What to See in Wales, United Kingdom

The best things to do in Wales include exploring historic cities and castles, discovering Welsh language and music, and travelling through a landscape of mountains, coastline and changing weather. Wales has a distinct cultural and political identity within the United Kingdom, shaped by centuries of resistance, industrial change and enduring Celtic traditions. Neywo has free audio guides for 9 cities in Wales, with 719 narrated places in total and narration available in 11 languages.

What to see and do in Wales

Explore Wales’s history

Wales developed a recognisably Welsh culture after Roman rule ended, as Celtic Britons formed separate kingdoms across the country. These kingdoms often fought among themselves and with their English neighbours. Gruffudd ap Llywelyn briefly united Wales, but King Edward I of England completed the conquest in 1283.

Resistance continued. Owain Glyndŵr led a revolt against English rule and briefly restored an independent Welsh state with its own parliament, or senedd. Wales was later annexed by England and incorporated into the English legal system. In modern times, Welsh political life took a new form: devolution created the Senedd in 1998, giving Wales its own legislature for a range of devolved matters.

Castles and historic sites across the country make this history tangible. Neywo’s city guides include Caerleon, where the Roman Fortress and Baths and the National Roman Legion Museum reflect Wales’s Roman past. In Conwy, Conwy Castle stands alongside the Conwy Suspension Bridge, Conwy Railway Bridge and Deganwy Castle. Abergavenny adds Abergavenny Castle, the Borough Theatre and Castle Street Congegational Chapel to the historical picture.

Listen for the Welsh language

Wales has two official languages. English is spoken by most people, while Welsh remains dominant in parts of the north and west. More than half a million people speak Welsh across the country. The Welsh name for Wales is Cymru, and the name for its people is Cymry; both come from an older word meaning fellow-countrymen.

Welsh belongs to one of Europe’s oldest unbroken literary traditions, reaching back to the sixth century. Early poets preserved elements of native Celtic mythology through oral tradition. Language remains an important part of the country’s identity, not simply a label for its places and people.

Experience a land of song

Music is another defining part of Welsh culture. Wales is known for solo performers, male voice choirs and harpists, and is often called the land of song. Traditional folk dancing and clog dancing also remain part of its cultural inheritance.

The National Eisteddfod is Wales’s main performance festival. Modern Welsh culture continues to add new voices to older traditions: Welsh artists appear at Celtic festivals, while BBC Cymru Wales produces television and radio in both Welsh and English.

Discover mountains and coastline

Wales lies on the western side of Great Britain, bordered by England to the east and water in every other direction. Its coastline stretches for more than 2,700 kilometres, including the mainland, Anglesey and Holyhead. Much of the country is mountainous, particularly in the north and centre.

The country’s highest summit is Snowdon, known in Welsh as Yr Wyddfa. Wales has a maritime climate, with weather that is changeable and often wet; it is among the wettest countries in Europe. The landscape is closely connected to geology too. The Cambrian period takes its name from the Cambrian Mountains, where geologists identified Cambrian remnants.

Coastal areas and surrounding islands support colonies of gannets, puffins and razorbills. Inland uplands are home to ravens and ring ouzels, while birds of prey include merlins, hen harriers and red kites. The red kite is a national symbol of Welsh wildlife.

Visit Wales’s cities and towns

Wales offers busy southern cities as well as smaller historic places and broad stretches of countryside. Cardiff is the capital and largest city. Its Neywo guide includes 174 narrated places, among them National Museum Cardiff, Cardiff Castle, Castell Coch and St Fagans Castle.

Swansea has 140 narrated places, including Oxwich Castle, Loughor Castle, the Church of Saint Thomas and the Church Of St Cenydd. Newport has a guide to the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Newport, Essex.

For a different scale of visit, Tenby features Tenby Museum and Art Gallery, David J P Morgan, St Catherine’s Fort and Howells Castle. St Davids has 296 narrated places, including Pentre Ifan, St Dogmaels Abbey, Llawhaden Castle and St Davids Bishop’s Palace.

In the north, Wrexham combines historic and industrial heritage through places such as Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, St Chad’s Church, Erddig Hall and Chirk Aqueduct. Together, these destinations show how varied Wales can be: Roman, medieval, industrial, religious and urban history all sit within a relatively compact country.

Understand modern Wales

Wales was largely agricultural for much of its history. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, mining and metallurgical industries transformed it into an industrial society. Coalfield development in the south brought rapid population growth, concentrating many people in South Wales, including Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and the nearby valleys.

As traditional extractive and heavy industries declined, Wales moved towards a post-industrial economy. The public sector, light industry, services and tourism now play major roles. Agriculture remains largely livestock-based, and Wales exports animal produce.

About 3.1 million people live in Wales, while large areas beyond the main population centres remain sparsely populated. The result is a country where busy southern cities, northern centres such as Wrexham and quieter countryside exist close together.

Explore Wales with Neywo

Neywo offers free audio guides for 9 cities in Wales, covering 719 narrated places through 19 walking tours. The app’s narration is available in 11 languages. Each story plays as you reach the place, at your own pace: there is no group and no schedule.

Download Neywo and explore Wales while walking through its cities, castles, museums and historic landscapes.