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Planning a First Visit
When I first went to Wales on a day trip a few months after I had moved to England, I did so after consulting a guidebook from the Rough Guides series. Without that act of book perusal, the day in question might not have been the success that it became. Many a Scottish escapade was informed by the web so my having gone non-digital for that first Welsh incursion may come as a surprise, especially when you get to perusing the websites that I have collected below.
The same themes seem to recur for a visit to any place: what to see, what to do and where to stay. This bunch below should help with those needs and I can vouch that Wales does have a lot of to offer and it somehow manages to evade the attentions of other parts of the U.K. so quiet spots away from both the beaten track and the madding crowds are there aplenty, especially if you keep away from the epicentres of attention in its National Parks. As it happens, I still am exploring so that may allow me to keep adding to what you already find here.
Practicalities
In Britain these days, it seems insufficient to title yourself as a tourist board or agency so monikers like "Visit x" or "Enjoy y" pop up all over the place; the practice may have started in Scotland and spread from there. This was formerly known as the Wales Tourist Board so that should give the general idea as to what you might find here. It's just as well that it probably as good a place to start as any if you are picking somewhere to see in Wales, especially since satellite sites dealing with hill walking and other outdoor pursuits are also featured. Not only that but the site has regional sections too.
An extensive compendium of Welsh tourist information with plenty of accommodation options in its listings and descriptions of the attractions of a good few of Wales' towns too.
This site contains some nice photographs and useful information. If only it didn't use so many of Internet Explorer's proprietary features!
Another compendium of Welsh travel and tourist information.
Here is a varied selection of websites collecting up a wide range of visitor accommodation in Wales. Everything from holiday cottages to hotels is included.
Attractions
This is an agency of the Welsh Assembly Government that manages many heritage sites around the principality. That makes it a good port of call on the web when it comes to finding places to see on a visit to Wales. For instance, they manage Valle Crucis Abbey near Llangollen and the ruin is well kept with a charge for entry in the high season and access free of charge at other times. Of course, there's much more than this and a leaflet that I picked up in Swansea over the summer revealed that there are numerous sites in the south of Wales alone.
