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Madrid to North Wales: Conwy and Eryri

Madrid → Conwy → Eryri

Conwy
"Awyrlun o Gastell Conwy - Aerial photograph of Castell Conwy, Conwy County Borough, Cymru (Wales).jpg" by Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence
Tower Blocks over Knott Mill, geograph 6866152 by David Dixon (Manchester)
Photo: David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A walled castle town & mountain railways Best season (general guide): May–Sep

North Wales packs castles, mountains and a living Celtic language into a compact corner. This route spends three nights in Conwy and three in Eryri, also called Snowdonia. From Madrid you'll fly to Manchester, then take the train west. UNESCO lists the castles and town walls built by King Edward I in Gwynedd, including Conwy, whose walls with their towers still circle the town.

How to pace it: Spend days one to three in Conwy: day one, train from Manchester; day two, castle and town walls; day three, Llandudno and the Great Orme. Then spend days four to six in Eryri: day four, bus to Llanberis; day five, Snowdon by railway or on foot; day six, Betws-y-Coed and waterfalls.

On the quay, a tiny red cottage claims to be the smallest house in Great Britain. The Snowdon Mountain Railway climbs to near the summit in season, and several paths lead up on foot. Betws-y-Coed is a village in the forest with waterfalls and walking trails.

Welsh is widely spoken here, and signs are in both Welsh and English. May to September is the best season; mountain weather can turn quickly.

Telford's Conwy Suspension Bridge, finished in 1826, crosses the river beside the castle and is now a footbridge. The National Slate Museum in Llanberis is in the workshops of a former quarry.

Welsh cakes, griddled with currants, are sold in cafés everywhere. Yr Wyddfa rises to 1,085 metres. Llanberis's Dolbadarn Castle, a thirteenth-century Welsh tower, stands above the lake of Llyn Padarn, and the Llanberis Lake Railway runs along its shore.

Getting there and around: fly into Manchester, go on to Conwy overland, go on to Eryri by train and bus, and return by train and bus to Manchester for the flight home.

Safety: Canada's advice for the United Kingdom is to exercise a high degree of caution (updated 26 May 2026), and the US rates the United Kingdom Level 2 (9 Sep 2026).

Suggested outline

  1. Madrid

    Start

  2. Conwy

    By air · 3 nights suggested

    A medieval town inside castle walls.

  3. Eryri

    By train and bus · 3 nights suggested

    Wales's highest mountains.

    Eryri
    "Nant yn Eryri - Stream in Snowdonia - May 2024.jpg" by Js2968pmp, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons· licence

Day by day

  1. Day 1 · Conwy — Arrive; train from Manchester· Madrid → Manchester (by air), then Manchester → Conwy (overland)
  2. Day 2 · Conwy — Castle and town walls
  3. Day 3 · Conwy — Llandudno and the Great Orme
  4. Day 4 · Eryri — Bus to Llanberis· Conwy → Eryri (by train and bus)
  5. Day 5 · Eryri — Snowdon by railway or on foot
  6. Day 6 · Eryri — Betws-y-Coed and waterfalls
  7. Day 7 · Eryri — Travel home from Eryri· Eryri → Manchester (by train and bus), then Manchester → Madrid (by air)

A suggested pace only; expedition days are set by the operator.

Flights, leg by leg

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Conwy

Nearest airport: Manchester Search fares · Manchester ↗

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