Conwy is only about ten minutes from our door — a medieval walled town with a castle, a harbour and the smallest house in Britain. Here's our perfect day.
In short — ten minutes from Llandudno, Conwy packs a UNESCO castle, complete town walls, a pretty quay and the Smallest House in Britain into one easy day.
Of all the questions we're asked over the years, "what's worth seeing nearby?" comes up most — and our answer almost always starts with Conwy. It's one of the great things about staying with us: some of the best things to do in Conwy are only ten to fifteen minutes from our front door, yet stepping through those medieval town walls feels like arriving somewhere else entirely. A walled town, a proper castle, a working quay and the smallest house in Britain, all in one tidy, walkable bundle.
We've sent more guests off to Conwy than we could count, and they nearly always come back glowing. So here's how we'd spend a day there — unhurried, on foot, with a coffee or two along the way.
Why Conwy from Llandudno makes such an easy day out
Conwy and Llandudno sit on opposite sides of the same estuary, which is why a Conwy day trip is so simple to fold into a stay with us. You can be there before you've properly woken up. The town itself is small and almost entirely walkable once you arrive, so this isn't a day of driving from car park to car park — it's a day of wandering, which is exactly how Conwy is best enjoyed.
The whole place is wrapped in its medieval walls, with the castle anchoring one end and the harbour the other. Between them you've got narrow streets, a grand Elizabethan townhouse, a famously tiny cottage on the quay and three very different bridges crossing the river. It's the kind of town where you can have a full, satisfying day without ever feeling rushed or footsore.
Conwy Castle: the heart of the things to do in Conwy
If you do one thing, make it the castle. Conwy Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, built by Edward I in the late thirteenth century as part of his ring of fortresses across North Wales, and it's one of the most complete medieval castles you'll find anywhere in Britain. From the moment you cross the river and see those eight great towers rising over the rooftops, you understand why it's stood for more than seven hundred years.
Inside, you can climb the towers and walk the high battlements, with the river, the estuary and the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia) opening up around you as you go. It's a real climb in places — proper spiral stairs and uneven steps — so sensible shoes are a good idea, and it's worth giving yourself a couple of hours rather than dashing round. A few things we'd mention to guests:
- The views from the top are the whole point — pick a clear-ish day if you can, and you'll see right across to the hills.
- It can be breezy up on the walls even when the streets below are still, so take a layer.
- The castle is run by Cadw; we'd always suggest checking opening times before you set off, as they vary by season.
Walking the medieval town walls
Here's the thing many visitors don't realise until they're standing there: Conwy's town walls are not a ruin you look at — they're a walkway you can actually walk along. They're among the finest and most complete in Europe, ringing almost the entire old town with their towers and gateways still in place. You can climb up onto sections of them and follow the parapet, looking down over the slate rooftops on one side and out over the river and quay on the other.
It's free, it's a lovely way to get your bearings, and it gives you that little thrill of seeing the town the way it was meant to be defended. The walk has steps and some narrow, exposed stretches, so it's not for everyone, but if you've a head for a bit of height it's one of our favourite things to do in Conwy.
The quay, the harbour and the Smallest House in Great Britain
Wander down through the town and you'll come out at the quay, which is still a working harbour — fishing boats, the smell of the sea, mussels landed here for generations. It's a gentle, characterful spot to potter, watch the tide and the boats, and feel the estuary air. On a fine day you could happily sit here for an hour and call it a holiday.
And right on the quayside is the town's most photographed resident: the Smallest House in Great Britain. It's a bright red little cottage, barely wider than its own front door, that was genuinely lived in right up until around 1900 — the last tenant was reportedly a fisherman well over six feet tall, which makes the whole thing even more endearing. You can pop inside for a small charge and marvel at how anyone managed a life in there. It takes about two minutes to see and stays with you far longer.
Plas Mawr and pottering the streets
Back up in the town, leave time to simply potter. The streets are narrow and full of character, with independent shops, old pubs and tearooms tucked along them. The real gem among them is Plas Mawr, a beautifully preserved Elizabethan townhouse from the sixteenth century — one of the best surviving town houses of its era anywhere in Britain. Its painted plasterwork, grand chambers and little courtyard give you a vivid sense of how a wealthy merchant family lived four hundred years ago. Like the castle it's a Cadw site, and seasonal, so do check before you build your day around it.
Beyond that, there's no need for a plan. Half the pleasure of Conwy is letting the streets lead you — a bookshop here, a bakery there, a glimpse of the castle at the end of an alley.
The three bridges and the suspension bridge
Where the road and rail cross the river beside the castle, you'll find a curious trio of bridges side by side, each from a different age. The graceful one is Thomas Telford's suspension bridge of 1826, designed so its towers would echo the castle's own. It once carried all the coaching traffic into town; now it's a footbridge in the care of the National Trust, with a restored toll-keeper's house at one end. Strolling across it, with the castle looming above and the river sliding underneath, is a small, quiet pleasure — and a lovely way to round off the morning.
Where to pause for lunch or a coffee
You won't go hungry in Conwy. The town is full of welcoming tearooms, cafés, bakeries and pubs, and a good number of them have views of the quay or the castle. We'd gently steer you towards:
- A café or tearoom in the old town for coffee and cake mid-morning, after the castle.
- The quayside for lunch if the weather's kind — there are spots where you can eat looking out over the boats, and Conwy mussels are a local speciality worth trying in season.
- One of the town's old pubs if you fancy something heartier and a sit-down out of the wind.
And of course, you don't have to do all your eating in Conwy. Plenty of guests treat it as an afternoon out and save dinner for back here, where there's no shortage of choice — we keep a running list of our favourite places to eat back in Llandudno for exactly this reason.
How to get to Conwy from Llandudno
Getting across is easy. By car it's a short drive of around ten minutes — though we'd say park once you arrive and explore on foot, as the old town is compact and the streets are narrow. There's also a regular train and bus service linking Llandudno with Conwy, which takes the parking question off the table entirely and drops you close to the action.
If you're staying with us and want the lie of the land before you set off, our page on getting here and around covers the practicalities of trains, buses and roads in this corner of North Wales. However you travel, it's a genuinely short hop — one of the joys of using Llandudno as your base.
More Llandudno guides
- Snowdonia (Eryri) Day Trips from Llandudno: Six Adventures Within an Hour
- Llandudno's Victorian Heritage: Staying in the Queen of the Welsh Resorts
- A Family Guide to Llandudno: Where to Stay & What to Do with Kids
Frequently asked questions
How far is Conwy from Llandudno?
Conwy sits just across the estuary from Llandudno, around ten minutes away by car. There's also a regular train and bus service between the two, so you can easily visit Conwy without driving.
What are the best things to do in Conwy?
The highlights are Conwy Castle (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), walking the medieval town walls, the harbour quay with the Smallest House in Great Britain, the Elizabethan townhouse Plas Mawr, and Telford's suspension bridge. The old town is small and walkable, so you can see most of it comfortably in a day.
Can you do Conwy as a day trip from Llandudno?
Absolutely — it's one of the easiest day trips you can make from here. Many of our guests head over mid-morning, do the castle and the walls, have lunch on the quay and wander back in the afternoon. It pairs beautifully with a couple of nights in Llandudno.
Do you have to pay to walk Conwy's town walls?
No — walking the town walls is free, and it's one of the loveliest things to do in Conwy. You can climb up onto sections of the parapet and follow them around much of the old town. Conwy Castle and Plas Mawr do charge for entry and are seasonal, so it's worth checking their opening times first.
Is Conwy good for families?
Very. Children tend to love clambering round a real castle, walking the walls and squeezing into the Smallest House on the quay. Just bear in mind the castle and walls have plenty of steps and some high, open stretches, so keep little ones close at the top.
Where should we stay to explore Conwy?
Llandudno makes the ideal base — you get a grand Victorian seaside town to come home to each evening, with Conwy, the Great Orme and Eryri all within easy reach. We're a short, level walk from the promenade, and Conwy is about ten minutes away.
If a day in Conwy sounds like your kind of thing, come and make The Rosedene your base for it. We're an easy hop from the castle and the quay, with comfortable, well-loved ensuite rooms and free parking right outside — take a look at our rooms and book direct for the best rate. We'll happily point you to all our favourite corners of Conwy when you arrive — knowing this part of Wales and sharing it is one of the best bits of hosting.
— Mark & Andrea, The Rosedene