Sights in Conwy
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Conwy Castle
Rising from a rocky outcrop with commanding views across the estuary and Snowdonia National Park, Conwy Castle may look like a fairytale construction. But it's very much solid, with eight fierce, slightly tapered towers of coarse dark stone and four additional turrets poking from the interior. The castle took just five years (1283-87) to build, with 1500 workers helping at the height of construction, and remains today one of the greatest examples of medieval military architecture in the UK.
After the Civil War in the 17th century, it fell into disrepair and the Council of State ordered it to be partially pulled down. Inside it's more tumbledown than its Unesco partner at …
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Conwy Suspension Bridge
With its Gothic turrets, Thomas Telford's handsome suspension bridge looks, at first glance, like an extension to Conwy Castle. It was completed, however, in 1826, the same year as Telford's other milestone bridge over the Menai Strait - both of them intended to speed the movement of people and goods from London to Holyhead.
Like its Menai cousin, it was eclipsed a quarter of a century later by an adjacent steel bridge designed by Robert Stephenson (who also designed the arch where the railway punctures the old town walls). The Conwy suspension bridge is now pedestrian and you can visit its restored tollhouse, furnished as it was over a century ago.
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Plas Mawr
Plas Mawr, one of Britain's finest surviving Elizabethan town houses, was built in 1585. The tall, whitewashed exterior is an indication of the owner's status, but gives no clue of the vivid friezes of the interior. The admission price includes a helpful audio tour; a combined ticket including entrance to the castle costs £6.85/5.85 per adult/child.
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Aberconwy House
Near to Plas Mawr, this timber-and- plaster building is the town's oldest medieval merchant's house, dating from around 1300. It has a gift shop downstairs for souvenirs.
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Royal Cambrian Academy
The twin white-walled galleries host a full program of exhibitions by members, plus visiting shows from the National Museum Wales and elsewhere. The academy also hosts the excellent Annual Summer Exhibition from July to September, featuring the cream of fine art in Wales under one roof.
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Smallest House in Great Britain
The Smallest House in Great Britain is a curiosity with dimensions of 72 by 122 inches & a mention in the Guinness Book of Records.
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Conwy Butterfly Jungle
Conwy Butterfly Jungle is a nature park with displays of exotic flora and fauna.
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Conwy Castle & Town Wall
Probably the most stunning of all Edward I's Welsh fortresses, built between 1277 and 1307, Conwy Castle rises from a rocky outcrop with commanding views across the estuary and Snowdonia National Park. Exploring the castle's nooks and crannies makes for a superb, living-history visit but, best of all, head to the battlements for panoramic views and an overview of Conwy's majestic complexity.
The 1200m-long Conwy town wall was built simultaneously with the castle, guarding Conwy's residents at night. You can walk part-way round the wall; the best views are to be had from Upper Gate.
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