27 BEST places to visit in North East Wales

Six of the traditional Seven Wonders of Wales can be found in North East Wales, though even locals would agree there are a few more wondrous wonders to be found elsewhere in the country! 

One of the most popular things to do in Chester, the English border city, is to use it as a base for short cross-border trips to North East Wales.

It’s a 2-mile (3 km ) walk from Llangollen to Valle Crucis Abbey, a beautiful Gothic ruin in gorgeous countryside close to the A542 Horseshoe Pass road.  The evocative church ruins are a delight, but don’t miss the fine vaulted undercroft while you’re there.

This stunning Aqueduct is one of the greatest engineering achievements and landmarks in Wales, carrying the Llangollen Canal 38 metres above the River Dee.

You can either walk or take a boat trip across the Aqueduct, easily one of the best things to do in North East Wales.  If you’re travelling across on a narrowboat, bear in mind that there is no rail guarding the drop down to the valley below, so if you’re prone to vertigo, this is probably not for you.

The Aqueduct, built by Thomas Telford, was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2009, the third location in Wales to gain this recognition.

The Offa’s Dyke Path runs 177 miles from Prestatyn on the north coast to the Wye estuary near Chepstow in South Wales, and having walked several stretches of it, I have to say that the route through North East Wales is the highlight of the entire Path.

It follows the border before turning up the Dee Valley, offering sublime views of the Vale of Llangollen, then turning north at dramatic Eglwyseg Rocks.

It eventually continues over the cairns and fortresses of the Clwydian Range, a particularly beautiful sight in summer when the upper slopes are carpeted with heather.

My favourite stretch of the walk is from Trevor to Eglwyseg Rocks, hugging the hillside high above the Vale of Llangollen, with superb views of Dinas Bran Castle and the valley below.

It’s well worth a short but steep diversion to the Castle, a short-lived 13^th century Welsh ruin and a fantastic viewpoint.

See Also: 20 Best Places To Visit In The Welsh Borders

The River Dee – Afon Dyfrdwy – is one of the most beautiful rivers in Wales, and the section between Corwen and the English border is, together with the Clwydian Range, the one Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North East Wales.

There are several ways to appreciate this gorgeous landscape. You could hike to the summit ridge of Coed Hyrddyn (Velvet Hill) just outside Llangollen for extraordinary views, or drive the A5. 

You could also take a leisurely ride on the Llangollen Steam Railway, which runs from the town to Corwen.

Carrog is a particularly picturesque stop, with a medieval stone arched bridge and a great little station café serving tea and scones.

These two churches, each a mile or so either side of Corwen, are remarkable survivors with very different stories.

Rug Chapel (Capel Rug) was the private chapel of a local Royalist, Colonel William Salusbury, who fought against the Parliamentarians during the siege of Denbigh Castle during the Civil War.

He indulged his extravagant tastes in the Chapel, leaving behind an astonishing legacy of richly coloured, intricately carved wooden decoration and sculptures.

A combined ticket also includes entry to Llangar Church (Eglwys Llangar), three miles away (you’ll need a car to get between the two).

The simple whitewashed church above the river Dee also has surprises inside – some superb medieval wall paintings, including a grinning Doom figure, and more exceptional wood carvings.

The two churches are open between April and October.

The North East Wales region is rich in its Christian heritage, and St Giles Church in Wrexham is possibly the most famous church in the area.

The tower is famous as one of the traditional Seven Wonders of Wales, six of which happen to be in North East Wales (a bit of local bias there, I suspect!). The church and tower are magnificent all the same, dating from the Perpendicular period of the 15^th and 16^th centuries.

Visitors from the US often come to visit the grave of Elihu Yale, founder of the University bearing his name. It can be found at the base of the church tower.

Don’t miss the interior of the church, which is rich in decoration. A substantial part of the 16^th-century Doom painting remains (the best example in Wales), and the wooden roof, decorated with angels, is stunning.

See Also: 15 Best Things To Do In Wrexham

Flint Castle, just across the border with England, was the first castle built in Wales by English King Edward I. It’s very close to the Dee estuary, and a feature of its ingenious design is its moat, which fills with each incoming tide (and stays very muddy when it went out again).

It’s only when you get very close that you see how imposing Flint Castle is, with thick sandstone walls (7 metres at the base, 5 metres higher up) which would have been a huge obstacle for attackers.

The most significant moment in the history of Flint Castle was in 1399 when the reigning King Richard II surrendered to Henry Bolingbroke, thereafter Henry IV, at the Castle.

In 1647 Flint Castle also withstood a three-month siege, eventually succumbing to the forces of Oliver Cromwell who then slighted it.

This former Cistercian Abbey was founded in 1132 by the 4^th Earl of Chester, Ranulf de Gernon,  and building continued until the following century.

It grew in wealth over the following centuries,  acquiring substantial land holdings across the English border, but like every other monastery in the Kingdom was destroyed after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1537.

The most impressive part of the ruins at Basingwerk Abbey is the refectory (pictured), where the monks ate together.

It’s a short walk from St WInefride’s Well, and is the starting point of the North Wales Pilgrims Way, whose final destination is Bardsey ISlandm off the tip of Llyn Peninsula.

The TSS Duke of Lancaster in one of the most unusual sights on the North Wales coast. It has been moored at Mostyn Dock for many years, having previously served as a passenger ship, and also going on cruises across the North Sea and as far south as Spain.

It served most of its time as a passenger ferry on the Irish Sea, between Heysham and Belfast and then Holyhead and Dun Laoighaire. 

It was withdrawn from service in 1978, and moved to its present location, where it operated as the Fun Ship, but it has since been closed for 20 years or so.

When we last visited it was covered in graffiti and street art, which was encouraged for some years but all this has since been painted over. The interior is apparently in good condition, so it may be used again in the future.

Plas Teg

Plas Teg (which roughly translates as  ‘Fair Manor House’) is possibly the most beautiful Jacobean house in Wales. It was built in the early 17th century, during the reign of King James I, by Sir John Trevor, and it remained in the ownership of the family until the early 20^th century.

The house was rescued from ruin in the late 20^th century, and at the time of updating – June 2025 – its future is uncertain. You can see the house from the A541 Mold to Wrexham road.  Check the Plas Teg Twitter page for updates on re-opening.

The Ceiriog Valley is one of the hidden gems of Wales, a remote backwater to the south of Chirk and Llangollen.

It’s part of the county of Wrexham, but a world away from it, a quiet bucolic valley with one beautiful village, Llanarmon Dyffryn Ceiriog. It’s worth the effort, as it’s one of the loveliest villages in North Wales.

Llanarmon DC is tiny, but still somehow has two great old Welsh inns – The Hand and The West Arms.

Erddig 

Erddig Hall is a fine stately home on the outskirts of Wrexham, built in the 17^th and 18^th centuries with extensive landscaped parkland which includes the remnants of a 12^th century motte and bailey castle.

Erddig was owned by the Yorke family from the late 17^th century until the 1970s, when the squire donated the property to the National Trust.  It is renowned for its large collection of portraits of household servants, which has earned it the reputation as ‘the Upstairs Downstairs House’.

This fascinating border Castle, founded in the late 13^th century, is unusual in that it has features of a medieval castle and also a stately home.

The stout, thick walls of the Castle are from the 14^th century, and the extensive grounds were once a deer park. They include a section of Offa’s Dyke, the earthwork built by the 8^th century King of Mercia to deter the Welsh from attacking.

Chirk Castle stayed in the Myddelton family for almost 400 years, during which time the building and grounds were transformed. The latter became a landscaped garden, notable for its avenue of yew hedges.

The Castle is open March to October, with weekend opening in November and December, whereas the parkland is open year-round.

Pennant Melangell is about as remote a place you could find in Wales,  secreted away in a mountainous valley near the source of the Tanat river.

It was here that a young woman encountered a local prince, Brochwel, hunting a hare which she saved by hiding it in her cloak. This impressed him, and he gave her the surrounding land where she could practise her faith.

St Melangell became  the patron saint of hares, and the church founded on the site of her cell, and still attracts pilgrims 1,500 years later.  The medieval church is unique, with one of only two intact shrines of a saint left in the UK.

The other one is Westminster Abbey, home to the Shrine of St Edward the Confessor.   

The Berwyns are one of the most remote landscapes in Wales, somehow always bypassed and off the beaten path. If you’re driving to Wales from England, take a different route to the A5 or A55, following the B4391 through the Berwyns.

You climb a steep valley before crossing a plateau of rolling moorland and mountaintops, where much like the Cambrian Mountains to the south, you can roam endless miles without seeing a soul all day.

They are particularly beautiful in summer when purple heather covers the moors, like the nearby Clwydian Range.

Lake Vyrnwy (Llyn Efyrnwy) is one of the most famous lakes in Wales. The reservoir was built in the 19^th century, and there’s some fine architecture from the time with the vast dam and the picturesque Straining Tower near the northern shore of the Lake.

The Lake Vyrnwy Hotel is one of the best places to stay in North Wales, with many of the rooms overlooking the Lake. The Hotel and village of Llanwddyn are great places to explore the surrounding wild, remote countryside, with the highest mountain pass in Wales, Bwlch y Groes, close by.

St Asaph is the smallest cathedral in Wales and the UK, and also the second smallest city in Wales, after St David’s in Pembrokeshire.

It’s a beautiful Gothic church, best known in Wales for its 16^th century bishop, William Morgan, who made the first translation of  the Bible into Welsh, opening up a whole new world to the population of the country that, at the time, still only spoke their native language.

The Marble Church is probably more familiar to visitors to North Wales than St Asaph Cathedral, and its proportions are possibly more those of a cathedral than the one nearby in St Asaph.

St Margaret’s Church is a prominent North Wales landmark, sited next to the A55 North Wales Expressway, so if you’ve been along this road, you’ve seen it. Its elegant spire is 202 feet tall, and it gets its name from the lavish marble decorations within.

The North Wales coast east of Prestatyn is one long sandy beach, taking in the northernmost point in mainland Wales, the Point of Ayr.

Talacre is one of the biggest beaches in North Wales, and it’s known for its landmark 18^th century lighthouse on the sands. At low tide you can walk out to the lighthouse, but it’s not open to visit, unfortunately.

The dunes at Talacre and neighbouring Gronant are wonderful, with some great walks through them to the beach.

Rhuddlan is one of the most imposing castles in North Wales, built at the same time as nearby Flint Castle between 1277 and 1282. Some of the building work was undertaken by master military architect James of St George, and it’s a formidable sight, with stout, solid walls and towers.

Rhuddlan Castle is just above the River Clwyd, which was straightened to allow for ships to reach the Castle and replenish stocks if required.

The Castle survived the Middle Ages unconquered, finally succumbing to a siege by the Parliamentarians during the Civil War in the 1640s.

The Dyserth waterfall is a popular beauty spot near the village of the same name, close to the seaside town of Rhyl.

The River Ffyddion only flows for a few miles, but makes quite a splash as it falls around 70 feet (21 metres) from a rock ledge. The two stone walls close to the Falls may have been part of a mill.

The river flows into the River Clwyd, which only has a mile or two of its own journey to make before reaching the sea at Rhyl.

Denbigh is one of the hidden gems in North East Wales, and I’ve never quite got why it’s so far off the beaten track.

It’s one of the most structurally complete historic towns in Wales, with its impressive hilltop Norman castle, a well-preserved stretch of town walls and gateways, and the ruins of a church and chapel just below the Castle.

Ruthin gives Llangollen a run for its money as the most beautiful town in North East Wales. Llangollen just about edges it for its picturesque location, while Ruthin has more to see architecturally, with several late medieval half-timbered houses around the town.

The best of these is Nantclwyd y Dre, a fine townhouse begun in 1435, with a wonderful garden. Just along the street on the main square you’ll find the Eyes of Ruthin, a building with numerous windows in its red roof, something you often see in Germany but a rarity in these parts.

There are plenty of other things to do in Ruthin, from the excellent Ruthin Craft Centre to the Victorian Ruthin Gaol and medieval St Peter’s Church. And the town is also home to one of the best castles to stay in Wales, Ruthin Castle Hotel, which was originally built by Edward I in 1277.

Gwrych Castle, just south of Abergele, is a partly-ruined 19^th century castle nestled below a hill close to the A55.

It’s not one of the best castles in North Wales, but as an introduction to castles it’s fine. Some readers may recognise it as the location for the ITV series I’m A Celebrity….Get Me Out Of Here in 2020 and 2021, when it wasn’t possible to hold the series in Australia because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This holy well (hence the name of the small town up the hill) is the goal of one of the most important pilgrimages in Wales.

St Winefride was a Welsh saint who was beheaded by a spurned suitor. According to legend a well sprang where her head fell, and her head was later restored to her body. 

The waters of this well are believed to have curative powers – I’ve met one lady who is certain she has been a beneficiary – and the Well and Chapel have been a pilgrimage site for over 900 years continuously.

This is unusual among Welsh pilgrimage sites, and the ongoing tradition reveals some fascinating glimpses into the Well’s history. There are many etchings from pilgrims to the site dating back two centuries and more, ordinary people visiting in the hope of a miracle.

See Also:

Visiting Chester Cathedral – the complete guide to one of the great cathedrals of the North of England

11 Best Unexplored Regions In Europe – from Portugal to the Danube, and North Wales to the Adriatic

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.

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Mail
• Pinterest