Llandudno

Introducing Llandudno

Llandudno is a thriving seaside resort and Wales’ largest. The twin humps of the ancient mountains, the Great Orme and Little Orme, loom over the graceful Victorian wedding-cake architecture of the seafront buildings that line the sweeping prom for a full mile. The town seethes with tourists of all ages in summer and is now increasingly attracting a new generation of adventure seekers throughout the year with the West Shore developing as a centre for extreme sports. The town also makes a good base for walkers, with just 27 miles from Llandudno to Llanberis at the foot of Mt Snowdon.

Developed as an upmarket Victorian holiday town, it has retained much of its 19th-century atmosphere – only the kiss-me-quick tackiness of the pier lets the side down. In the town itself, a host of new guesthouses and restaurants have helped to bolster Llandudno’s upmarket aspirations. Today there are over 200 hotels and guesthouses in town and they do a roaring trade in summer. Travel writer Bill Bryson was even moved to describe it as his ‘favourite seaside resort’.

In 1861 the Liddell family, whose daughter was Lewis Carroll’s model for the main character of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, summered in the house that is now the St Tudno Hotel. Their legacy is marked with a statue of the White Rabbit on the West Shore.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009