Snowdonia itinerary: 1 to 3 days
Plans for one to three days in Snowdonia, day by day: Conwy Castle, Caernarfon Castle and the Snowdon Mountain Railway first, then Portmeirion, Mount Snowdon and Penrhyn Castle, and Bodnant Garden, Plas Mawr, Beaumaris Castle and Dolbadarn Castle as you add days. Every stop has a typical visit length.
How long do you have?
Map: 3 days
Snowdonia in 1 day
Day 1
Conwy Castle
Edward I's 13th-century fortress with eight towers on a rock above the river, with its town walls part of a World Heritage listing.
Caernarfon Castle
Massive 13th-century fortress begun in 1283 by the English king, with polygonal towers, part of a World Heritage listing and site of royal investitures.
Snowdon Mountain Railway
Rack-and-pinion railway from Llanberis that climbs towards the summit of Snowdon, open since 1896.
Snowdonia in 2 days
Day 1
Portmeirion
Italianate village on the Welsh coast, built from 1925 by Clough Williams-Ellis, with pastel buildings, gardens and a sandy estuary.
Mount Snowdon
Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales at 1,085 metres, climbed by several footpaths or reached by train.
Day 2
Snowdon Mountain Railway
Rack-and-pinion railway from Llanberis that climbs towards the summit of Snowdon, open since 1896.
Caernarfon Castle
Massive 13th-century fortress begun in 1283 by the English king, with polygonal towers, part of a World Heritage listing and site of royal investitures.
Penrhyn Castle
Neo-Norman castle of the 1800s near Bangor, built from slate wealth, now a National Trust property with gardens and a railway museum.
Snowdonia in 3 days
Day 1
Bodnant Garden
National Trust garden above the river Conwy, famous for its laburnum arch, rhododendrons and terraces, with views toward the mountains.
Conwy Castle
Edward I's 13th-century fortress with eight towers on a rock above the river, with its town walls part of a World Heritage listing.
Plas Mawr
Elizabethan townhouse of the 1580s in Conwy, one of the best preserved in Britain, with restored plasterwork and rooms.
Beaumaris Castle
Moated 13th-century castle on Anglesey, the last and most perfectly symmetrical of Edward I's castles, though never finished.
Dolbadarn Castle
A ruined Welsh castle with a round tower, built by the princes of Gwynedd, standing by Llyn Padarn near Llanberis.
Day 2
Caernarfon Castle
Massive 13th-century fortress begun in 1283 by the English king, with polygonal towers, part of a World Heritage listing and site of royal investitures.
Penrhyn Castle
Neo-Norman castle of the 1800s near Bangor, built from slate wealth, now a National Trust property with gardens and a railway museum.
Snowdon Mountain Railway
Rack-and-pinion railway from Llanberis that climbs towards the summit of Snowdon, open since 1896.
Day 3
Conwy Valley Railway Museum
A small railway museum in Betws-y-Coed, with model railways, a short ride and exhibits on the Conwy Valley line.
Mount Snowdon
Yr Wyddfa, the highest mountain in Wales at 1,085 metres, climbed by several footpaths or reached by train.
Watch: Snowdonia
A one-minute look at the plan: every stop, day by day, with the map.
When to go to Snowdonia
Late spring to early autumn, from May to September, has the longest days and the best chance of clear weather for the castles and the mountains, though Snowdonia is among the wettest parts of Britain and rain is possible all year. July and August and school holidays are the busiest. Winter days are short and the mountains can have snow and ice, so only experienced hikers should plan summit walks.
Plan the rest of your trip
- Where to stay: hotels in Snowdonia on Booking.com or Trip.com
- Skip-the-line tickets: museums and sights in Snowdonia on Tiqets
- Tours and day trips: things to do in Snowdonia on GetYourGuide
- Data on arrival: an eSIM for United Kingdom from Airalo
Some of these are affiliate links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Tips for Snowdonia
- Snowdonia is spread over a large area and most castles are 30 to 90 minutes apart by road, so a car or a tour makes the plans far easier than public transport.
- Caernarfon, Conwy and Beaumaris castles are run by Cadw and, with Harlech, form a World Heritage Site; a Cadw pass covers many Welsh castles.
- Reaching the summit of Snowdon on foot takes most of a day, and the weather changes fast, so carry warm and waterproof clothes.
- Bodnant Garden and Penrhyn Castle are National Trust properties with seasonal opening, and the garden is at its best in spring and early summer.
- The Snowdon Mountain Railway runs from Llanberis on a timetable that varies by season, and in bad weather trains may stop short of the summit; book ahead.
Make it your own
Open the guide in Andiamo Places to see every stop on a map with walking directions, move places between days, check opening hours for your dates, and add your own finds. After the trip, your photos become a journal and, if you like, a printed photo book.
Guides are made with the help of AI and public sources such as Wikipedia, and may contain errors. Opening hours and prices change, so check before you go. Spotted a wrong photo, a pin in the wrong place, a missing stop or a better one? Write to andiamotravelapp@gmail.com: the e-mail opens with this guide filled in.
Photo credits
- Beaumaris Castle: Cadw, OGL v1.0
- Bodnant Garden: BodnantGarden, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Caernarfon Castle: Herbert Ortner, CC BY 4.0
- Conwy Castle: No machine-readable author provided. Dbenbenn assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0
- Conwy Valley Railway Museum: Tudor Williams, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Dolbadarn Castle: Beep boop beep, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mount Snowdon: unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Penrhyn Castle: Bs0u10e01, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Plas Mawr: Rob Farrow, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Portmeirion: Mike McBey, CC BY 2.0
- Snowdon Mountain Railway: unknown author, Fair use
Opening hours change; check before you go. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
