Here is my guide to 8 of the best castles to stay in Wales.
Wales can lay a strong claim to being the castle capital of the world, with over 600 built within this small mountainous country. It was fought over for centuries, and Welsh castles are among the best in Europe and the world.
One of the best ways to experience the country is to stay in a castle in Wales. It’s a wonderful indulgence, immersing yourself in centuries of history while enjoying all the creature comforts you’d expect from a contemporary hotel.
I’ve chosen eight of the best Welsh castles to stay in, from a 12th century castle overlooking the Pembrokeshire coast to a Loire Valley-inspired chateau on the Menai Strait, and from B&B in a superb early 16th century Tudor manor house to a 19th century castle in the fantasy village of Portmeirion. Whether you’re looking for the antique medieval touch or neo-Gothic grandeur, these castle breaks in Wales have what you’re looking for.
So get ready for some history, romance, and luxury, as you discover the best castles to stay in Wales.
The Best Castle hotels in Wales UK
Castell Deudraeth Portmeirion
Castell Deudraeth is a 4-star hotel in an 18th-19th century castle, the first building you see as you enter the Italianate fantasy village of Portmeirion.
Portmeirion – one of the most beautiful villages in Europe – is the creation of Clough Williams-Ellis, who wanted to create an idyllic getaway, inspired by Portofino on the Italian Riviera – on a wooded peninsula above the Dwyryd estuary. It’s also renowned as the setting for the 1960s TV series The Prisoner.
Portmeirion village is one of the top attractions in North Wales, and day visitors come to savour its architecture and explore the tidal beach and woodlands around. However, at night only guests remain – I’ve always felt that one of the best things to do in Portmeirion is to stay there, as you can then experience the village at its most magical.
Castell Deudraeth is the ideal place to stay, a short walk from the rest of the village and with access to all of its facilities. The 11 rooms have a strong Welsh influence, with local slate and oak used throughout. They also feature original work by prominent Welsh artists, including some paintings by Sir Kyffin Williams, possibly the foremost Welsh painter of the last 50 years or so.
The Brasserie is a more relaxed place to dine than the restaurant down at Hotel Portmeirion, with an airy conservatory area. Afterwards the lounge, with a superb arched fireplace, is a wonderful place to wind down with a late-night drink.
The rest of the village is unlike anywhere I’ve ever seen, a collection of ‘rescued’ buildings and all kinds of architectural whims and oddities. You can stay in any of the cottages and apartments, or in the Hotel Portmeirion – one of the best hotels in Snowdonia – down the hill on the shore of the Dwyryd estuary.
Portmeirion is one of the best bases from which you could explore North Wales. It’s very close to the Snowdonia National Park, with Beddgelert and the slate town of Blaenau Ffestiniog nearby. You can catch the world-famous Ffestiniog Railway to Blaenau from the station at Minffordd.
It’s also ideally placed for exploring the Cardigan Bay coast. You could head south across the river to Harlech, home to one of the four UNESCO World Heritage Castles in Gwynedd. There’s also superb Harlech beach, one of the best in North Wales, a short distance away.
You could also head further south where there are enough things to do in Barmouth to spend a full day. The vast beach is great, especially for kids, and the gorgeous Mawddach estuary is one for your Wales bucket list.
Chateau Rhianfa Anglesey
Chateau Rhianfa is unique in Wales, a 19th-century castle inspired by the Renaissance-era chateaux of the Loire Valley (think Saumur or Ussé) with some wonderful Gothic touches. It was built by Sir John Hay-Williams, Baronet of Bodelwyddan (see above) for his wife, Lady Sarah, and has a stunning location overlooking the Menai Strait and peaks of Snowdonia.
The Chateau interior is equally magnificent, with three sumptuous lounges and a splendid wood-panelled Banqueting Hall. The latter was the work of Alfred Waterhouse, perhaps best known for designing the Natural History Museum in London.
Sixteen of the luxury rooms are in the Chateau building, with more accommodation in lodges and cottages in the grounds. The rooms range from smaller standard doubles in the garret (with beautiful Gothic windows) to suites in the Chateau and Lodge. Some of the rooms also have sea (which also means Snowdonia) views.
Chateau Rhianfa also has its own restaurant, Le Dragon Rouge, which serves superb dishes made from local ingredients. They offer dinner, Sunday lunches on alternate weekends and afternoon tea in the lounges. You can also visit the Chateau’s wine cave as part of your stay.
Chateau Rhianfa is a brilliant base for exploring North Wales. The UNESCO World Heritage-listed Beaumaris Castle is three miles along the A545 road, and remote Penmon Priory and Puffin Island are a short drive further along.
To the south-west, head for Newborough beach and Llanddwyn Island, some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe with the spectacular backdrop of the mountains of Snowdonia and the Llyn Peninsula. Indeed, you could spend the best part of a week exploring the many Anglesey beaches, and some of our Anglesey walks are among the best on the entire Wales Coast Path.
Snowdonia is also on the doorstep of Chateau Rhianfa, and the nearby A5 takes you up to the breathtaking Ogwen Valley, and you can also head to Llanberis, Snowdon and the Snowdon Mountain Railway. Our Snowdonia Road Trip article suggests several itineraries to show you the best of the mountains.
Caernarfon Castle is perhaps the most famous of all castles in Wales, and from there you can opt for a trip on the Welsh Highland Railway along the west of the Snowdon range. You could also drive down the A487 to Portmeirion in an hour, or explore some of the sites in the Welsh Slate Landscape World Heritage Site along the way.
Cardigan Castle Bed and Breakfast
Staying in Cardigan Castle Bed & Breakfast is like stepping back hundreds of years. This famous old Welsh Castle, founded in 1176, was the venue for the first Eisteddfod – Wales’ biggest cultural event – and has an amazing location on the northern bank of the River Teifi.
The ancient walls of the Castle have recently been restored, as have the Georgian and 19th century houses and cottages within its walls, and these buildings house the Castle’s B&B and self-catering apartments.
All guest rooms and apartments bar one are within the spacious castle grounds – the other is across the street and has a great view of the Castle. The luxury 4-star rooms have views of the Castle grounds or the Teifi. You can eat at the 1176 restaurant and café, which uses locally sourced produce to create Welsh and international dishes.
Cardigan (Aberteifi in Welsh) is a small market town and a brilliant base for exploring West and Mid Wales. It’s a 4-mile drive (or occasional bus ride) to Mwnt, one of the best of many Cardigan Bay beaches, and the lovely Teifi estuary is even closer.
You have the option of crossing the river into North Pembrokeshire, with its craggy coastline and extraordinary coastal walking, with St David’s less than an hour away.If you head north into Ceredigion, you’ll find more superb beaches and enough things to do in New Quay Wales to keep you there for a day, including a boat trip to spot the resident bottlenose dolphins.
Beyond here the rural heart of Wales is within reach – you are in the remote Cambrian Mountains within an hour of Cardigan, or Aberystwyth, the cosmopolitan seaside and university town.
To the south, the wilds of North Pembrokeshire are very close by. There is one tiny beach in almost fifteen miles of coastline at Ceibwr Bay, where you’ll find some of the most dramatic coastline in Wales.
Ruthin Castle North Wales
Ruthin Castle Hotel is one of the best castles to stay in in Wales, and it has possibly the most impressive backstory of any of our castle hotels in Wales.
Ruthin is one of the most beautiful towns in Wales, with several half-timbered houses around the centre, and its setting is wonderful, in the Vale of Clwyd beneath the heather-clad slopes of the Clwydian Range.
In 1277 English King Edward I gave land to his ally Dafydd ap Gruffydd, estranged brother of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, the last native Prince of Wales. Dafydd had Ruthin Castle built on the site, but would reconcile with his brother soon afterwards and turn against Edward. Six years later, Dafydd would be executed by Edward for his betrayal.
The original Castle was re-fortified during the Civil War, and besieged, captured and slighted. The ruins are within the 30-acre grounds of the Hotel, a 19th century castle-style mansion with battlements and ornate stone lions guarding the entrance. The Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, was a regular visitor, and it was rumoured that he and the owner’s wife were having an affair for years.
Ruthin Castle Hotel’s gardens are gorgeous, especially the Italian Garden, and the interior is sumptuously decorated. The Hotel has a variety of rooms and suites, including the Prince Charles Suite where King Charles III stayed the night before his Investiture as Prince of Wales in Caernarfon Castle in 1969.
Undoubtedly one of the best castle hotels in Wales.
Roch Castle, Pembrokeshire
Roch Castle Hotel is a restored 12th-century castle in a spectacular hilltop location overlooking St Bride’s Bay, one of the most beautiful parts of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.
If you’ve always dreamt of staying in a castle in Wales, Roch (pronounced ‘rawkh’) may well be your best bet. It’s an authentic early medieval castle – one of the oldest Pembrokeshire castles – albeit with contemporary interiors and furniture and every modern facility you could hope for.
The six bedrooms are spread over several floors, and all are accessible by stairs only. The pick of the rooms is Ap Gruffydd, which commands an amazing view over the St Brides Bay coast from Newgale towards Solva and St David’s. The smaller Nest room is wonderfully atmospheric, located in the round tower which dictates its almost circular shape.
Breakfast is served at Roch, and dinner is served at sister Twr-y-Felin in St David’s – a shuttle there and back is part of the service.
Roch is an ideal base for visiting Pembrokeshire, as you’re little more than an hour from any corner of the county. We particularly recommend the four gorgeous Tenby beaches to the south, and the wild north Pembrokeshire coast close by. There are many things to do in St David’s, the smallest city in the UK, with its magnificent Cathedral and breathtaking coastline and beaches, just 20 minutes’ drive away.
The nearest beach, Newgale, is hugely popular with surfers and is one of the best places to see a sunset in Wales.
Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel
Bodelwyddan Castle Hotel is one of a small number of castles to stay in North Wales, a few miles north of Ruthin Castle Hotel, close to the coast and the main A55 road.
The Hotel – run by the Warner Leisure Group – occupies the numerous outbuildings of Bodelwyddan Castle, including several 19th century buildings. The Castle – which was probably more of a fortified manor house – was founded around 1460, and rebuilt in the 1830s in Gothic revival style by Joseph Hansom (inventor of the horse-drawn Hansom cab) and his partner Edward Welch.
The Castle has recently been acquired by the owners of Warner Leisure, and in due course it will be incorporated into the Hotel. When we visited it was an art gallery, working in conjunction with the National Portrait Gallery in London.
At present, some of the rooms are in older buildings, and others are in modern Garden Lodges within the complex.
Bodelwyddan is a great base for exploring North East Wales or heading west to Llandudno, Conwy or the mountains of Snowdonia.
The A55 leads onto Anglesey, and it’s a short run from the main road to Caernarfon Castle, one of the most famous of all Welsh castles. Alternatively, the gorgeous medieval city of Chester is less than an hour away.
Gwydir Castle
Gwydir Castle is one of the best places to stay in North Wales, a Tudor mansion with bed and breakfast in two rooms – the Duke of Beaufort’s Chamber and King’s Room – furnished much as they would have been 500 years ago, with four-poster beds and all.
Gwydir Castle is a fortified manor house, a residential property that could be defended if necessary. It was built around 1500, but the site had been used as a fortification long before this. It was acquired by the wealthy Wynn family in the 16th century and became their seat – it once had a deer park an astonishing 36,000 acres in size.
The estate is much smaller now, but still has some gorgeous gardens to explore. There is a two-night minimum stay, and you also get to see the parts of the Castle open to the public as part of the package.
Llanrwst, in the Conwy Valley, is a great base for exploring Snowdonia and much of North Wales. The town has a picturesque tearoom, Tu Hwnt I’r Bont, next to the 17th century bridge believed to be the work of celebrated architect Inigo Jones. There is also the wonderful Gwydir Uchaf Chapel close to the Castle, a memorial chapel built by Castle owner Sir Richard Wynn with some stunning ceiling paintings.
There are plenty more places to visit nearby. The gateway to Snowdonia, Betws-y-Coed, is four miles (6 km) up the Valley, with the highest mountains a half-hour drive further west. Otherwise there are enough things to do in Conwy to warrant a full day trip, with its World Heritage-listed Castle and Town Walls just for starters.
Gwydir Castle is also a short, steep drive up to Llyn Crafnant, one of the most beautiful lakes in Wales.
Castle of Brecon Hotel
The Castle of Brecon Hotel is one of the best castles in Wales to stay in, a 19th century hotel built onto the surviving walls of a Castle founded in 1093 by Norman lord Bernard de Neufmarche.
The surviving parts of Brecon Castle are from the 13th and 14th centuries, and the3-star hotel – which claims to be the oldest hotel in Wales – was added 500 years later. Some of the rooms are atmospheric with stout wooden beams, while others have high Georgian ceilings, and you can also sleep in a four-poster bed.
There’s also a restaurant in the Hotel serving dishes made with delicious Welsh produce, and you can buy a drink from the well-stocked bar and enjoy it outside on the terrace during the warmer months.
Brecon is a few miles north of Pen y Fan, the highest peak in the Brecon Beacons National Park and the southern half of Great Britain. From Brecon it’s an intimidating sight, but there are easier paths beginning from higher ground, including two from Storey Arms on the main A470 road.
Further west, the remote Black Mountain is a wonderful part of the National Park to explore, with Carreg Cennen, one of the most beautiful castles in South Wales, one of the highlights. To the east, the rolling hills and steep valleys of the (confusingly named) Black Mountains await.
See Nearby: Brecon Beacons Waterfalls – 15 Stunning Waterfalls To Explore
Castle Hotels in Wales Map
How to use this map: Click the top left corner to see the places I recommend in this article. Click on a place to learn more. You can use your mouse or fingers to zoom in and out on the map. Hit the star next to the title of the map to save it to your Google Maps. Click the top right corner to make the map bigger.
About the Author: David Angel, a Welsh photographer, writer, and historian, has over 30 years of experience exploring and photographing Wales. As former Art Director and Commissioning Editor for Visit Wales, he has explored every corner of this extraordinary country, climbed its mountains, and walked hundreds of miles along the breathtaking Welsh coastline and landscapes. He now uses a lifetime of experience to write comprehensive guides to help people like you discover and explore the best of Wales. He is a native English speaker and fluent in Welsh.