At a glance
The North Wales coastal strip from Prestatyn west to the Conwy estuary, anchored by Conwy’s UNESCO castle and Llandudno’s Victorian seafront.
About Conwy & North Coast
The Conwy and North Coast region covers the strip of coastline from the Dee estuary west to the foot of Snowdonia. The A55 expressway runs the entire length, making it possible to reach Conwy from Manchester in 90 minutes.
The centrepiece is Conwy itself — a fully walled medieval town with its UNESCO castle (built 1283-1295) and the unbroken 1.3 km town walls. Llandudno, four miles north-east, is Britain’s best-preserved Victorian seaside resort.
Inland in the Conwy Valley, Bodnant Garden is one of the National Trust’s flagship properties — 80 acres including the famous laburnum arch (mid-May to early June).
Top things to do
Best base towns
- Conwy —
- Llandudno —
- Colwyn Bay —
Getting there
From Manchester
M56 → A55 westbound → exit Junction 18 (Conwy). Total ~85 miles, ~1 hr 30. The A55 sign at J19 reads "Llandudno Junction / A470 / Betws-y-Coed".
From Liverpool
M53 → M56 → A55. Total ~75 miles, ~1 hr 20.
By train
North Wales Coast Line stops at Llandudno Junction, Conwy (request stop), Llandudno, Colwyn Bay and Prestatyn.
Hidden gems
- The Smallest House in Great Britain
- Red 1.8 m × 3 m cottage on Conwy quay. £1.50 entry.
- Marine Drive
- 4-mile toll road around the Great Orme cliffs. Spectacular sea views.
- Tu Hwnt ir Bont
- 15th-century stone tearoom on the Conwy at Llanrwst, completely covered in scarlet Virginia creeper from late September through October.
Frequently asked questions
Conwy is famous for its UNESCO castle (built 1283-1295) and the unbroken 1.3 km town walls — one of only a handful of fully walled medieval towns left in Europe. The town also has Plas Mawr (Britain’s best-preserved Elizabethan house) and the Smallest House in Great Britain.
The 1.3 km circuit takes 45-60 minutes at a steady pace, with 21 towers and three original gateways. The walls are free, accessible dawn to dusk.
Yes — Llandudno is widely regarded as Britain’s best-preserved Victorian seaside resort. Highlights are the 700 m pier (Wales’s longest, 1878), the Great Orme Tramway, the cable car, and the curved sweep of the North Shore.
Yes — the Great Orme is a 207 m limestone headland with the Bronze Age copper mines (3,700 years old), Britain’s only cable-hauled street tramway, a cable car, the Marine Drive toll road, and a feral Kashmir goat herd.
Mid-May to early June, peaking in the last ten days of May. Bodnant has been in NT care since 1949. Adult admission £14.50 (NT members free).