Must-see attractions in Southeast Wales

  • Caerphilly Castle, Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales

    Caerphilly Castle

    Southeast Wales

    You could be forgiven for thinking that Caerphilly Castle – with its profusion of towers and crenellations reflected in a duck-filled lake – was a film…

  • Tintern Abbey, Wales

    Tintern Abbey

    Southeast Wales

    The haunting riverside ruins of this sprawling monastic complex have inspired poets and artists through the centuries, most notably William Wordsworth,…

  • Aerial View.Carreg Cennen.Castles.Historic Sites

    Carreg Cennen

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Dramatically perched atop a steep limestone crag, high above the River Cennen, are the brooding ruins of Wales' ultimate romantic castle, visible for…

  • Chepstow Castle

    Southeast Wales

    Imposing Chepstow Castle perches atop a limestone cliff overhanging the river, guarding the main river crossing from England into South Wales. It is one…

  • Pen-y-Fan

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Ascending Pen-y-Fan (886m), the tallest peak in the Brecon Beacons, is one of the most popular hikes in the park (around 350,000 people make the climb…

  • Big Pit National Coal Museum

    Southeast Wales

    Fascinating Big Pit provides an opportunity to explore a real coal mine and get a taste of what life was like for the miners who worked here from 1880 to…

  • St Issui's Church

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Halfway up a thickly forested hillside in the Vale of Eywas, this tiny 11th-century church is like a time capsule of Welsh faith and culture, buried too…

  • Garn Goch

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    You're likely to have the impressive remains of Garn Goch to yourself. One of the largest Iron Age sites in Wales, it comprises a smaller hill fort…

  • Llanthony Priory

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Halfway along the impossibly beautiful Vale of Ewyas lie the atmospheric ruins of this Augustinian priory, set among pasture and wooded hills by the River…

  • St Mary's Priory Church

    Southeast Wales

    Although you wouldn't guess it from the outside, this large stone church has been described as the 'Westminster Abbey of South Wales' because of the…

  • Tretower Court & Castle

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Originally the home of the Vaughan family, Tretower gives you two historic buildings for the price of one: the sturdy circular Norman keep, now roofless…

  • Tredegar House near Newport in Gwent. Popular tourist attraction and set in a beautiful 90 acre park, Tredegar House is one of the best examples of a 17th century Charles II mansion in Britain.

    Tredegar House

    Southeast Wales

    The seat of the Morgan family for more than 500 years, Tredegar House is a stone and red-brick 17th-century building set amid extensive gardens, 2 miles…

  • Raglan Castle

    Southeast Wales

    The last great medieval castle to be built in Wales, Raglan was designed more as a swaggering declaration of wealth and power than a defensive fortress. A…

  • Welsh Mining Experience

    Southeast Wales

    Until its last pit closed in 1990, the Rhondda Valley was synonymous with coal mining. That industrial heritage is celebrated within the buildings of the…

  • Blaenavon Ironworks

    Southeast Wales

    When it was completed in 1789, this ironworks was among the most advanced in the world. Today the site is one of the best preserved of all its Industrial…

  • Waterfall Country

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    A series of dramatic waterfalls lies between the villages of Pontneddfechan and Ystradfellte, where the Rivers Mellte, Hepste and Pyrddin pass through…

  • St Woolos Cathedral

    Southeast Wales

    A steep 10-minute walk uphill from the main shopping strip leads to Newport's ancient cathedral. The building provides a fascinating journey through…

  • Ysgyryd Fawr

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Of the glacially sculpted hills that surround Abergavenny, Skirrid (486m) is the most dramatic looking and has a history to match. A cleft in the rock…

  • Penderyn Distillery

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Though Wales has a long history of spirit distillation, this boutique distillery released its first malt whisky only in 2004, marking the resurgence of…

  • Cyfarthfa Castle

    Southeast Wales

    For a measure of the wealth that accumulated at the top of the industrial pile, check out this castle, built in 1825 by William Crawshay II, overlooking…

  • Talgarth Mill

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Restored with the assistance of the BBC's Village SOS television show, Talgarth's 17th-century watermill is back in business for the first time since 1946…

  • Caerleon Roman Fortress Baths

    Southeast Wales

    Like any good Roman town, Caerleon had a grand public bath complex. Parts of the outdoor swimming pool, apodyterium (changing room) and frigidarium (cold…

  • Crug Hywel

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Distinctive flat-topped Crug Hywel (Hywel's Rock; 451m), better known as Table Mountain, rises to the north of Crickhowell and gave the town its name. You…

  • Bronllys Castle

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Looking like it's slid straight off a chess board, Bronllys' circular tower was built in 1230 on the site of an earlier Norman motte-and-bailey castle…

  • Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway

    Southeast Wales

    Built to haul coal and passengers, this railway has been restored by local volunteers, allowing you to catch a train from the town centre to Furnace…

  • Blaenavon World Heritage Centre

    Southeast Wales

    Housed in an artfully converted old school, this centre contains a cafe, a tourist office, a gallery, a gift shop and, more importantly, excellent…

  • Red Kite Feeding Centre

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    A multitude of majestic birds of prey swoop in daily for their afternoon meal of manky meat scraps at this remote feeding centre. You're likely to see…

  • Dan-yr-Ogof National Showcaves Centre for Wales

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    The limestone plateau of the southern Fforest Fawr is riddled with some of the largest and most complex cave systems in Britain. Most can only be visited…

  • Brecon Cathedral

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Perched on a hill above the River Honddu, Brecon Cathedral was founded in 1093 as part of a Benedictine monastery, though little remains of the original…

  • Blorenge

    Southeast Wales

    Of the three mountains encircling Abergavenny, Blorenge (561m) is the closest to town – the round trip is only 5 miles – but it is a steep and strenuous…

  • Tithe Barn

    Southeast Wales

    The large blocky building next to the church is the former abbey's 12th-century tithe barn, the place where people brought their obligatory contributions…

  • Shire Hall

    Southeast Wales

    Fronting Agincourt Sq at the north end of Monnow St, this handsome Georgian building was built in 1724 to house sittings of the assizes court. It was here…

  • Abergavenny Museum & Castle

    Southeast Wales

    Abergavenny castle's keep was converted into a hunting lodge during the Victorian era and now houses a small museum. It tells the history of the castle…

  • The Regimental Museum of The Royal Welsh

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Based at Brecon's military barracks (built 1805), this museum commemorates the history of the Royal Welsh – a newish British Army infantry regiment…

  • Nelson Museum & Local History Centre

    Southeast Wales

    Admiral Horatio Nelson visited Monmouth twice in 1802, officially en route to inspect Pembrokeshire forests for ship timber, though it may have had more…

  • Fan Brycheiniog

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    The finest feature (and the highest point) of the Black Mountain is the sweeping escarpment of Fan Brycheiniog (802m), reached via a fairly strenuous 11.5…

  • Medieval Ship Centre

    Southeast Wales

    In 2002, construction work for the Riverfront Art Centre uncovered the remains of the most complete medieval ship ever found, buried in the mud on the…

  • Brecon Mountain Railway

    Southeast Wales

    Between 1859 and 1964 this narrow-gauge railway hauled coal and passengers between Merthyr and Brecon. A 5.5-mile section of track, between Pant Station…

  • Hay Castle

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Standing in considerable decrepitude in the town centre, Hay's battered castle is closed to the public but there are various interesting shops to explore…

  • Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal

    Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog

    Brecon is the northern terminus of this canal, built between 1799 and 1812 for the movement of coal, iron ore, limestone and agricultural goods. The 33…