Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a historic walled town in North Wales. Visitors come to explore its medieval walls and a stunning UNESCO World Heritage castle featuring iconic polygonal towers overlooking the Menai Strait. The town offers quayside shopping and serves as a gateway to the peaks of Snowdonia and the shores of Anglesey.
Escape to Caernarfon on a coach holiday and discover a historic walled town in North Wales, home to one of Europe's most impressive castles. This stunning UNESCO World Heritage fortress looms over the town and the waters of the Menai Strait with its iconic polygonal towers.
Spend your time exploring the castle and medieval walls, browsing the local shops along the quayside, or venturing out to the peaks of Snowdonia and the shores of Anglesey. Take a look at our Caernarfon trips and leave the driving to us.
Places of Interest
Welsh Highland Railway
The Welsh Highland Railway is the UK's longest heritage railway, running through Snowdonia between Caernarfon and Porthmadog. Visitors can ride massive Garratt locomotives through mountains and the Aberglaslyn Pass, enjoying views of peaks, forests, and the coast. The experience is enhanced by dining cars and seasonal events, with connections to the Ffestiniog Railway available at Porthmadog.
As the longest heritage railway in the UK, the Welsh Highland Railway stretches about twenty-five miles across Snowdonia, linking Caernarfon and Porthmadog. Starting from the foot of Caernarfon Castle, the trains climb deep into the mountains, skimming the slopes of Snowdon before winding through Beddgelert and the stunning wooded Aberglaslyn Pass. The narrow-gauge tracks follow a route originally laid in the 1930s, which was painstakingly restored over several years before finally reaching Porthmadog in 2011.
Massive Garratt locomotives—some of the biggest narrow-gauge engines on earth—pull carriages through some of Wales' most beautiful landscapes, offering views of peaks, forests, rivers, and the coast. Once at Porthmadog, passengers can connect with the Ffestiniog Railway to keep their journey going. To top it off, dining cars, galas, and seasonal events make the experience even more special throughout the year.
Image Attribution
- Caernarfon — (Photo by Callum Parker on Unsplash )
- Welsh Highland Railway — (Photo by Olivier Guillard on Unsplash )