Cadw: 121 Places to Visit

CADW is the historic environment service of the Welsh Government and part of the Tourism and Culture group. Cadw works to protect the historic buildings and structures, the landscapes and heritage sites of Wales, so that the public can visit them, enjoy them and understand their significance.

Cadw manages 127 state-owned properties and sites. It arranges events at its managed properties, provides lectures and teaching sessions, offers heritage walks and hosts an online shop.

So, where would you like to go?

To start with, Wales has some of the best castles in the world and some of the most beautiful ones too. In addition, there are abbeys, churches and chapels and some of the most atmospheric ancient monuments which visitors have been seeking out for thousands of years.

Wales also has monuments that recall a proud heritage as one of the first industrial nations in the world and sites that tell the stories of the medieval Welsh princes.

Here, Cadw offers brief teasers of a whole range of exciting places to explore…

Barclodiad y Gawres Burial Chamber – An atmospheric tomb with rare examples of prehistoric art

Basingwerk Abbey – A medieval religious centre that’s still a place of pilgrimage

Beaumaris Castle – Fortress of near-perfect symmetry is an unfinished masterpiece

Blaenavon Ironworks – Giant of the industrial age still stands tall on the shoulders of its workers

Bodowyr Burial Chamber – Neolithic standing stones still shrouded in mystery

Brecon Gaer Roman Fort – Rural remains of a major military outpost

Bronllys Castle – Sturdy stone tower with a turbulent history

Bryn Celli Ddu Burial Chamber – Iconic Neolithic tomb with a celestial secret

Bryntail Lead Mine Buildings – Peaceful remains of a busy industrial hub

Cae’r Gors – Childhood home of a literary heroine and showcase for a unique industrial landscape

Caer Gybi Roman Fortlet – Northern military outpost in a strategic coastal location

Caer Lêb – Prehistoric settlement with Roman and medieval connections

Caer y Twr – Iron Age settlement in a spectacular mountaintop location

Caerleon Amphitheatre – Blood-soaked Roman entertainment meets Arthurian myth

Caerleon Roman Fortress and Baths – The luxury and bloodshed of life in a Roman fortress

Caernarfon Castle – After all these years Caernarfon’s immense strength remains undimmed

Caernarfon Town Walls – Caernarfon’s security blanket

Caerphilly Castle – Fear of a Welsh prince inspired the mightiest medieval castle in Wales

Caerphilly Castle copyright: Ewegottalove Wales

Caerwent Roman Town – A glimpse into a Romanised market town

Capel Garmon Burial Chamber – Neolithic burial chamber in an unexplained location

Capel Lligwy – Possibly all that’s left of a vanished community

Carew Cross – Celtic art, Cadw icon

Carreg Cennen Castle – Iconic ruin offers an unforgettably romantic experience

Carreg Coetan Arthur Burial Chamber – Neolithic tomb with links to Arthurian myth

Carswell Medieval House – Through the keyhole of a modest medieval home

Castell Bryn Gwyn – Prehistoric site with an extensive history

Castell Coch – Fairytale castle was a plaything for the rich and powerful

Castell y Bere – Architectural ingenuity and natural advantages combine in a must-visit Welsh-built fortress

Chepstow Bulwarks Camp – Hidden remnants of an Iron Age fort

Chepstow Castle – The stones of this magnificent clifftop fortress trace 600 years of history

Chepstow Port Wall – Extensive remains of medieval town walls

Cilgerran Castle – Spectacular castle that wasn’t quite as secure as the Normans hoped

Coity Castle – Romantic ruined castle, a storyboard in stone

Conwy Castle – Magnificent medieval fortress still towers over town after 700 years

Conwy Town Walls – Walking the walls of a World Heritage Site

Criccieth Castle – Spectacular coastal castle built – and destroyed – by powerful Welsh princes

Cymer Abbey – An example of Cistercian influence in medieval Wales

Denbigh Castle – Mighty fortress evokes the drama of medieval warfare

Denbigh Friary – Ruined religious settlement laid low by Henry VIII

Denbigh Town Walls – The first line of defence for Denbigh’s medieval castle

Denbigh, Lord Leicester’s Church – Remains of an ill-fated Elizabethan church

Denbigh, St Hilary’s Chapel – Simple town church that welcomed a celebrity congregation

Derwen Churchyard Cross – Preaching cross with striking Christian carvings that has stood the test of time

Din Dryfol Burial Chamber – Burial site and time capsule from the Neolithic period

Din Lligwy Hut Group – Revealing late Roman settlement – but was it originally from the Iron Age?

Dinefwr Castle – Much fought-over seat of the kingdom of Deheubarth

Dolbadarn Castle – Welsh castle and solitary guardian of Snowdonia’s Llanberis Pass

Dolforwyn Castle – Ruined symbol of Welsh defiance

Dolwyddelan Castle – Commanding Welsh stronghold in spectacular mountain

Dryslwyn Castle – Fragmentary – yet evocative – remains of a castle laid low by conflict

Dyffryn Ardudwy Burial Chamber – Neighbouring tombs built several generations apart

Dyfi Furnace – Perfectly-preserved example of Welsh industrial heritage in a sublime rural setting

Eliseg’s Pillar – Unpicking the mysteries of this early Christian cross

Ewenny Priory – An unusually war-like religious settlement

Ewloe Castle – Native-built castle in an unconventional forest setting

Flint Castle – The earliest and most unusual of Wales’s English-built castles

Grosmont Castle – Big on the border

Gwydir Uchaf Chapel – Look upwards to lift the spirits

Hafoty Medieval House – From timber to stone

Harlech Castle – None of Edward I’s mighty coastal fortresses has a more spectacular setting

Haverfordwest Priory – Religious men with green fingers

Hen Gwrt Moated Site – A well-preserved moat protecting a vanished manor

Heritage Cottage – A terraced time capsule

Holyhead Mountain Hut Circles – A farming community from the past

Kidwelly Castle – Norman stronghold is a match for the greatest castles of Wales

Lamphey Bishop’s Palace – A bishop’s tipple

Laugharne Castle – Mighty medieval castle, Tudor mansion and poet’s hideout

Llangar Old Parish Church – The writing’s on the wall

Llanmelin Wood Hillfort – Who lived here?

Llansteffan Castle – A prime piece of real estate

Llansteffan Castle © Hawlfraint y Goron / © Crown copyright (2022) Cymru Wales

Llanthony Priory – A timeless treasure

Llawhaden Castle – Forgotten castle-cum-mansion that stays in the memory

Lligwy Burial Chamber – A true heavyweight

Loughor Castle – Thou shalt not cross

Maen Achwyfan Cross – The art of the Vikings

Margam Stones Museum – Magnificent carved stones reach back to the dawn of Christianity in Wales

Monmouth Castle – Ruined castle with a regal history

Montgomery Castle – More than the sum of its parts

Neath Abbey and Gatehouse – A site of power – both religious and industrial

Newcastle, Bridgend – A castle built to last

Newport Castle – Final remains of a significant waterfront fortress

Ogmore Castle – Step into the past

Old Beaupre Castle – Medieval manor with extravagant Tudor additions and status symbols

Oxwich Castle – A castle in name only but hugely impressive

Parc le Breos Burial Chamber – Superb example of a Neolithic chambered tomb

Penarth Fawr Medieval House – Rare stone-built dwelling with impressive timbered supports

Penmon Dovecote – A bird box on a truly epic scale

Penmon Priory, Cross and St Seiriol’s Well – Three for the price of one at this important holy site

Penrhos Feilw Standing Stones – Bronze Age standing stones shrouded in mystery

Pentre Ifan Burial Chamber – Skeletal remains of a Neolithic tomb in haunting location

Plas Mawr – Britain’s finest town house of the golden Elizabethan age

Pont Minllyn – Picturesque hidden bridge over the River Dyfi

Presaddfed Burial Chamber – Two of a kind

Raglan Castle – Welsh fortress-palace transformed into regal residence

Rhuddlan Castle – Awesome feat of engineering still towers above the River Clwyd

Rug Chapel – Extravagant private chapel of an arch Royalist who clung to the old ways

Runston Chapel – Lonely chapel of a long-lost village

Segontium Roman Fort – Roman stronghold that passed into Welsh legend

Skenfrith Castle – Significant medieval fortress with a substantial central tower

St Cybi’s Well – Hidden holy well with possible pagan origins

St Davids Bishop’s Palace – Magnificent medieval palace that rivalled its cathedral for glory

St Dogmaels Abbey and Coach House – Century-spanning ruins of a significant religious settlement

St Lythans Burial Chamber – Lonely Neolithic tomb with links to Arthurian legend

St Non’s Chapel – Reputed birthplace of Wales’s patron saint in uplifting location

St Quentin’s Castle, Llanblethian – Ruined remains of a 14th-Century castle

St Winefride’s Chapel and Holy Well – Still a popular place of pilgrimage

Strata Florida Abbey – Grand medieval abbey where generations of Welsh princes are buried

Swansea Castle – Urban remnants of a once-mighty fortress

Talley Abbey – Skeletal remains of a unique religious settlement

Tinkinswood Burial Chamber – A spectacular feat of prehistoric engineering

Tintern Abbey – Gothic masterpiece became a Romantic symbol of the sublime

Tintern Abbey, situated on the banks of the River Wye in Monmouthshire © Hawlfraint y Goron / © Crown copyright (2022) Cymru Wales

Trefignath Burial Chamber – A trio of tombs

Tregwehelydd Standing Stone – Splintered remains of a Bronze Age monument

Tretower Court and Castle – Two-in-one architectural wonder spans 900 years of history

Twthill, Rhuddlan – Medieval mound where a long-lost castle once stood

Ty Mawr Standing Stone – Solitary, strangely shaped Bronze Age monument

Tŷ Newydd Burial Chamber – Prehistoric art and arrowheads

Valle Crucis Abbey – Majestic medieval abbey was legendary for its lavish feasts

Weobley Castle – High-society home with its very own watchtower

White Castle – The shape of things to come? An early glimpse of Edward I’s Welsh castle-building project

Wiston Castle – Well-preserved motte-and-bailey with a turbulent history

https://cadw.gov.wales/visit