Taking in the coastal views from the Great Orme, or wandering along the Victorian promenade and Pier are some of the best things to do in Llandudno, the Queen of Welsh Seaside Resorts.
Llandudno’s origins go back thousands of years, but it’s most famous for its Victorian heyday, when much of the town – and the railway to it – was built. Early visitors would arrive from Liverpool and the North West of England by paddle steamer, and much of the town is similar to how it would have appeared to them, which is all part of the charm.
Llandudno was initially called the ‘Queen of Welsh Watering Places’, and there’s something more regal about it than any other Welsh seaside town – especially the grand Victorian architecture of the hotels along its north promenade. I’ve been visiting Llandudno for almost 45 years, and there has always been an element of nostalgia and yesteryear about it, including some of its newer attractions.
In this article, I’ll show you everything to do in Llandudno, including its scenic Great Orme headland, and also suggest places to visit nearby. It makes one of the best bases for exploring North Wales, with outstanding Castles and Snowdonia on its doorstep. So I’ll also suggest places to stay in Llandudno and suggest tours of the region that you might enjoy.
At A Glance – Where To Stay In Llandudno
***** – Escape Boutique B&B – one of the best B&Bs in Wales, beautifully designed rooms, a few minutes’ walk from the beach and Pier
**** – The Imperial Hotel – one of the original Llandudno seafront hotels, as magnificent as ever
**** – St George’s Hotel – another of the classic Victorian Llandudno hotels, highly recommended by me after two wonderful short stays
**** – Llandudno Hostel – highly rated hostel in the town centre, with both private rooms and dorm accommodation
** – Swn y Mor – the best of the budget B&Bs near the seafront, a few minutes’ walk from Venue Cymru
Things To Do In Llandudno
Walk Along The North Shore Promenade
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The North Shore is the pride and joy of Llandudno, the grandest seafront in Wales and one of the finest in the UK, giving Brighton and Eastbourne a good run for their money.
Much of Llandudno was built in the 1850s and 1860s, a planned holiday resort proposed by a Liverpool architect, Owen Williams, on land owned by Lord Mostyn. The latter appointed George Felton, who designed and planned the new town between 1857 and 1877.
Holidays by the seaside were a new idea to the Victorians, who were swayed by the health benefits of fresh air, beautiful scenery and exercise in such surroundings.
Victorian Llandudno was built to make the most of its seaside location, with wide streets like Mostyn Broadway giving views of the cliffs of the Great Orme, and several side streets running off this main street with sea views. The shopfronts have wrought iron verandahs, adding to the overall pleasant feel of the place.
Mostyn wanted Llandudno to be an upmarket seaside resort for the wealthy, so the hotels along the seafront were to be the grand pièce de resistance. They include the Imperial and St George’s, and were built to similar heights to create a sense of harmony and uniformity. The guesthouses on the streets behind the seafront were pleasant, but these showpiece hotels were intended to be a step up from them.
The Promenade is one of the grandest streets in Wales, and it was very much the place to be seen, with an unusually wide walking area.
The junction with Vaughan Street, next to the Imperial Hotel, is also the end (or starting) point of the epic road journey through Wales, the A470 road trip. This journey from Cardiff Bay to Llandudno takes you from coast to coast, from the Bristol Channel to Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea, and for my money is one of the best road trips in Europe.
North Shore Beach
The North Shore is the busier, more popular of Llandudno’s two beaches. I have many memories of childhood holidays on this beach, sinking into a deckchair and reading a book or savouring a mint choc chip ice cream, still a treat over 40 years later!
It’s a lovely long beach with the grand Victorian hotels and views of the Great Orme in one direction and the Little Orme in the other. The beach is a mixture of sand, shingle and pebbles, and as it’s so long there is usually plenty of space, whether you’re building sandcastles, getting buried by your kids or having a game of beach football or cricket.
In spring and summer you can often hear music being played in the bandstand, and it’s great to see kids enjoy short donkey rides along the beach. Just not adults!
Explore Llandudno’s Victorian Pier
Llandudno Pier is one of the most beautiful surviving piers in Wales, along with nearby Garth Pier in Bangor.
It’s at the west end of the North Shore beach, close to the Grand Hotel and Great Orme headland. The original pier was far shorter, just 74 metres long – the current one, opened in 1877, is 700 metres long, the fifth longest in the UK.
The Pier is one of the most beautiful buildings in Llandudno, decorated with some wonderful detailed wrought ironwork. The domed Pier Head building, above the landing stage at the end of the Pier, is one of the most exotic buildings in Wales, with a touch of the Middle East or even perhaps India.
Llandudno Pier is a wonderful place for a stroll, and the views get better the further you walk away from the town. The kiosks sell various souvenirs and food, including traditional rock (avoid if your dentist is expensive).
Steam ships including the Waverley and Balmoral sometimes stop at Llandudno Pier, taking passengers on cruises on Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea. There used to be regular boats between Llandudno and the Isle of Man – something I would have loved to experience – but these have long since been discontinued.
Watch A Punch and Judy Show
The Punch and Judy show is a huge part of the British seaside tradition, but goes back all the way to the early 17th century if not more. Derived from the Italian Pulcinella puppet shows, they were banned in the 1640s by the Puritan Commonwealth leader Oliver Cromwell, and reintroduced after the Restoration of the monarchy in 1662.
There has been a Punch and Judy ‘professor’ on Llandudno seafront for as long as I can remember. Shows still attract audiences across the generations, including many children, who watch the performance outside the puppet booth on the promenade.
It’s one of those things that has never appealed to me. Mr Punch is quite a violent character, and when I was younger part of me would want to stay to see him get his comeuppance. But nowadays I just walk away.
West Shore Beach (Traeth Pen Morfa)
This beach – with great views of the Great Orme, Conwy Mountain and Anglesey – is much quieter than North Shore. There are also some sand dunes at the southern end of the beach, next to the golf course. It’s a sand and shingle beach great for a relaxing, reading a book or, in my case, going for a long walk along the shoreline.
West Shore gets much wider at low tide, with a large expanse of sand exposed, so it’s popular with kite surfers at low tide.
The beach would have been known to Alice Liddell – believed to have been part of the inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. She and her family regularly stayed at a house called Penmorfa, overlooking West Shore, but the house no longer exists.
Follow The Alice In Wonderland Trail Around Llandudno
Although Alice Liddell was a regular visitor to Llandudno in her childhood, there’s no evidence to suggest that Lewis Carroll (originally Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) ever visited the North Wales town. So the connection between his works and Llandudno is perhaps a touch tenuous.
That said, there’s a series of wooden sculptures around the town based on characters from Alice In Wonderland. These include the White Rabbit, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum (my favourites), the Mad Hatter (outside the Queen’s Hotel on the Promenade) and the Queen of Hearts.
The sculptures add to the Victorian feel of the town, and many kids (and adults) will love them. The tourist information centre at Venue Cymru sell a Trail booklet for
Explore The Great Orme Headland
The Great Orme (Y Gogarth) is the limestone headland immediately to the west of the North Shore Beach and Pier, and there are plenty of things to see there, and different ways to explore it.
It’s the oldest settled part of the Llandudno area, as recent discoveries prove, and you could easily spend a day or two exploring it.
Ride On The Great Orme Cable Car
If you’re visiting Llandudno on a calm day, get in quick and take the Llandudno Cable Car to the top of the Great Orme.
It’s the longest cable car ride in the UK, running from Happy Valley (the park close to the pier) to the summit area of the Orme. At some points along the journey, you’re carried 80 feet (23 metres) above the ground, and the views over the headland and along the coast are fantastic.
If you’re yearning for a touch of yesteryear you may well be pleased to learn that you need to bring cash to pay for your ride, which is £14 per adult at the time of writing.
Bear in mind that the Cable Car doesn’t run on windy days, hence the need to take advantage of suitable conditions.
Take A Trip On The Great Orme Tramway
A more dependable route up the headland is the gorgeous Great Orme Tramway, which carries passengers 1500 metres from Victoria Station to the summit area.
It’s the only funicular railway to run on public roads in the UK, and the journey up the steep narrow back streets of older Llandudno is tremendous. Eventually the tram reaches the open ground of the Great Orme, and after about 10 minutes the spectacular views west over the coastline and Anglesey open up.
The Tramway runs from April to September from 10.00 am to 6.00 pm (with early closure at 5.00 pm in March, October and early November).
Adult tickets cost £12.30 return, and children £9.30 return. You can’t reserve a place in advance – you just have to turn up and wait – trams run every 15 minutes during the season.
Explore The Great Orme Copper Mines
I’m showing my age when I say that I had probably visited the Great Orme ten times before the Bronze Age Copper Mines were discovered there in 1987. I wish it had been discovered much sooner, as I would have loved to have explored the Mine – one of the great ancient sites in Wales – when I was younger.
As part of the visit, you explore some of the tunnels on a 200-metre walk underground. There’s also an introductory film and exhibition in the Visitor Centre. The oldest part of the Mine is the opencast area, which was first exploited around 4,000 years ago.
Adult tickets cost £13.75, children £8.25, family (2+2) £36.75 and £5.50 per additional child.
Visit St Tudno’s Church
The name ‘Llandudno’ is Welsh for ‘church and settlement of Tudno’, and the town’s roots are on this quiet corner of the Great Orme where the remote church of St Tudno stands.
Many churches in Wales were founded in remote places, usually because the founder (often a local Welsh or Celtic saint) sought solitude and peace. So it was with Tudno, said to be one of the seven sons of Seithenyn, king of Cantre’r Gwaelod to the south in Mid Wales.
He is believed to have lived in the 6th century, and much of the present church dates from 600 years later. It’s a beautiful simple church which underwent major repairs in the 19th century – this was also the catalyst for the building of Holy Trinity Church in Llandudno’s town centre.
The church is open daily from April to October, and on Wednesdays and weekends the rest of the year. An open-air service is held in the churchyard on Sundays between May and September – usually at 12 noon.
Drive (Or Walk Or Run) The Marine Drive Around The Great Orme
The Marine Drive is a wonderful 5-mile (8 km) road around the Great Orme, with superb views of the limestone cliffs, Anglesey and the mountains of Snowdonia across Conwy Bay.
It’s a toll road, with cars paying £5.80, and bikes and pedestrians free. The first 3 ½ miles are one-way only – bear in mind that the toll covers your parking if you visit the summit area.
The views all the way around are outstanding, and you pass a few landmarks along the way including the Lighthouse and the wonderfully named Rest And Be Thankful Café.
There’s a pavement alongside the road all the way around, and it’s a magnificent bracing coastal walk. A good few moons ago I ran the circuit as part of my training for a half marathon – anyone who does so regularly would become a very good hill runner, that’s for sure.
See The Famous Llandudno Wild Goats
Wild Kashmiri goats have been roaming – and eating the grasses and plant life of – the Great Orme for almost 190 years. The Shah of Persia (now Iran) gave Queen Victoria a pair of goats on the occasion of her coronation in 1837, and their distant descendants now roam the headland, occasionally venturing a little further.
There are over 100 of these wild goats, and their number are controlled by sterilisation of some of the herds. However, this all went awry in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic when the goats noticed that there were no people on the streets, so they ventured down the hill into the town, making headlines around the world. They also enjoyed having a nibble at the spring flowers in locals’ gardens, to much amusement.
Mostyn Gallery
Mostyn is the leading contemporary art gallery in North Wales. It doesn’t have a permanent collection but it’s a fantastic exhibition space, hosting different artists and exhibitions which change every few months.
I’ve visited Mostyn numerous times over the years, and they’ve always promoted new artists, both from Wales and around the world. Entry is free, so be sure to help them along with something from the airy café upstairs or the gift shop. A treasure of a place.
Opening hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10.30 am to 4.30 pm.
Home Front Museum
Anyone with an interest in World War Two history should pay a visit to this excellent collection of memorabilia documenting life in Britain during the War.
It shows the War from the standpoint of my parents’ generation, born around the time and who lived through it, bombing raids and all. Much of the exhibition focuses on the everyday life of Brits during the War, so the recreated shops stocked with goods from the time and ration books brings their stories to life.
It’s the only World War 2-related attraction in North Wales, and whether the subject is new to you or familiar it’s a hugely rewarding place to visit.
See Also: 12 Fascinating World War 2 Sites In London and 16 Off The Beaten Path World War 2 Sites In Europe
Climb The Little Orme
The Little Orme (Y Gogarth Fach or Rhiwledyn in Welsh), the headland at the opposite end of the North Shore, gets a tiny fraction of the visitors that the Great Orme does. But it’s well worth an hour or two of your time for the superb views you get from the summit, with the whole sweep of Llandudno Bay and the Great Orme beyond.
Like its larger counterpart, the Little Orme’s history goes back millennia, with artefacts from the Stone and Iron Age discovered there. A cave on the headland was used to conceal printed Catholic documents in 1587, a year after Queen Elizabeth I began persecution against them.
The Little Orme is easier to access from the Penrhyn Bay (eastern) side, with a network of footpaths across the upland area.
Where Is Llandudno
Llandudno is on the North Wales coast, roughly halfway between the border with England and the town of Caernarfon. It’s part of the County of Conwy.
Here are some sample distances to Llandudno:
Liverpool to Llandudno – 56 miles (90 km)
Manchester to Llandudno – 83 miles (134 km)
Birmingham to Llandudno – 121 miles (195 km)
Cardiff to Llandudno – 167 miles (269 km)
Holyhead to Llandudno – 44 miles (71 km)
London to Llandudno – 235 miles (378 km)
How To Get To Llandudno
The nearest international airports to Llandudno are Manchester Airport and Liverpool John Lennon Airport. Manchester handles transatlantic flights, but Liverpool doesn’t.
Llandudno is also easy to reach by road, with two major routes close by. The north-south A470 runs all the way to Cardiff from the centre of Llandudno, and is a slow but scenic drive through the entire length of the country.
Drivers from the Midlands and North of England use the A55 North Wales Expressway, which passes Llandudno Junction, three miles south of the town. Travellers arriving from Ireland in Holyhead can also use this road to Llandudno Junction. From there, turn onto the A470 for the final short run. Into Llandudno.
If travelling to Llandudno by train, be aware that far more trains stop at Llandudno Junction – which is on the North Wales main line – than at Llandudno.
Llandudno is the northern terminus of the Conwy Valley branch line (which runs from Blaenau Ffestiniog), so you sometimes have a long wait for a connecting train on this line into Llandudno. Some service from Manchester Airport do run direct to Llandudno, which is helpful.
If you’re stuck at Llandudno Junction with a lengthy wait for a connecting train to Llandudno, my advice is to take a taxi, which costs £10 to £15.
Day Trips From Llandudno
Llandudno is an excellent base for exploring North Wales, and handily is the main departure point (along with Conwy) for most tours of the region. Here are some of the best places to visit in North Wales, along with possible tour options where available.
Conwy
Conwy is the loveliest medieval town in Wales, with one of the greatest castles in Europe and finest sets of town walls on the continent too.
There are enough things to do in Conwy to keep you in this riverside town for a couple of days, with Plas Mawr, the best-preserved Tudor townhouse in Britain, and the Smallest House in Great Britain just down the hill on Conwy Quay.
Tour: This Three Castles and Snowdonia tour includes visits to Conwy, Caernarfon and Dolbadarn Castles, as well as a trip up the Ogwen Valley and past some of the best viewpoints in Snowdonia.
Conwy Valley
The Conwy River runs from the moorland lake of Llyn Conwy north through one of the most beautiful valleys in Wales. After reaching the honeypot village of Betws-y-Coed, it passes gentle rolling green hills on its right bank and the much more imposing foothills of the Carneddau range on its left, finally reaching Conwy a mile and a half from the sea.
It passes many wonderful places on its short journey north. Around Betws-y-Coed the young river crashes down Conwy Falls before squeezing through a narrow ravine at Fairy Glen (Ffos Noddyn). North of Betws-y-Coed the valley opens out, and it passes the incredibly picturesque Tu Hwnt I’r Bont tearooms next to the centuries-old stone arched bridge over the river at Llanrwst.
The River Conwy then passes below the twin mountain lakes of Llyn Crafnant and Llyn Geirionydd, high above the village of Trefriw. A few miles downriver, on the opposite side, Bodnant Garden is one of the most beautiful in Britain, a glorious series of gardens and woodland with some astonishing mountain views.
Tour: This Snowdonia, Bodnant and Castles Private Tour includes a trip to the Garden as well as Conwy, the Great Orme, a scenic drive through the National Park to Llanberis and a visit to Dolbadarn Castle.
Explore Eryri – The Snowdonia National Park
Llandudno is close to the eastern edge of the Snowdonia National Park, and is around a 40-45 minute drive from some of the main sights and best views.
One of the best places to go is the viewpoint at Llynnau Mymbyr, just beyond the village of Capel Curig and the Plas y Brenin Mountaineering Centre. From here, if the weather’s good, you get a jaw-dropping view of Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) and the surrounding peaks, known collectively as the Snowdon Horseshoe.
From there it’s only a short drive to the superb Llanberis Pass road down to the village of the same name, and the departure point of the Snowdon Mountain Railway.
It’s also very close to the highlight of the A5’s journey across North Wales, through the stunning Ogwen Valley past the peaks of Tryfan, Glyder Fawr and Glyder Fach and down Nant Ffrancon to Bethesda and Bangor.
Tour: This Best of Snowdonia Day Trip takes you on an amazing journey, beginning at Caernarfon Castle and continuing through the mountains to the villages of Beddgelert, Llanberis and Betws-y-Coed.
Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle is perhaps the most famous of all landmarks in Wales, a mighty fortress guarding the southern end of the Menai Strait built by the master military architect James of St George. He didn’t come cheap, nor did his materials, and this castle went a long way towards financially crippling English King Edward I for a good few years.
Like Conwy (and Beaumaris and Harlech) it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it also has a very impressive circuit of town walls built at the same time. It’s a 40-minute drive from Llandudno, or an hour on the X5 bus to the centre of town, very close to the Castle.
Portmeirion
The fantasy Italianate village of Portmeirion is unlike anywhere else in Wales, a whimsical collection of buildings (some rescued from elsewhere) on an estuary on the edge of Snowdonia. Its creator, architect Clough Williams-Ellis, was partly inspired by the village of Portofino on the Italian Riviera, and it’s a magical place, its pastel colours brightening even the greyest of days.
Tour: This Portmeirion, Snowdonia and Castles Tour also includes a visit to Conwy and its Castle, the best views in Snowdonia and a run up the beautiful Conwy Valley to finish the day
Anglesey
Anglesey is the largest of Welsh islands, somewhere you could easily spend weeks without returning to mainland Wales. Its coastline is its greatest asset, and it’s also home to World Heritage-listed Beaumaris Castle, the stunning Menai Suspension Bridge, and the village with the second-longest place name in the world.
Tours: This Anglesey day tour from Llandudno is a great introduction to the island taking in Beaumaris Castle, Llanfair PG, one of the island’s great ancient burial chambers and the breathtaking cliff scenery at South Stack lighthouse near Holyhead.
And this combined Best of Snowdonia and Anglesey tour visits the stunning Ogwen Valley and Llanberis Pass, before crossing the Menai Strait to Beaumaris Castle, Llanfair PG and the Marquess of Anglesey’s Column.
Things To Do In Llandudno – Final Thoughts
I hope that you’ve enjoyed this article on Llandudno and the surrounding area and that it helps you plan your trip to North Wales.
I’ve travelled every backroad and beach in the whole region, often many times over, so have written extensively on North Wales. Here is a sampler of some of my articles on the region:
Castles And Their Towns
20 Best Castles In North Wales – from the World Heritage Castles of Edward I to the mountain fortresses of the Welsh Princes
Best things to do in Conwy – A stunning UNESCO Heritage town on the edge of Snowdonia National Park
Things To Do In Caernarfon – there’s more to this coastal town than one of the best medieval castles on the planet
Things To Do In Harlech – World Heritage Castle, one of the best beaches in Wales, and much more
Things To Do In Criccieth – lovely beach town with a Castle and stunning mountain views
Eryri – Snowdonia National Park
Betws-y-Coed – A picturesque Welsh mountain town in the spectacular Snowdonia National Park
22 Best Views in Snowdonia – the best viewpoints in this astounding National Park
Snowdonia Road Trip – 4 fantastic itineraries, from one to five days
Things To Do In Barmouth – if you find a more beautiful setting for a seaside town, please let me know
The Isle of Anglesey
Llanddwyn Island – One of the most special of all Welsh islands
Anglesey beaches & coastline – Home to some of the best beaches in the UK
Best things to do on Anglesey – the largest of Welsh Islands
Llŷn Peninsula
Llŷn Peninsula beaches – from Porth Dinllaen to Portmeirion, some of the best beaches in Wales
Visiting Porthdinllaen – the stunning fishing hamlet with one of the best beach pubs in Europe
Things To Do In Aberdaron – the wondrous Land’s End of North Wales
Things To Do In Portmeirion – a touch of Portofino on the edge of Snowdonia
Churches On The Llŷn Peninsula – fascinating ancient churches along the pilgrim trails to Bardsey
Things To Do In Llangollen – gorgeous riverside town, one of the highlights of North East Wales
15 Best Villages In North Wales To Visit – Beddgelert, Betws-y-Coed and many more
North Wales Travel Guide – everything you need to know about travelling in North Wales
More Beautiful Places to Visit in Wales
Best Seaside Towns In Wales – Llandudno, Tenby, Barmouth and many more
Landscapes in Wales – Breathtaking landscapes in Wales you must see
Rivers in Wales – Some of the most beautiful scenery in Wales
Lakes in Wales – Where you find some of the best views in Wales
Landmarks in Wales – famous places in Wales to Explore
Wales Bucket List – 40 Fantastic Places In Wales You Should Not Miss