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If you love castles, then you are in for a treat with this tour! The castles of Wales are famous the world over. Experts reckon there are over 640 castle and fortification sites across the realm of Wales! In fact we have more castles per square mile than any other country in the world!
From 1276 King Edward 1st of England, established a mighty set of castles and towns in North Wales as part of his military campaign to defeat the Welsh princes of Gwynedd.
Amongst the castles built by Edward 1st hear in the North of Wales are Conwy, Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Harlech. UNESCO recognised the castles and their fortified towns as ‘the finest examples of late 13th and early 14th century military architecture in Europe.’
Our tour captures the collection of the four recognised UNESCO castles of King Edward 1st. Time permitting and also at certain peak summer times, we can also look to make photographic stops at two of the lesser known Welsh castle sites, featuring Dolwyddelan and Criccieth and to slightly extend your touring day, possibly a third at Dolbadarn.
The options below provide you with a choice of places to see and things to do during your touring day with us. We will work with you to design the perfect custom tailor made tour around your personal preferences and choices.
We can cover the four UNESCO world heritage sites of King Edward’s medieval Castles and Walled towns at Conwy, Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Harlech all in one day. The Welsh Castles at Criccieth, Dolwyddelan and Dolbadarn can also be options that you might wish to also include in your touring day.
Please note: It is not possible to cover and include every location in one day.
The castles all have various times of opening during the course of the year
Built by the Welsh prince ‘Llewellyn the Great’. The location gets the imagination flowing as to how the Welsh Prince’s set out to defend themselves against the might of the English.
You can either stop for a photograph, or take time out to walk up to the castle (Allow 90 minutes), where you are rewarded with one of the most stunning isolated castle locations, set in solitary confinement sheltering deep in the heart of the Snowdonia Mountains and guarding the ancient Roman track that runs through the mountains.
King Edward 1st tried and tested ‘walls within walls’ model was put together in super-fast time between 1283 and 1295 by an army of nearly a thousand skilled craftsman and labourers. The setting is impressive, with the battlements springing out of a near-vertical cliff-face and amazing views overlooking the coast. *Entrance fee applies.
The castle sits perched on a panoramic headland with an intimidating location overlooking the sea. Criccieth was formerly known as Crug-Caeth, with the translation of ‘crug’ meaning hill and, ‘caith’ translating to captives. This was the name given to the jail on the hill, a function once held by the castle site.
*This will be a photo stop only.
Beaumaris Castle is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here you can discover the last hurrah of King Edward 1st massive medieval castle building programme in North Wales. It is claimed to be the best castle ever built in the medieval period, but never finished! *Entrance Fee Payable.
A brute of a fortress, Caernarfon Castle’s pumped up appearance is unashamedly muscle-bound and intimidating. King Edward 1st created what is, without a doubt, one of the most impressive castles in Wales and beyond. The castle is also famous for the investiture of the Prince of Wales. Back in 1969, this was where the current King Charles was invested.
*Entrance Fee Payable.
Some say it is the most magnificent of Edward 1st Welsh fortresses and UNESCO considers Conwy to be one of “the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe”. The rectangular castle is built from local and imported stone and occupies a coastal ridge, originally overlooking an important crossing point over the River Conwy. *Entrance Fee Payable.
Guarding the entrance to the mountains, Dolbadarn Castle was one of the key castles built by the Welsh Princes’s of Gwynedd to defend their kingdom. The setting is spectacular, overlooking two glacial lakes and sitting at the foot of the lower slopes of Mount Snowdon. Please note: To access the castle site involves a climb up a very steep grass embankment along with uneven steps, cut into the rock face. The site is not suitable for anyone with walking difficulties.
If you are visiting two or more of the main castles, then the CADW Explorer Pass will save you money on the gate entrance fees!
CADW offer a 3 or 7 Day Explorer Pass
The 3 day pass can be used for 3 different days in any 7 day period and the 7 day pass can be used for 7 different days in any 14 day period. The passes are validated from the first date of use at your first CADW attraction and the more the pass is used, the greater the savings are for you.
Explorer Passes can be purchased for a single adult, two adults of for a family*
*2 adults and up to 3 children/grandchildren under 18 and all Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
For further details about the Explorer Passes visit the CADW website.
The UNESCO Medieval Castle Tour can be custom designed to fit a number of touring options such as duration and pick up/drop off locations.
This private tour can start from Beaumaris, Bangor, Betws-y-Coed, Caernarfon, Conwy, Holyhead, Llandudno, Ruthin, Llangollen and Wrexham areas.
If you are staying anywhere else in the North Wales region, then please contact us to
discuss your tour requirements and we will be pleased to quote for our services.
We can also start/end the tour from Chester and Liverpool.
CRUISE SHIP TOURS FROM HOLYHEAD, ISLE OF ANGLESEY
If you are visiting by cruise ship to the port of Holyhead, we can custom design
a touring day to fit the duration that you are in port, but please note that because of your time
restrictions, we are unable to cover every site in our tour listing.
All our tours are custom designed and operate on a private basis.
Like most other professional private driver guide operators, our tour rates do not include:
Accommodation / Entrance fees to Attractions / Refreshments, Drinks, Meals / Gratuities.
By booking direct with us there are no booking fees or credit card charges.
We accept payment by American Express, Mastercard, Visa
Debit Card or by Electronic Bank Transfer.
It’s your very own private tour and we can custom design a tour itinerary to suit what you want to do and see. Our flexibility in designing a tailor made tour means you have the flexibility to make changes to any of our tour examples. So take something out or add something more appealing to your desires, or alternatively, add an element from another tour and combine it to create your perfect touring day.
All you have to do is ask and if it is possible, then it will be our pleasure to accommodate your wishes.
