Conwy Castle is an impressive medieval fortress built between 1283 and 1287, and a must-see when in North Wales.
Opening times and admission
Opening hours and ticket prices vary throughout the year:
March to June open daily from 9.30 am to 5 pm.
July to August open daily from 9.30 am to 6 pm
September to October open daily from 9.30 am to 5 pm.
November to February open daily from 10 am to 5 pm.
An adult entry ticket is £11.90 while a discounted ticket for children and students is £8.30. Please check their official website (link here) for up-to-date info.
How to get there
Conwy Castle is a 5-minute walk from Conwy Train Station.
If driving there, there are quite a few Car Parks within walking distance (4-5 minutes) of the Castle.
From Morfa Bach Car Park, I walked up to the town Walls to the Mill Gate (see above). From there I walked for 4-5 minutes to the visitor centre/gift shop.
The gift shop had the usual variety of toys, trinkets, sweets, pencils, pens and books, so if you're looking for souvenirs, you have quite a few to choose from.
What I particularly liked was that they have numerous reproductions of paintings of Conwy Castle scattered on the walls leading to the restrooms.
Conwy Castle has been a World Heritage Site since 1986, being part of the 'Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd' along with Harlech, Caernarfon and Beaumaris. All were built during the reign of King Edward (1272-1307) and are still very well preserved.
Now, before you start your visit just be prepared to climb a lot of steep and narrow steps (if you can), so make sure to wear appropriate footwear. If going up numerous stairs isn't a possibility for you, don't worry, the ground level is still impressive and certainly worth a visit.
There are 8 towers, 4 of which have turrets, all accessible via stairs, some very easy to climb, some a bit more challenging.
From the visitor centre, you first walk on a small bridge connecting it to a path/ramp which will take you to the castle gate.
As you walk in through the Gate-Passage, you will enter the Outer Ward.
This part of the Castle contained the Great Hall, the Chapel, the Kitchen, the Bakehouse and Brewhouse, the Well, also the Kitchen Tower, Prison Tower North-West and South-West Towers.
On the left-hand side, you will see a wooden sculpture (see above), with which everyone seemed to want a picture, no matter the age.
Behind the sculpture, you can find the entrance to the North-West Tower. From there you can go on a wall walk, from which you will have a better view of how different areas were divided.
Once you've explored enough of the Outer Ward, it's time to move forward towards the Inner Ward which used to have the King and Queen's Chambers, the Granary as well as the Bakehouse Tower, the King's Tower, the Chapel Tower and the Stockhouse Tower. Each of these towers also has a turret (a smaller tower on top of the bigger tower, if anyone's wondering). You can climb up the turrets as well, for an even better view.
There are a few boards with bits of information scattered around Conwy Castle, but, if you want a better understanding of its history, I recommend doing a little research before going, or buying the guidebook from the visitor centre/gift shop as it is quite comprehensive and answers any questions you might have about this beautiful castle and its history.
If you want to venture around Conwy Castle and climb up every single tower and turret, I would recommend setting aside around 2 to 3 hours for this visit.
Overall, it was very much worth the visit. The castle itself is amazing and the views of Conwy River and Conwy from the towers are great.
Since you happen to be in North Wales, you might want to try a Day-Trip to Llandudno which is a 10-minute drive away, or a trip to Aber Falls, which is a 35-minute drive away from Conwy Castle.
Have you ever been there? If so, I would love to hear about your visit there, in the comment section below.
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