Llandudno



Llandudno is a Victorian-era seaside resort situated on the picturesque north coast of Wales. Once a favourite of Queen Victoria, Llandudno still retains an old-world charm that sets it aside from other British seaside resorts. Llandudno is set between the cities of Bangor and Chester and is easily accessible by road and rail.

Understand
Llandudno has the distinction of being the largest seaside resort in North Wales. It lies between two notable carboniferous headlands, the Great Orme and the Little Orme  with the Irish Sea on one side and the estuary of the River Conwy on the other with sunset views of Puffin Island. It is these headlands and the two waterfronts, the North Shore and the West Shore, that give Llandudno its special appeal.

Although settlements have existed on the Great Orme since the Stone Age and an Iron Age hill fort survives at Pen-y-Dinas, Llandudno was developed as a seaside resort in the Victorian era. As such, it has Victorian charm - large Victorian houses, fine hotels lining the bay, a pier, boat trips round the headland, Punch and Judy on the wide promenade, an excellent lifeboat service, and a fine theatre with ballet, opera, orchestral concerts, ice shows and pantomime in season.

Llandudno has a prominent Welsh speaking community, greatly increased by the frequent visitors from rural communities further inland whose primary day-to-day language is Welsh.

As a simple mnemonic for English speakers, in Welsh the double LL is pronounced similar to "thl". The U is usually pronounced as an I. So Llandudno is pronounced "thlan-did-no".

By train

 * Through trains from London Euston, 6 times a day, change at Llandudno Junction
 * Through trains from Manchester, every hour on weekdays (2½ hours).
 * Through trains from Liverpool (approx. 2-2½ hours), change at Chester or change at Chester and Llandudno Junction (it depends on the timetable how many changes there'll be).
 * Trains from Crewe, every hour on weekdays, change at Chester and/or Llandudno Junction.
 * Trains from Cardiff, every two hours on weekdays, change at Llandudno Junction.
 * Trains from Holyhead, every hour on weekdays, change at Llandudno Junction.



By car
From England: From the M6, take the M56 in the direction of Chester, North Wales. Take the M53 in the direction of A55, North Wales at the end of the M56. This becomes the A55, stay on this for 30 miles or so until you see signs for the A470 turn off. From here follow signs for Llandudno.

By plane
Nearest airports are Liverpool John Lennon Airport  and Manchester Airport but only Manchester is directly linked by train (from airport by train to Manchester Piccadily, then change train). From Liverpool airport: take a bus to Liverpool Lime Street station, then take a train.

By bus
Local buses operate from Rhyl (every 12 minutes), Bangor (four per hour), Caernarfon, Llanberis and Llangollen but there are no daily long distance coach services to Llandudno. National Express has a daily service from London calling at Llandudno Junction (three miles away). There is a weekly National Express service to Newcastle upon Tyne on Sundays.

Get around

 * Take the scenic Conwy Valley Train from Llandudno to Blaenau Ffestiniog.
 * Gwynedd Red Rover Tickets cost £5.50 for unlimited day travel on the Conwy Valley train, on all buses in Snowdonia and on all buses in the Conwy Valley and throughout western Conwy, Gwynedd and Anglesey.

See




Buy

 * Llandudno has long been considered North Wales’ 'heavyweight' shopping destination. There are two major modern retail parks in the town — ‘Mostyn Champneys’ and ‘Parc Llandudno’ — boasting a range of popular stores.
 * Amidst the wide boulevards and Victorian awnings of the main shopping street, you’ll find lots of independent shops and family businesses alongside big high street names.
 * The famous colourful stick of rock with inner layer spelling out Llandudno.

Eat
Llandudno is home to many food venues catering for all tastes and budgets.

Budget
Cheaper venues include:

Medium range
For those seeking a medium priced meal, there are several Italian and other ethnic cuisine restaurants in the town:



Nightlife
Though not on a par with the likes of Blackpool, Llandudno does have a vibrant nightlife scene with several popular bars and clubs. Busier in the summer months when tourists swell the ranks of revellers, a decent night out can be found in Llandudno all year round owing to the sizeable local crowd.

Along with the obvious Friday and Saturday nights, Wednesday can also be busy with certain nightclubs offering popular reduced rates. Llandudno's 'trendier' bars can be found in the area of Upper Mostyn Street (walk down the Promenade towards the Cenotaph, then turn left down Gloddaeth Avenue).

Llandudno has two full sized night clubs, both about a mile away from the centre of town (down the Promenade towards Craig-Y-Don).

Gay scene
Llandudno could certainly be seen as a gay-friendly town when it comes to nightlife. The bars in Upper Mostyn Street attract a decent crowd.

Sleep
Owing to its origins as a Victorian resort, Llandudno has a vast array of family run B&Bs (service consisting of a basic room with a generic cooked breakfast). Llandudno has a wide variety of hotels, ranging in size and quality.

Stay safe
Llandudno is considered safe by any standards, though as with any other tourist destination, it is easy to fall into a false sense of security about your own safety. Llandudno is also a fully functioning medium sized town and is therefore subject to the same difficulties as any other town.

Trouble associated with nightlife (drunkenness, anti social behaviour) is not uncommon. The Police take a robust response to incidents and maintain a visible presence on busy nights. Door staff can be strict and entry can be refused to pubs, bars and clubs.

Without the risk of overstating it, as with any town, there are areas in Llandudno which tourists should avoid, though these areas are not areas where tourists would normally travel. These areas include:


 * The area behind and around the ASDA supermarket, opposite Parc Llandudno
 * The council estate behind the Llandudno Rugby Club
 * Parts of West Shore, particularly the council estate and King's Road
 * The area around Llandudno Hospital.

Respect
The massive annual influx of tourists is something that local people are used to. People from Llandudno are generally friendly, welcoming and appreciative of the economic boost that tourists bring to the town.

One issue that can arise is during international football matches. Hoards of fans wearing England strips and filling out the pubs should remember that the Welsh will rarely share their support for the England team and will often (in the spirit of good fun) cheer on the opposing team... even if it's Germany! Don't make an issue out of this, it is not meant to offend. Plus, you are in Wales after all!

Connect
As of Aug 2022, Llandudno and its approach roads have 4G from EE, O2 and Three, and 5G from Vodafone.

Go next

 * Conwy - fantastic castle and walled town, just 5 miles away from Llandudno. Walk the town walls for free, many stairs leading up to them are throughout the town.
 * A cycle path now exists between West Shore Llandudno and Conwy, very flat and car free. Also suitable for pedestrians.
 * A 'working' riverfront where you can find a riverfront pub for a drink and an ice cream stand that also sells hot drinks along with 'The smallest house in the UK'.
 * A sightseeing boat that takes a 30-minute ride up and down the Conwy River (runs mainly on school holidays).
 * Various independent shops in the town and various independent cafes (including the Tower Coffee House, built into one of the wall turrets, right across from the castle and giving great views of the river).
 * If you'd like a free place to relax and maybe a read, Conwy Library also has great views of the river from its upper lounge.
 * You can also take a walk from the river front, through the gate and find your way along a riverfront walk, at the bottom of Bodlondeb. The walk takes you around Bodlondeb, where you can make your way to Conwy Marina, where there is an upmarket pub with a large outside dining area overlooking the marina.
 * There are many hill walks around Conwy as well (National Trust gift shop under Aberconwy House sells some maps, there's also an independent bookshop in the town).
 * Aberconwy House, 14th-century merchant's house run by the National Trust.
 * Plas Mawr (the Great Hall), one of the finest surviving town house of the Elizabethan era to be found in Britain, run by Cadw (who also run Conwy Castle, see about a joint ticket for both!).
 * Chester - Roman walled city, 50 miles away (one hour by train).