{"id":261535,"date":"2025-07-13T12:12:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-13T12:12:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/261535\/"},"modified":"2025-07-13T12:12:15","modified_gmt":"2025-07-13T12:12:15","slug":"four-day-rail-pass-takes-you-all-around-wales-and-ultimate-route-you-can-go-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/261535\/","title":{"rendered":"Four-day rail pass takes you all around Wales and ultimate route you can go on"},"content":{"rendered":"

We all know Wales isn\u2019t short of pretty places to visit. But finding the time to visit them, and explore those hidden gems you\u2019ve had written in your notes app for months, can be tricky to get round to.<\/p>\n

As well as that trying to get to all the best ones at once by doing some mammoth drives around the country might not be your idea of a dream holiday. But it turns out lots of us might have been travelling around Wales wrong because there might actually be a better way.<\/p>\n

With the four-day Explore Wales rail pass, you can cover a lot \u2013 beaches, mountains, and castles \u2013 without needing a car, a bus, or a stressful amount of train ticket screenshots saved on your phone. It costs \u00a3149 for an adult and \u00a374.50 for a child but there are reduced rates if you have a railcard. From superstar gigs to cosy pubs, find out What\u2019s On in Wales by signing up to our newsletter here<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/b> I stayed at one of the most luxurious apartments in Wales with the best sea view<\/a><\/p>\n

READ MORE:<\/b> Best holiday park in Wales named \u2014 it scores higher than Bluestone and Haven<\/a><\/p>\n

You can buy an Explore Wales Pass from the Transport for Wales app<\/a> and website<\/a>, and at any of their stations and ticket offices<\/a> or from the conductor on the train. You\u2019ll need to have the app<\/a> to activate the ticket on your phone.<\/p>\n

The best thing about it is that it takes you all around Wales so you can pick and choose which places you go to. But if you\u2019re looking for a pre-planned route we\u2019ve come up with one which takes you from the capital to the southwest coast, through mid Wales, and up to the far edge of Anglesey<\/a> before looping back to Cardiff<\/a> so you can do a massive chunk of the country (and see some of its most striking spots) all in one go \u2013 and watching the scenery flash by is all part of the experience.<\/p>\n

Day one: Cardiff to Tenby\"Colourful<\/p>\n

Crackwell Street is part of the clifftop streets that boast the pretty, painted, mostly Georgian townhouses in Tenby -Credit:Alex Ridout, Media Wales<\/p>\n

Start from Cardiff Central and head west to Pembrey and Burry Port (about an hour and 25 minutes).<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a small station but there\u2019s a beach nearby if you fancy stretching your legs or just seeing the sea early in the day before heading to your main destination.<\/p>\n

From there hop back on and head to Tenby (around one hour 10 minutes via Carmarthen<\/a> and Whitland), which has previously been ranked highly as one of the best seaside towns to visit in the UK.<\/p>\n

With its four stunning beaches just a short stroll from the lively town centre, quaint cobbled streets that could rival those in Italy or the French Riviera, and a collection of eye-catching, brightly-coloured houses it’s hardly surprising.<\/p>\n

This charming harbour town has always been a draw for those looking for a seaside holiday with local hotspots often bustling with customers lining up during peak times.<\/p>\n

Day two: Tenby to Aberystwyth<\/p>\n

Head north to Fishguard and Goodwick (about one hour 46 minutes). This is a beautiful line winding past fields and the stunning coastline.<\/p>\n

After a short stop in Fishguard, and maybe some fish and chips, you\u2019ll double back through Carmarthen and Swansea<\/a> then across to Aberystwyth via the Cambrian Line.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a bit of a stretch as it\u2019s just over three hours altogether but the changing views more than make up for it with rivers, hills, and plenty of relaxation.<\/p>\n

\"View<\/p>\n

Aberystwyth is known as the ‘culture capital’ of Wales -Credit:Pawel Libera\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

Once you get to Aberystwyth<\/a> you\u2019re kind of spoilt for choice as this is somewhere that\u2019s been highlighted for being somewhere that kind of ticks all your boxes.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s loads to do and tick off if you want to plan ahead but it\u2019s also a stunning location just to meander around without really knowing where you\u2019re going.<\/p>\n

Aberystwyth Castle is one of the most standout features or you could just enjoy the beach and pier \u2013 or pretend you\u2019ve gone back in time and take a ride on the Vale of Rheidol Railway.<\/p>\n

Day three: Aberystwyth to Holyhead<\/p>\n

This is the big travel day as you\u2019ll be heading towards Holyhead (a four-and-a-half-hour journey from Aberystwyth) but as most routes swap in Bangor<\/a> you\u2019ll get to tick off another incredible Welsh city.<\/p>\n

From there you can get a train and stay on all the way to Holyhead right on the edge of beautiful Anglesey.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a long ride, but definitely not a dull one, and you\u2019ll get to pass Llanfairpwll and finally over the Menai Strait.<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

An aerial shot of the ancient Beaumaris castle -Credit:iStock \/ Getty Images Plus<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019re in Holyhead you can pretty much walk straight out onto harbour views and make your way to wherever you fancy heading on the island. Beaumaris is a stunning spot and there\u2019s also the Anglesey Sea Zoo, Plas Newydd House and Gardens, and the colourful town of Amlwch if you wanted to tick off some popular activities.<\/p>\n

Day four: Holyhead to Cardiff<\/p>\n

Time to head back. The return trip takes about four and a half hours if you wanted to go for a direct train.<\/p>\n

But if you fancy breaking the day up there\u2019s always the option to get out a couple of times if you\u2019re using the day pass and then hop back on a later train to Cardiff if you\u2019ve still got enough energy to see a few more sights.<\/p>\n

\"Llanfairfechan's<\/p>\n

Llanfairfechan’s promenade and beach is a popular spot -Credit:Visit Wales<\/p>\n

Llanfairfechan is on the way back and is a small town with a long stretching beach where you can enjoy the view of various mountains nearby and in the distance as it\u2019s so close to Eryri and is well worth a stop.<\/p>\n

Also on route is the gorgeous market town of Abergavenny. This might be the perfect place to grab some dinner before getting back to Cardiff as there are loads of cute shops and restaurants and it\u2019s got a traditional feel which makes it an attractive spot for tourists to head to.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"We all know Wales isn\u2019t short of pretty places to visit. But finding the time to visit them,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":261536,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5010],"tags":[748,12502,100040,4884,100041,12630,20170,16,15,1764],"class_list":{"0":"post-261535","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wales","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-cardiff","10":"tag-cardiff-central","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-media-wales","13":"tag-mid-wales","14":"tag-tenby","15":"tag-uk","16":"tag-united-kingdom","17":"tag-wales"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114845866195944324","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261535"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261535\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}