Wales Guide
Things not to miss
1 The Valleys Colourful terraces of housing, hunkered down under the hills, are the hallmark of Wales' world-famous Valleys, the old mining area in the south.
2 Pistyll Rhaeadr Narrow lanes thread their way through the border country of mid-Wales to what, at 240ft, is the country's highest waterfall.
3 Transporter Bridge "A giant with the might of Hercules and the grace of Apollo",as Newport's Transporter Bridge was described when it opened in 1906.
4 National Waterfront Museum The newest addition to the country's string of national museums, using the latest in technical wizardry to explore the mysteries of the past.
5 Portmeirion The grandest folly of them all, Portmeirion is a gorgeous visual poem that will melt the hardest heart.
6 Aberglasney Rescued from near-terminal decay, these formal gardens in the Tywi Valley are a perfect counterpoint to the nearby National Botanic Garden of Wales.
7 Castell Carreg Cennen The most romantic ruin in Wales, Castell Carreg Cennen sits in glorious isolation amidst the velvet green of Carmarthenshire.
8 Millennium Stadium Although Wales' standing in international rugby fluctuates wildly, the game remains nearly a religion here, never more so than when the national team are playing at Cardiff's awesome Millennium Stadium.
9 Ffestiniog Railway Of Wales' many "great little trains", the Ffestiniog Railway, winding down through the Snowdonia mountains, is by far the best.
10 Conwy One of north Wales' finest walled medieval towns, Conwy contains over two hundred listed buildings within its tight grid.
11 Aberystwyth The capital of sparsely populated mid-Wales, Aberystwyth is a breezy and bright university and seaside town surrounded by luscious countryside.
12 Cadair Idris The dominant mountain of southern Snowdonia, Cadair Idris is a magnificent beast chock-full of classic glacial features.
13 St Fagans National History Museum An unmissable chronicle of Welsh life, featuring period buildings from all over the country.
14 Llandudno North Wales' most genteel seaside resort, Llandudno spreads languidly around the bay beneath the ancient rock plug of the Great Orme.
15 Cardiff Bay The wonderful National Assembly Building is one of many striking modern structures around the rejuvenated Cardiff Bay.
16 Harlech Castle Of all of Edward I's mighty fortresses, Harlech Castle is the finest, its setting as impressive as the medieval building itself.
17 Machynlleth market Old boys in flat caps mingle with rosy-cheeked hippies in the lively weekly market of Machynlleth, good for everything from fresh produce to second-hand tat.
18 St Davids Cathedral The heart of Welsh spirituality, St David's Cathedral is at Wales' westerly extremity and has drawn pilgrims for a millennium and a half.