From beaches, mountains, villages, castles and adventure, adrenaline activities Wales really has it all and you can easily see a lot with 1 week in Wales!
In this Wales travel blog, I’m going to give you the perfect 1 week Wales itinerary which will take you to North and South Wales to see the most beautiful parts of Wales!
1 Week Wales Itinerary
You can adapt this Wales travel itinerary to fit yourself and your trip, for example, I have detailed starting in South Wales but you can reverse it and start in North Wales first. (If you want to stick to South Wales only, check out my 1 week South Wales itinerary here!)
Wales Itinerary Map
I have pinned all of the places I recommend visiting in this Wales 1 week itinerary in the map below to help you plan your own trip to Wales and get an idea of where to visit in Wales in 1 week!
I grew up between England in Wales and now I live in Cardiff so let me share with you why I love Wales and how much you can see on a 1 week holiday in Wales!
Day 1 – Cardiff
Start your first day in Wales getting to Cardiff. If you are travelling from London to Wales or South England to Wales you can stop off at a few places like Bath, the Cotswolds and the Wye Valley on the way into Wales, even though they are all in England they will start off your Wales trip well.
Spend late afternoon and early evening seeing Cardiff City, you can park in the city centre and head to Cardiff Castle which will take you through the main shopping area of the city.
Click here for my full 1 day in Cardiff itinerary!
Afterwards, drive down to Mermaid Quay and have dinner at one of the restaurants overlooking the water on Cardiff Bay which shows off a cosmopolitan side of the city and check out the Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve if it’s a nice evening. This will be a great first look at Wales on your 1 week in Wales.
Stay overnight in – Cardiff
Day 2 – Brecon Beacons
Check out of your hotel in Cardiff, tonight I recommend staying in Pembrokeshire so you can wake up by the coast in one of the best areas in Wales in my opinion, however, I recommend taking the scenic route from Cardiff to Pembrokeshire via the Brecon Beacons National Park!
Both the Brecon Beacons National Park in South Wales and Eryri National Park (Snowdonia National Park) in North Wales are must-visit places on this one week Wales itinerary.
If you like hiking then you have to hike up Pen Y Fan! It’s the highest peak in South Wales and it will take you a few hours to hike!
If you like adventure then you can check out some of the waterfalls in the Brecon Beacons. You can do a full waterfall walk seeing up to 4 waterfalls or you can see some smaller ones individually which will be easier if you have children or don’t enjoy walking.
Lastly, if you love driving and appreciate scenic roads then make sure you drive along Black Mountain Road which is known as the Top Gear road in the Brecon Beacons, it takes you right through the middle of the National Park and is an incredible drive!
Stay overnight in – Pembrokeshire
Day 3 – Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is an amazing county in South Wales, it offers endless beaches, walking paths, activities for children and more! And the best thing about Pembrokeshire is that it is quite easy to see a lot of Pembrokeshire in 1 day!
I recommend spending one full day in Pembrokeshire beach hopping on your Wales 1 week itinerary, if the weather permits!
Popular beaches and seaside towns you can visit are: Tenby Beach, Saundersfoot Beach, Barafundle Bay, St Davids.
For lesser-known places that are really special, you can visit: Bosherston Lilly Ponds, St Govan’s Chapel, the Blue Lagoon, Ramsey Island.
If you are travelling to Wales with children, there are lots of places to visit fo children and children activities in Pembrokeshire like: Oakwood Theme Park, Folly Farm, Manor Wildlife Park, West Wales Karting.
Stay overnight in – Pembrokeshire
Day 4 – Pembrokeshire
There is so much to see in Pembrokeshire that I really recommend you plan 2 full days here to see the best of it and have a rest so you’re not travelling somewhere new every day on your Wales 1 week trip.
Stay overnight in – Pembrokeshire
There are so many places to visit in Wales and too many to mention in just this 1 week Wales itinerary, to see even more places to visit read my post with Stunning Places to Visit on Your Wales Road Trip Itinerary!
Day 5 – Drive From South Wales to North Wales
Driving from South Wales to North Wales takes more time than expected because there is no motorway, only an A road. But, the road takes you all the way along the West Coast of Wales and it’s a beautiful drive.
I suggest getting up early this day to start the drive along the coast, there are a few coastal towns and villages you can stop in on the way like: Aberaeron and Aberystwyth.
I recommend staying overnight in Eryri National Park (Snowdonia National Park) where there are lots of accommodation options so you’ll be ready to have a full day in Snowdonia tomorrow.
To end the drive and start seeing North Wales today you can head to Portmeirion which is a really unique tourist attraction in North Wales as it is an Italian village, it closes at 17:30 so get there before then!
If you want an afternoon beach trip you can go over to the Lynn Peninsula and visit one of the family-friendly beaches like Abersoch.
Stay overnight in – Eryri National Park (Snowdonia National Park)
Day 6 – Eryri National Park (Snowdonia National Park)
Climbing Yr Wyddfa (Mount Snowdon) which is the highest mountain in Wales, is the obvious activity and top thing to do in Eryri National Park (Snowdonia National Park), if you are up for the challenge I recommend hiking Snowdon from Pen-Y-Pass!
If you don’t fancy the hike or you are doing this Wales itinerary with children, you can get a train to the top of Snowdon!
And if you are up for an even bigger challenge to finish your 1 week wales itinerary off then look into climbing Tryfan mountain!
However, there are so many other things to do in Snowdonia if hiking is not your thing!
Zip World in Snowdon offers a huge range of adrenaline activities for adults, children and families. So does Adventure Parc Snowdonia, you can even go surfing here in a man-made pool!
You can go horse riding with Snowdonia Riding Stables, you can visit the Slate Museum in the popular town of Llanberis which is great for kids too.
In addition to this there are so many waterfalls in Snowdon to find, lakes to walk around and pretty villages to visit among the mountains.
Stay overnight in – Eryri National Park (Snowdonia National Park)
Day 7 – Llandudno & Conwy
As you leave Eryri National Park (Snowdonia National Park) and leave Wales on the last day of your week in Wales, I recommend making use of the places to visit in North Wales on the road that takes you along the North Coast and out into England to Chester and Manchester.
Conwy and Llandudno are great places to visit. Conwy is an old market town home to Conwy Castle which is one of the best castles in Wales and it’s home to the smallest house in Britain!
Llandudno is a typical British seaside resort home to a pier, a huge promenade, nice beaches, big victorian houses and the Great Orme which is a limestone rock you can drive around and get a great view from the top from! I really love it here so it’s a good place to stop in!
Aber Falls Waterfall and Gwrych Castle and Gardens are more great places to visit and stop at on your route home or back to England!
Looking for more places to visit in Wales?? Here are 36 places in Wales to visit on a Wales road trip throughout the country!!
Best time to visit Wales
Wales is good to visit all year round… as long as you are prepared for the weather that comes with it!
However, for the very best time to visit Wales, I recommend the Spring, Summer and Autumn months so you will have more pleasant weather and there are more activities on and open!
Although note that school holidays do get considerably busier in Wales so if you can avoid them then I would!
Here’s my full post on the best time to visit Wales!
Looking to take the train to Wales??
For your upcoming trip to Wales, Transport for Wales has fantastic advance sale offers so you can book cheaper trains to and around Wales by clicking here!
And for more help on where to visit in Wales by train? Read my 10 best places to visit in Wales by train post!
How to get around Wales
Driving is the best way to get Wales. Although there are public buses and train lines, it can take a lot of time to get to each place using public transport.
If you have a car then great! If you don’t, I recommend hiring a car! Cardiff has a few car hire places and Bristol Airport is a popular place to hire cars from. You could get the train to Cardiff or Bristol Airport and hire a car from there, or you can hire a car from where you start.
For example, it would be quicker to hire a car in London and drive to South Wales rather than get the train.
I recommend Rental Cars for car hire in Wales as they search all the top car rental companies! Search for car rental in Wales here!
The roads in Wales are very good but they can seem scary to some as they are very small but that’s how you get to the best spots in Wales! Here are my driving in Wales tips to help you out too!
Wales Travel FAQ
Let me help you with your top questions about Wales:
Is Wales worth visiting?
Yes of course! There are so many places to visit in Wales all year round that are suitable for families, couples, families and friends. You’ll visit places in Wales that you can’t imagine belong in the UK!
What is the best month to visit Wales?
Shoulder months like June and September are the best time to visit Wales for warmer and drier weather and also because they are out of school holidays and therefore less busy.
What is the most beautiful part of Wales?
Eryri National Park (Snowdonia National Park) in North Wales is the most beautiful part of Wales in my opinion. It has huge majestic mountains with so many lakes and waterfalls.
How many days do you need to see Wales?
A lot of driving is needed to see the many of the best places in Wales so a couple of days in Wales up to 1 week in Wales and even 2 weeks in Wales is best in order to see what the country offers.
How long should you spend in Wales?
1 week in Wales is a perfect amount of time to see Wales, you can concentrate on a small area of Wales, relax and see that area well, or you can travel somewhere new everyday and see a lot of Wales in just 1 week like this!
Is Wales safe?
Yes, Wales is a very safe country and the people in Wales are very friendly. Wales is great for solo travellers.