OrangeSmile Tours Best destinations around the world - Travel Guide

Sightseeing in Caernarfon - what to see. Complete travel guide

The ancient Welsh town situated at the shore of the Menai Strait is always ready to welcome foreign guests. Tourists from all over the world come here to explore the fabulous area that still has retained its glorious historical atmosphere. Don’t forget to visit the major landmark of the area – a medieval castle that shares its name with the town.
First settlers in Caernarfon appeared yet during the prehistoric times. At that time, the Ordovices, a Celtic tribe, were the main inhabitants. When Romans appeared in the region, they built a fort here. However, when Romans left the British land the fort was destroyed. Normans built their own castle on the ruins of the fort, establishing a settlement that turned into a town later.
In the second half of the 20th century, Caernarfon’s authorities made an application for the election to choose the capital of Wales. Unfortunately, another city won in the election. 1911 was an important role for Caernarfon because the investiture of the Prince of Wales took place at Caernarfon Castle. Almost sixty years later, Prince Charles also participated in the investiture ceremony that was also held in Caernarfon. Copyright www.orangesmile.com
Perhaps, the local dialect is the first thing that tourists notice when they arrive in the town. Despite the fact that Caernarfon is a part of Wales, which is a part of the United Kingdom, almost twenty percent of local people speak an old dialect. Welsh is still widespread in the region, so it is not rare to see shop signs and inscriptions in this language.
As it was mentioned before, Caernarfon Castle is the main landmark in the region. The large medieval construction is widely recognized as one of the most spectacular castles in Europe. The castle consists of nine towers. By the way, each of the towers has its own name. These are the Eagle Tower, Queen's Tower, Well Tower, Chamberlain Tower, Black Tower, Granary Tower, North-East Tower, and Cistern Tower. The gates, which look like separate towers, also have their own names – the Queen’s and King’s Gate. During an excursion in the castle, you will see interesting galleries for archers.
The giant castle was supposed to be the symbol of King Edward’s power and confidence, but the building wasn’t completed. Walls and towers have survived until our days in their original condition. Unfortunately, the inner halls of the castle became damaged with time. There are many legends about the marvelous giant castle. One of these legends tells how the eldest son of the king got the title of the Prince of Wales. A visit to the main attraction of the city is a great way to learn more about the royal family and its lifestyle.
In Caernarfon, tourists can explore not only the castle but also the surrounding area that is no less charming. For example, tourists enjoy visiting Segontium, a Roman fort. This fort was founded by Agricola in 77 AD when Romans expanded the territory of their empire in the United Kingdom until Wales. The main purpose of the fort was to prevent free entrance to the Welsh coast and protect the region from invaders.
Only ruins of the ancient fortification have survived until our days. Despite this, it is still worth visiting this attraction, see the ruins with your own eyes, and try to guess how the fort looked like in the past. The ruins still have a mysterious atmosphere of ancient times. Regardless of the fact that the fort was destroyed many years ago, many elements of the construction have survived until modern times. There was a Roman temple not far from the fort – it was a sacred place for all soldiers who, despite their power and strength, were coming to this temple before every battle to pray. There was also a cemetery nearby where Romans buried the dead.
What activities can Caernarfon offer for tourists with children? For young guests of the city, there is a sea zoo that is home to more than one hundred fifty underwater creatures. In this zoo, visitors can see eels, different sharks, and sea vegetation. Young tourists enjoy visiting the lobster incubator – a special chamber that grows these fabulous creatures. Besides the animals mentioned above, the zoo has two different species of sea horses. Starting from 1995, the zoo has been saving injured and sick animals, such as dolphins, whales, seals, and turtles.
Tourists can get to Caernarfon from London by train. The journey time is approximately three hours. The train stops in Bangor, where tourists need to make a change. Buses from Bangor to Caernarfon depart every fifteen minutes. It takes roughly twenty minutes to get to the destination point. There is one more way to reach Caernarfon – by ferry. However, this transport type is very slow because the first stop is in Holyhead. After that, tourists need to switch to train to Bangor and then take a bus to Caernarfon.

City tours, excursions and tickets in Caernarfon and surroundings

Reference information
Map of all castles
Survived castles around Caernarfon
♥   Castle 'Caernarfon Castle Caernarfon' , 0.2 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Castle 'Twthill' , 0.3 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Castle 'Bryn Bras Castle' , 6.3 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Castle 'Dolbadarn Castle' , 11 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Castle 'Penrhyn Castle' , 15.3 km from the center. On the map   Photo

Sights around Caernarfon from our guide 'Extreme places on Earth'

Snowdonia National Park

From the series “Largest Nature Reserves on Earth”
Lovers of nature prefer to walk in the local oak forests, where they can see century-old trees of enormous size and increadibly beautiful lakes. One can get a closer look at seals and seabirds in the coastal areas. Thanks to wide choice of tiny hotels, visitors always have an opportunity to stay a little longer in the picturesque countryside. Thick forests cover a considerable part of the reserve, they have become home for ferrets and martens. Ornithologists are attracted to these places by the prospect of seeing rare species of kites and peregrine falcons. … Read further
Car rental on OrangeSmile.com Rentals in Caernarfon

Expo 2020 in Dubai Was Visited by More Than 7 Million Visitors

If you haven’t visited this event yet, there is still time to book a hotel in Dubai because Expo 2020 Dubai runs until 31 March 2022. People who are unable to visit the emirate can make a virtual tour on the Expo 2020 website. By the way, the virtual visitation has already reached 31.6 million by the end of December. Read this

19.03.2024

Search touristic sites on the map of Caernarfon

Address/Sight name City/Region Country Within radius, km
 Types of touristic objects to search for
Hotels & Car rental
Carhire locations
0 star
1 star
2 stars
3 stars
4 stars
5 stars
Touristic places
Art galleries
Churches/Temples
Museums
Castles/Palaces
Monuments
Touristic areas
Sightseeings
Attractions
Attraction parks
Casino
Theaters/Cinema
Disco/Clubs
Parks
Zoo
Aqua parks
Transport
Airports
Train stations
Bus stations
Metro
Parkings
Fuel stations
Ports/Ferries
Open the list of object types
Health/Sport
Open the list of object types
Food/Money
Open the list of object types
Shopping
Open the list of object types
Beauty/Medicine
Open the list of object types
City services
Open the list of object types
Useful services

Sightseeing in regions nearby Caernarfon

All about Caernarfon, Great Britain - sightseeings, attractions, touristic spots, architecture, history, culture and cuisine. Prepare your trip together with OrangeSmile.com - find out the 'must see' things in Caernarfon, which places to visit, which excursions to take, where the breathtaking views are waiting for you. Planning your trip with this travel guide will help your to get the most out of Caernarfon in few days.
OrangeSmile.com - online travel reservation expert providing reliable car rental and hotel booking services. We feature more than 25.000 destinations with 12.000 rental offices and 200.000 hotels worldwide.
Secure Server
Head office
Weegschaalstraat 3, Eindhoven
5632 CW, The Netherlands
+31 40 40 150 44


Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | About us
Copyright © 2002 - OrangeSmile Tours B.V. | OrangeSmile.com | Under the direction and management of IVRA Holding B.V. - Registered at Kamer van Koophandel (KvK), The Netherlands No. 17237018