What to do and see in Wales, Wales: The Best Things to do Good for a Rainy Day

Plas Mawr, or the Great Hall, is quite simply the finest surviving Elizabethan town house anywhere in Britain. This was a golden age when fabulously wealthy merchants invested in mansions, rich fittings and lavish entertaining. Robert Wynn, third son of a local landowner, wanted a piece of the action. The house’s main frontage is discreetly hidden away in a steep narrow lane. So the High Street gatehouse only hints at the grandeur within, as you rise via a series of terraces to explore 17 impressive rooms. The displayed opening times are our general pattern. Please check the Cadw website for specific times and days, including closures. Advanced booking required.

Rain or shine, come and climb! Beacon Climbing Centre is an exciting all weather venue, with fun activities suitable for the whole family. It's great fun for kids and the perfect antidote to boring gym regimes for adults! Conquer our high roped walls for an unbeatable sense of achievement, experience the freedom of climbing without using a rope in our low level bouldering areas or try something that's entirely off-the-wall: CrazyClimb featuring a series of wacky climbing challenges! No previous experience is required and anyone can have a go. Spectators can watch for free, there is an awesome café on site, and free WiFi is available throughout the centre.

Principality Stadium is the home of the Welsh Rugby Team and one of the most iconic stadiums in the world. Sporting the first fully-retractable roof in the UK, the venue is at the leading edge as a multi-purpose, multi-faceted event venue. The Stadium is established as a world class must play, must visit venue and has played home to major sporting bodies and music artists over the years. From Madonna and U2 to David Beckham and Joe Calzaghe, Rugby World Cups & Olympics events, some of the world's greatest stars have set the stage alight here. Tours of the Principality Stadium are available through out the week. Experience the inner workings of the 74,000 seater stadium and see where the Welsh Rugby Team battle against opponents from across the globe and where the football titans of Europe fought for the 2017 Champions League Trophy. Principality Stadium Tours run 7 days a week and are £12.50 for adults & £9.00 for 5-16 year olds.

The National Slate Museum Llanberis will reopen to the public on 23rd August 2020. During this unprecedented time the museum will be open for four days a week. Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday between 10am - 4pm. Entry is FREE but tickets must be booked in advance. For more information please visit the website

One of the most magnificent of Britain's castles is the "birth place of the Tudor Dynasty." You can climb the 80ft Great Keep, descend into a pre-historic cave and look down into a prisoner in a medieval dungeon. There is also a cafe and gift shop. During school holidays there are falconry displays, historic re-enactments and family entertainment. The main exhibition rooms display models and weaponry as well as telling the story of the history of the castle. You can also visit the room that King Henry VII the founder of the Tudor Dynasty was born.

Covid-19 Update ~ Plas Newydd Tearooms will be open 10AM - 4PM daily. The Gardens and Grounds are open daily and free to explore! Plas Newydd Historic House will unfortunately be closed until further notice. Home of the ‘Ladies of Llangollen’ Miss Sarah Ponsonby and Lady Eleanor Butler captured the imagination of Regency society when they ran away and set up home together in Wales. Visit their extraordinary gothicised home and hear of the stream of famous visitors they received. Learn how they won the hearts of local people and turned a simple cottage into a fantasy of oak carvings and stained glass. Stroll through the gardens they developed and try homemade cakes in the tea rooms.

First Hydro Company, the owner of the Electric Mountain Visitor Centre, has outlined its plans to refurbish the Centre in Llanberis. The aim of the new building is to deliver an engaging and attractive visitor experience, providing user-friendly resources that will appeal to tourist and education visitors alike. There will also be much-improved facilities for the community to use. Drawing on ENGIE’s regeneration capabilities, the new building will be sustainably designed, energy efficient and in keeping with the local environment and landscape. To facilitate the main demolition and refurbishment works going forward, the Electric Mountain Visitor Centre will be operating from temporary accommodation located in the Car Park effective 1 April 2019 until 30 September 2019.

The Ffestiniog Railway takes you on a 13 1/2-mile journey from the harbour in Porthmadog to the slate-quarrying town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. We are recognised by the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest railway company in the world, being founded in 1832. We still build steam locomotives and carriages in our own workshops and the world's oldest steam engine, Prince, is still in regular use today - more than 150 years after it was built. Our historic trains climb over 700 feet from sea level into the mountains through tranquil pastures and magnificent forests, past lakes and waterfalls, round horseshoe bends (even a complete spiral) clinging to the side of the mountain or tunnelling through it. The Welsh Highland is Snowdonia's newest railway. Trains start their spectacular 25 mile scenic journey from beneath the historic castle walls at Caernarfon. The trains - hauled by the world's most powerful narrow gauge steam locomotives - climb from sea level to over 650 feet on the foothills of Snowdon, before zig-zagging dramatically down the steep hillside to reach Beddgelert, nestling in the heart of the National Park, then through the magnificent Aberglaslyn Pass - voted the most beautiful spot in the UK by the National Trust - and on to Porthmadog.