A Whirlwind Tour of North Wales - The 4 Things You Won't Want to Miss!

My husband and I decided to make a last minute trip to Northern Wales in August, and realized that we would have only 2 days for sightseeing, 2 small children, and a whole list of things that we wanted to see and do. Clearly, we needed to cut down our to-do list and focus on the highlights of North Wales. Here are the four tourist attractions that made the cut, why we chose them, and why you should include them on your holiday in Wales with children, too.

Welsh Mountain Zoo

Located in Colwyn Bay, the Welsh Mountain Zoo is a must see for visitors with children. The zoo is situated on a mountain overlooking the bay, so the view is spectacular. Visitors to the zoo are able to see everything from bears and foxes to penguins and leopards. There is also a children's petting farm. In addition, I can honestly say that the food at Café Safari Restaurant is the most reasonably priced zoo or theme park food that I have ever had, and it didn't taste half bad, either! My daughters loved the huge playground, as well as walking around to explore the animals in green fields instead of on concrete slabs. The three hours we spent at the Welsh Mountain Zoo flew by, and was a highlight of our trip to Wales.

Caernarfon Castle

This large castle ruin is famous as the site of Prince Charles' investiture as the Prince of Wales. As a part of Wales' CADW, English Heritage members are able to receive half price entry for their first year of membership, and free entry in subsequent years. My children loved running around through the courtyard and through the hallways of the castle, and I loved that we were able to see a more complete castle ruin without having to worry about my children breaking anything! Caernarfon Castle was incredible to explore and no trip to Wales, whether with children or adults, would be complete without stopping here.

Beaumaris Castle

The primary reason we decided to stop at Beaumaris, another CADW site, was because the castle had a moat, which my husband thought was incredibly cool. The castle itself, though, was amazing to look at and explore. In fact, we enjoyed it more than Caernarfon. The courtyard was wonderful for my children to play in, there was a playground outside, and there were still halls to walk through and staircases to climb inside the castle walls. Exploring Beaumaris Castle will entertain children and adults alike.

Llandudno

This seaside resort town where we chose to stay on our trip to North Wales deserves its own mention. The town was absolutely lovely and we were disappointed that the cold and rainy August day of our visit didn't allow us more opportunity to explore. There is a pier with children's games and rides, and a lovely main street to walk down with shops and pubs. In addition, we were able to find many of the necessities that one might desire with children, namely, McDonald's. We also found a plethora of family friend accommodations available in the town center.

North Wales definitely has a lot to offer visitors traveling with small children. If you are contemplating a visit to Wales while touring the United Kingdom, these spots should top your list!