Places to see in Wales England

Seven Welsh locations have been named in a prestigious list of the world’s top 500 places to visit.

Snowdonia, which comes in at number 181, Portmeirion, number 207 and historical buildings including St David’s Cathedral, number 294, made Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travelist, drawn up by famous guide book publisher and compiled by a team of experts.

Snowdonia is listed for its “beauty and myth” and described as “a mountain for anyone.”

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The guide adds: “Those who don’t want to walk can get a train up, while hikers can follow clearly marked tracks or scramble up on of many harder options.

“Those in search of activities have plenty to get their teeth into, including sandy beaches and an increasing range of adventure sports.

“Snowdonia is already home to the oldest zip line in Europe, and a cutting-edge inland surfing lagoon.”

Read more: Snowdonia is England Wales best-value beauty spot, new figures show

Portmeirion meanwhile is described as “rather captivating and slightly odd”.

The guide states: “If you’ve ever seen 1960s TV series The Prisoner, you might find yourself looking out for giant bouncing balls as you explore Portmeirion, where the cult show was filmed.

“Its colourful Italianate buildings were created by Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, who believed that beauty is a necessity.”

Portmeirion across the Portmeirion village towards the Dwyryd estuary

Read more: Seven reasons to fall even deeper in love with Portmeirion

Of St Davids Cathedral, the guide says its inclusion is due to a stunning location on the Pembrokeshire coast, as well as its peculiar purple colour and huge size in comparison with the tiny village where it stands.

Caernarfon Castle in Gwynedd, which is listed as number 315, is labelled “extraordinary” for its “fairy-tale aspect.”

The guide says: “Despite its fairy-tale aspect, this military strong hold, seat of government and royal palace of Edward I is thoroughly fortified; it resisted three sieges during the English Civil War before surrender to Cromwell’s army in 1646.

“These days, it’s still relatively intact and you can walk on and through the interconnected walls and towers, imagining the bloody battles that once took place here.”