The ancient Welsh town situated at the shore of the Menai Strait is always ready to welcome foreign guests. Tourists from all over the world come here to explore the fabulous area that still has retained its glorious historical atmosphere. Don’t forget to visit the major landmark of the area – a medieval castle that shares its name with the town.
First settlers in Caernarfon appeared yet during the prehistoric times. At that time, the Ordovices, a Celtic tribe, were the main inhabitants. When Romans appeared in the region, they built a fort here. However, when Romans left the British land the fort was destroyed. Normans built their own castle on the ruins of the fort, establishing a settlement that turned into a town later.
Perhaps, the local dialect is the first thing that tourists notice when they arrive in the town. Despite the fact that Caernarfon is a part of Wales, which is a part of the United Kingdom, almost twenty percent of local people speak an old dialect. Welsh is still widespread in the region, so it is not rare to see shop signs and inscriptions in this language.
As it was mentioned before, Caernarfon Castle is the main landmark in the region. The large medieval construction is widely recognized as one of the most spectacular castles in Europe. The castle consists of nine towers. By the way, each of the towers has its own name. These are the Eagle Tower, Queen's Tower, Well Tower, Chamberlain Tower, Black Tower, Granary Tower, North-East Tower, and Cistern Tower. The gates, which look like separate towers, also have their own names – the Queen’s and King’s Gate. During an excursion in the castle, you will see interesting galleries for archers.
The giant castle was supposed to be the symbol of King Edward’s power and confidence, but the building wasn’t completed. Walls and towers have survived until our days in their original condition. Unfortunately, the inner halls of the castle became damaged with time. There are many legends about the marvelous giant castle. One of these legends tells how the eldest son of the king got the title of the Prince of Wales. A visit to the main attraction of the city is a great way to learn more about the royal family and its lifestyle.
In Caernarfon, tourists can explore not only the castle but also the surrounding area that is no less charming. For example, tourists enjoy visiting Segontium, a Roman fort. This fort was founded by Agricola in 77 AD when Romans expanded the territory of their empire in the United Kingdom until Wales. The main purpose of the fort was to prevent free entrance to the Welsh coast and protect the region from invaders.
Only ruins of the ancient fortification have survived until our days. Despite this, it is still worth visiting this attraction, see the ruins with your own eyes, and try to guess how the fort looked like in the past. The ruins still have a mysterious atmosphere of ancient times. Regardless of the fact that the fort was destroyed many years ago, many elements of the construction have survived until modern times. There was a Roman temple not far from the fort – it was a sacred place for all soldiers who, despite their power and strength, were coming to this temple before every battle to pray. There was also a cemetery nearby where Romans buried the dead.
What activities can Caernarfon offer for tourists with children? For young guests of the city, there is a sea zoo that is home to more than one hundred fifty underwater creatures. In this zoo, visitors can see eels, different sharks, and sea vegetation. Young tourists enjoy visiting the lobster incubator – a special chamber that grows these fabulous creatures. Besides the animals mentioned above, the zoo has two different species of sea horses. Starting from 1995, the zoo has been saving injured and sick animals, such as dolphins, whales, seals, and turtles.
Tourists can get to Caernarfon from London by train. The journey time is approximately three hours. The train stops in Bangor, where tourists need to make a change. Buses from Bangor to Caernarfon depart every fifteen minutes. It takes roughly twenty minutes to get to the destination point. There is one more way to reach Caernarfon – by ferry. However, this transport type is very slow because the first stop is in Holyhead. After that, tourists need to switch to train to Bangor and then take a bus to Caernarfon.