10 Best Sights in Porthmadog, Wales

A wealth of legend, poetry, and song is conjured up by the 13th-century Harlech Castle, built by Edward I to help subdue the Welsh. Its mighty ruins, visible for miles, are as dramatic as its history (though you have to imagine the sea, which used to crash against the rocks below but receded in the 19th century). Harlech was occupied by the Welsh Prince Owain Glyndwr from 1404 to 1408 during his revolt against the English. The music of the traditional folk song "Men of Harlech" refers to the heroic defense of this castle in 1468 by Dafydd ap Eynion, who, summoned to surrender, is alleged to have replied: "I held a castle in France until every old woman in Wales heard of it, and I will hold a castle in Wales until every old woman in France hears of it." On a clear day you can climb the battlements for a spectacular view of the surrounding countryside. A helpful visitor center explains the castle's history; you can also arrange to stay overnight in the castle in one of five luxury apartments. The castle dominates the coastal town of Harlech, 12 miles south of Porthmadog.

At these caverns you can descend 500 feet on Britain's deepest underground railway to a mine where you walk by an eerie underground lake. Here Victorian working conditions have been re-created, and the tour gives a good idea of the difficult lives the miners had to endure. Above are a re-created Victorian village and slate-splitting demonstrations. Wear sturdy footwear when visiting the mine—during busy times you may have to climb 70 steps as part of the tour.

One of the true highlights of North Wales is Portmeirion, a tiny fantasy-Italianate village on a private peninsula surrounded by hills; it's said to be loosely modeled after Portofino in Italy. Designed in the 1920s by architect Clough Williams-Ellis (1883–1978), the village has a hotel and restaurant among its multicolored buildings, and gift shops sell a distinctive local pottery. On the edge of town is a peaceful woodland trail punctuated here and there by such flourishes as a red iron bridge and a miniature pagoda. Williams-Ellis called it his "light-opera approach to architecture," and the result is magical, though distinctly un-Welsh. Portmeirion is about 2 miles east of Porthmadog.

In the Victorian seaside resort of Criccieth, a few miles west of Porthmadog on the A497, a medieval castle with sweeping views crowns the headland. Criccieth was the scene of the last real uprising against English rule in Wales, in the early 1400s, when it was attacked and burned by rebel prince and latter-day folk hero Owain Glyndwr (1359–1416). David Lloyd George, who was prime minister of Britain for most of the First World War, grew up in Wales and lived in the town; a small museum in his childhood home honors him.

Founded in the early 19th century to carry slate, the Ffestiniog Railway starts at the quayside and climbs up 700 feet through a wooded vale, past a waterfall, and across the mountains. The northern terminus is in Blaenau Ffestiniog, famous for its slate mines, where you have a 40-minute break to look around. The Ffestiniog Railway is perhaps the best of several small steam lines in this part of the country. Porthmadog gets very crowded in summer, and parking is limited, so you might want to make this journey from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Porthmadog instead. Check the website for the daily "Mountain Spirit" timetable.

This is a worthwhile stop—for awesome views of Caernarfon Bay as well as cultural information—if you're exploring the Llŷn Peninsula. A former village for granite-quarry workers serves as the Welsh Language and Heritage Centre, offering Welsh-language classes and cultural courses (in Welsh). There's a tourist information center, a café that serves good sandwiches, and a modest exhibit of historical items, including an old quarryman's cottage fitted out exactly as it would have been in 1910. Some of the other cottages have been turned into B&Bs and self-catering accommodations.

On the very tip of a thumb-shape bay jutting out into the Irish Sea, this miniscule but gorgeous little harbor community is 20 miles from Porthmadog. There's a wide, sheltered beach where the sand is so fine that it squeaks underfoot, and whitewashed cottages line the curving seafront. Park at the nearby visitor center, one mile from the beach.

Remote, atmospheric, and astoundingly little-known, Tre'r Ceiri is one of the most impressive ancient monuments in Wales. Today parts of the 4th-century fort's outer walls are still intact (rising more than 18 feet in places), and within are the ruins of 150 stone huts. They were inhabited by a Celtic tribe known as the Ordovices, and may have survived as a settlement for up to 700 years. From Porthmadog, take the A497 west, then turn left onto the A499 just before Pwllheli. At the village of Llanaelhaearn, turn left onto the B4417. Less than a mile down this road is an unmarked footpath on the right leading straight up a hill to Tre'r Ceiri.

North of Porthmadog is Tremadog, a handsome village that was the birthplace of T. E. Lawrence (1888–1935), better known as Lawrence of Arabia. The area is popular with climbers due to its challenging crags.

You can take a short rail ride on this narrow-gauge railway, tour the engine sheds, and clamber onto the locomotives housed here. If the train looks small, wait until you see the miniature version that's a hit with kids.