Castles of North Wales

Conwy, Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Harlech: the four fortresses Edward I built to hold Wales.

  • 4 stops
  • 107 km by road
  • 1 h 45 min of driving
  • 2 days

Distances and times are calculated on real roads (OpenStreetMap), with no stops and no traffic.

Open as a plan

The route goes into the planner with its stops, split over days: move, remove or add stops, see the times and look for a place to stay. Or open the whole route in Google Maps.

The stops, in order

Open in Google Maps

Before you set off

A car for this route

Hire the car where you arrive, at the airport or in the first city, and check that it can be returned where the route ends.

These services are sold by our partners: you book and pay on their sites. Viaqui may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

About the route

After conquering Gwynedd in the 1280s, Edward I of England had a ring of castles built along the coast, most of them by the same master mason, James of St George. Four of them are together a World Heritage Site, and they are among the most complete medieval fortresses in Europe. Conwy and Caernarfon still have their town walls. Beaumaris, on Anglesey, was never finished but has the most regular plan of all, and Harlech stands on a rock above the dunes, looking across to Snowdonia.

The route has 4 stops in United Kingdom, in Wales. From the first to the last there are 107 km by road, which is 1 h 45 min of driving with no stops. The numbers on the map and in the list are the same order; press a stop to see it on the map, or open its page for the description and the address.

The route is a suggestion, not a schedule: you can drive it the other way round, split it over more days or take only the stops on your way. Every stop is also on the attractions map of United Kingdom, together with everything else there is to see around it.

How long does the route take?

The driving alone is 1 h 45 min. With the stops, it depends how long you stay at each. We suggest 2 days, a pace that leaves time to go inside, not only to drive past.

Is the distance by road?

Yes. The 107 km and the 1 h 45 min are calculated on real roads, not in a straight line, with OpenStreetMap data. They do not include stops, traffic or detours.

Do I pay at every stop?

No. Some of the stops are free to enter; where a ticket is sold, it shows on the page of the place. Opening hours are set by whoever runs each place, so check them before you leave.

Can I change the order?

Yes. The order here is the one that keeps the drive short, but the route works just as well backwards or in pieces.

Other routes

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