Allow 2–3 hours. Afternoon: drive to Porthmadog (LL49 9NF) and take the Ffestiniog Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog (13.5 miles, 1 hour each way) — one of the great narrow-gauge journeys in Britain, through the heart of Snowdonia. Return by train to Porthmadog. Base in Porthmadog or Blaenau Ffestiniog.
Day 5 — Llechwedd Slate Caverns (and Optional Harlech)
Morning: Llechwedd Slate Caverns (LL41 3NB) — the Deep Mine tour descends on the steepest passenger railway in Britain (from £20 adult). Allow 1.5–2 hours including the free Victorian Slate Village. Optional extension: drive 14 miles south to Harlech Castle (LL46 2YH, £9.30 adult) — the third UNESCO Iron Ring castle, dramatically sited on a coastal rock with views to Snowdon and the Llŷn Peninsula. Adding Harlech makes this a full day. Return home: A470 north to A55 for Manchester/Liverpool, or A487 south for Aberystwyth and Cardiff.
Budget
Per person, two sharing, mid-range (5 nights): Accommodation ~£350–450. Attractions: Conwy £13.10 · Caernarfon £13.10 · Snowdon Railway ~£45–62 (or free walking) · Portmeirion ~£12 · Ffestiniog Railway ~£22 return · Llechwedd £20 · Harlech £9.30 (optional). Food ~£40–55/day. Total: approximately £600–800pp for 5 days.
Frequently asked questions
Day 1: Conwy Castle (UNESCO) and free town walls circuit. Day 2: Snowdon walk (Miners' Track from Pen-y-Pass) or Snowdon Mountain Railway, plus National Slate Museum. Day 3: Caernarfon Castle (UNESCO) and Newborough Beach with Llanddwyn Island. Day 4: Portmeirion and Ffestiniog Railway (Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog). Day 5: Llechwedd Slate Caverns and optional Harlech Castle (UNESCO). Three UNESCO World Heritage sites in five days.
Harlech Castle is an optional extension on Day 5 — it depends on your interests and pace. Harlech Castle (£9.30 adult, Cadw) sits on a spectacular rock spur above the Cardigan Bay coast, with views to the Snowdon massif, the Rhinog mountains and the Llŷn Peninsula. It is the third of the UNESCO Iron Ring castles and arguably the most dramatically sited. Adding it to Day 5 means a full day — Blaenau/Llechwedd in the morning, Harlech in the afternoon, then journey home south along the Cambrian Coast. It extends the day considerably but is worth it for castle enthusiasts.
The Ffestiniog Railway is a narrow-gauge steam railway built in 1836 to carry slate from the Blaenau Ffestiniog quarries to Porthmadog harbour. It was preserved in 1955 and now operates as one of the premier heritage railways in Britain. The journey from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniog (13.5 miles, 1 hour) climbs through spectacular mountain scenery — the Moelwyn mountains, the Vale of Ffestiniog, and the great curve of Dduallt Spiral. Taking the railway from Porthmadog to Blaenau and returning by a different route (or travelling on to Llechwedd) makes for an exceptional Day 4.
Five days covers the essential highlights of Snowdonia, the north coast and Anglesey very well. It does not cover the Llŷn Peninsula (Porth Dinllaen, Bardsey Island), the Clwydian Range, the Vale of Conwy deeply, or the Mawddach Estuary. For those, extend to 7 days. Five days is an excellent first visit — it leaves enough that the region rewards return trips.
Two options: (1) One base throughout — Llandudno or Betws-y-Coed, with longer daily drives. (2) Move bases: Llandudno nights 1–2, Llanberis night 3, Criccieth or Porthmadog nights 4–5. Moving gives a more immersive experience of different parts of the region. If staying in one place, Betws-y-Coed is the most central — equidistant from Conwy (20 min), Llanberis (25 min), Caernarfon (40 min) and Porthmadog (40 min).