This is a list of tourist attractions in Wales, sorting attractions by settlement, protected area and popularity from across the country of Wales, United Kingdom.
By settlement
The following list are of attractions in notable settlements in Wales.
Cardiff – the capital and largest city. The city has three major performing arts venues: the Wales Millennium Centre, St David's Hall and New Theatre. Other tourist attractions include Cardiff Castle, Millennium Stadium, SWALEC Stadium, National Museum of Wales, Museum of Welsh Life, Llandaff Cathedral, Castell Coch, St. David's and in Cardiff Bay, Techniquest, Cardiff International Pool, Cardiff International White Water, the Senedd and the Pierhead Building. There is an unstaffed Tourist Information Centre in the city centre's Old Library.[1]
Bangor – the oldest city in Wales and its cathedral dates to the 6th century. The city is located in Gwynedd in North West Wales, near the Menai Strait waters. Bangor also has a pier and a National Trust mansion known as Penrhyn Castle as well as Wales' longest High Street.[2]
St Asaph, in Denbighshire with a population of 3,500, awarded city status in 2012.[5]
Llandudno – among the top three holiday destinations in Wales.[10] Attractions in include the promenade, its beach, the Alice in Wonderland trail, the Great Orme, its cablecar and its tramway.[11][12][13]
The Vale of Neath includes multiple waterfalls and has been included in a list of the ‘World’s Top 10 places to ride’ according to ‘What Mountain Bike’.[25]
The Wales Coast Path, an 870 mile long-distance footpath which follows the whole of the coastline of Wales.[26]
Independent attractions
There are several notable independent attractions:
The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (ALVA) report for 2023 lists the following eight free-admission Welsh attractions in order of the number of visits (the first figure is visitor numbers the second, the attraction's UK ranking):[33]
^"No more tourist information staff in Cardiff city centre, but businesses say they hope giving hotel staff city tour will help", Wales Online, 23 March 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
^2011 Census: Usual resident population by five-year age group, local authorities in England and Wales – 2011 census Archived 21 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine
^ ab"Queen's Jubilee: Wrexham becomes Wales' seventh city". BBC News. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
^"Things to do in Wrexham, the new city in North East Wales". VisitWales. Retrieved 2023-01-01.
^Parish Headcounts for Pembrokeshire Archived 10 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine (based on 2001 Census) at Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 2011-08-01.
^"Things to do in Barry and Barry Island". VisitWales. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
^"National Parks of Wales". npapa.org.uk. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
^"National Parks Listed in Chronological Order of Date Designated". National Parks. 27 June 2005. Archived from the original on 21 April 2013. Retrieved 6 March 2012.
^"Guide to walking routes up Snowdon". VisitWales. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
^Nuttall, John & Anne (1999). The Mountains of England & Wales - Volume 1: Wales (2nd edition ed.). Milnthorpe, Cumbria: Cicerone. ISBN 1-85284-304-7.
^"Offa's Dyke Path National Trail". National Trails. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
^"Walk or cycle from Cardiff to Pontypridd and back". VisitWales. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
^"Route Description - Glyndwr's Way". National Trails. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
^"Afan & The Vale of Neath". Visit Swansea Bay. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
^"Discover the Wales Coast Path". Visit Wales. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
^"Padarn Country Park | Visit Snowdonia". www.visitsnowdonia.info. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
^"WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre | VisitWales". www.visitwales.com. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
^"Great Little Trains of Wales | Visit Snowdonia". www.visitsnowdonia.info. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
^"Guide of what to do and see at Folly Farm". VisitWales. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
^"Most visited paid attractions in Wales". Statista. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
^"Visits made in 2023 to visitor attractions in membership with ALVA". Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. Spring 2024. Retrieved 23 August 2024.