Complete Guide to Portmeirion, Wales

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Portmeirion is an eccentric resort village, located at the edge of Snowdonia and the Dwyryd Estuary in Northern Wales.

I’m serious, this place is a HIDDEN GEM! If it wasn’t for my father’s love of the 1960s TV show The Prisoner, which was filmed in its entirety in Portmeirion, I would have no clue this village exists!

Oh… also a good idea? Skip the Italian summer heat and go to Portmeirion instead! Then go to Italy during the shoulder season! *wink* I heard Portofino is a nice place to visit *double wink*

Complete Guide to Portmeirion, Wales

There are plenty of super cute villages in Northern Wales to visit, but Portmeirion stands out above the rest, mainly because it’s an Italian village smack dab in the middle of Wales, so if you’re traveling to the UK and can’t make it over to Italy but you want to experience an Italian village, go here!

History of Portmeirion

Portmeirion is the brainchild of architectural genius, Clough Williams-Ellis, who was born in a small village in England, but shortly moved back to his family’s roots in Wales.

He dropped out of college and started his own architecture firm in London, eventually, Clough would acquire the land and take out a 4,000 loan to build Portmeirion.

Clough loved the Mediterranean region and wanted to pay tribute to its colorful, coastal charm, all while preserving the integrity of the land.

He hated the fact that a building needed to be built with a specific purpose or function and strayed away from the upcoming modern architecture that was becoming increasingly popular, so when Clough built Portmeirion, he tried to preserve as much of the surroundings and use the buildings to enhance the landscape rather than destroy it.

Construction started in 1925 and was completed 50 years later in 1975, however, once the village started to take shape in 1926, it was opened as an unlicensed hotel.

Today the resort consists of 14 rooms in the Hotel Portmeirion, 32 rooms scattered around the village, 12 self-catering cottages around the village, and 11 rooms off-site in Castell Deudraeth.

How to Get to Portmeirion

By Car: This is the easiest way to get to Portmeirion. The parking lot is directly next to the entrance and it’s free to park. Also, if you are staying on property then you get a reserved parking space for your cottage.

By Bus: There is a daily bus that runs from Porthmadog during the season (March-October) it takes about 16 minutes and the service is pretty frequent.

By Train: The closest station is Minffordd and it’s a short taxi ride from the station (taxis are not frequent so it would have to be arranged), although you will have better luck getting a taxi from the Porthmadog station. If you are coming from London and want to take the train, Euston to Minffordd is about a 6-hour journey one way with one change at the Birmingham Airport station and NO, you can’t do a day trip. It’s a little over 5 hours from Manchester and it’s 4 hours and 20 minutes from Birmingham.

By Foot: Not the greatest option, but I’m going to include it for the people that want to get their steps in. Walking from Porthmadog is about 2 1/2 miles and will take you about an hour. If you end up at Minffordd, then it’s about a mile and a 20-minute walk.

If you’re coming from the north, you can always hop on the Ffestiniog Railway and get off at the Minffordd stop (or Porthmadog)

Ticket Prices

It does cost money to visit and tour Portmeirion, but it’s totally worth it! You are guaranteed a time slot if you book in advance!!

• Adults: £20.00
• Children: £13.00
• Under 5: Free
• Students: £17.50
• Seniors (60+): £17.50

How to Visit the Village for Free or Discounted

• There are several ways to enter the village for free, although free sounds very good right now, it’s actually cheaper to just buy the day ticket, however, if you plan on staying a few nights in Portmeirion anyway, then free entry is an added bonus.
• Stay at the hotel, in the village rooms, self-catering cottages, or Castell Deudraeth (even though it’s outside the village)
• Two course lunch at Hotel Portmeirion or Castell Deudraeth (You have to book in advance and admission is only valid on the same day after you have finished eating lunch)
• Reserving Afternoon Cream Tea the Hotel Portmeirion will also get you a free day ticket! (Entry starting at noon)
• Book a treatment at the Mermaid Spa (You used to be able to get a wide range of treatments at a wide range of prices… now there are 10 treatments to choose from and each treatment is £75.00
• If you purchase the annual pass (£35.00 for basic), then you can visit as much as you like within a year!

Exploring Portmeirion

The village and surrounding woodland is actually a lot bigger than it looks and if you are taking a day trip, then you will want to set aside at least 3 hours to explore everything… I’ve been there for 4 hours before!

There are five main areas in the village

The Gatehouse: This is the main entrance into the village and a great example of Clough’s work with integrating buildings into the landscape.

Battery Square: You’ll cross through one more arch and the whole village finally opens up. Battery Square is directly to the left, filled with colorful buildings, a great view of the bell tower and the Mermaid Spa.

Piazza: A little bit further down the hill is the piazza… you can’t miss it! This is the central part of the village… all roads, paths, and gates lead to the piazza. This was originally a tennis court and it only took Clough a few years to get rid of it and create this beautiful open space.

Hotel Portmeirion: The hotel area is at the bottom of the village and gives access to the beach area (during low tide), the White Horses cottage, the concrete boat, and the coastal path.

The Forest: There’s ACRES of trees and woodland to explore and this is the entire upper area of the village.

Things to Do in Portmeirion, Wales

Take a Buggy Tour!

This is my number one recommendation for Portmeirion!

For an extra charge, you can take a private buggy tour. It’s one set price for the buggy, whether you have a group of 5 or you are traveling solo.

It’s a great way to start your day off at Portmeirion, but also a great way to get to know the village AND your guide will take you through the forest trail, so you don’t have to walk there!

Your guide also knows ALL OF THE FACTS and if you are a Prisoner fan then you’ll get some behind-the-scenes tidbits about the show and its multiple locations around the village.

Your tour guide also stops multiple times and lets you take as many pictures as you want!

DEFINITELY worth it!

The first buggy tour is 10am, book it as soon as you enter at the guest information center on the right side, just past the No.6 Cafe.

It’s a 45-minute tour and at the end, your guide will drop you off anywhere in the village.

I suggest at the bottom of the hill by the hotel so you can work your way back up to the top.

Take the Forest Trail.

There’s a trail that winds through the trees and up the hills of Portmeirion to take you to a beautiful viewpoint! There are also Japanese gardens, ponds, and bright red bridges scattered throughout the trail.

If you don’t want to walk around the trail and you don’t want to pay for the buggy tour, then there’s a train that runs continuously through the season, however, it is VERY crowded.

Visit the White Horses.

This villa (which you can actually stay in – it’s one of the “self-catering villas”) is famous for being the villa where the creator and lead actor of The Prisoner, Patrick McGoohan, stayed while filming the show!

It’s located past the hotel, at the end of the village. You can’t miss it because there’s an observatory tower on the edge of the estuary.

Walk the Coastal Path.

If you walk past the White Horses cottages, you’ll see a path hugging the cliff side… follow it (if you want a nice hike)!

It takes you all the way down to the lighthouse (it’s just a folly, only made of sheet metal), which is the southern most point of Portmeirion, and then make your way up the hill and around to the center of the village.

Shop for the Famous Portmeirion Pottery.

The pottery was designed by Clough’s daughter in 1960 and the most popular design is the “Botanic Garden” collection, which you can still buy at the gift shops in the village.

It’s not that expensive, so it’s worth taking home a little piece of history… fun fact: the Victoria and Albert museum even had a special exhibition dedicated to Portmeirion Pottery.

Walk Around the Village.

THIS IS OBVIOUS! But I figured I should mention it in case you don’t walk around the whole village!

You start at the top of the hill and walk down the main road and check out the view points and the perfectly framed doorways (including the Gothic pavilion viewpoint over the piazza), and then when you walk back up, don’t take the main road, but the perfectly flower-framed paths to the top.

Spot the Out-of-Place Decor.

This is a fun one, Clough received many gifts from friends and strangers country wide in hopes that it would be displayed in a room or somewhere in his magical village.

He did just that!

He also collected his own odd objects and was a lover of mermaids… how many mermaids can you spot? I lost count!

Appreciate the Re-purposed Architecture.

Clough was first and foremost an architect, so you have to admire his craft.

He wanted to prove that the environment didn’t have to be destroyed to create something beautiful and so he incorporated the landscape as much as possible.

Instead of destroying a cliff face, he built in it and around it.

As soon as you enter you can see the dome building standing tall on top of the cliff which has been untouched.

The lower half of the bell tower (which is stone) was actually built in the mid 1800’s and came from a 12th century castle a few miles away, Clough used that as a base for the rest of the tower.

Look out for the little things and you’ll enjoy your already awesome visit tens time more!

The Concrete Boat.

Also known as Amis Reunis was actually a real ship that Clough purchased and docked on the side of the quay.

It only took a large gale to blow the ship and it’s anchors out into the estuary where it keeled over once the tide went out.

Instead of getting a new boat, he built this concrete one that’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

Follow in the Footsteps of Celebrities.

Some of your favorite oldies, but goodies, probably stayed here.

Most notable was The Beatles’ George Harrison and their manager Brian Epstein, who stayed in the Gatehouse (guess what?! YOU CAN STAY THERE TOO!).

Epstein stayed in the cottage every summer and complained to Clough that there wasn’t enough wardrobe space for his clothes… so he built one!

George stayed in the Peacock Room in the hotel which is also available for guests.

Oh, and H.G. Wells has even stayed here!

Discover All the Prisoner Locations.

It’s no secret The Prisoner was filmed here, so why don’t you check out some of the locations?

The white building with the big blue dome was Number 2’s house, the hotel was known as the “old people’s home”, and the most obvious is the white house as soon as you enter Portmeirion, that’s Number 6’s house which is now The Prisoner gift shop.

Where to Eat

Luckily there’s a little bit of everything for everyone…. light snacks to desserts to full dinners… and it’s ALL DELICIOUS!

Hotel Portmeirion: You have the main dining room option or the terrace and bar option. The dining room is more expensive (wayyyyy more expensive) and the terrace has light bite options or small and large plates. You can also have afternoon tea, with multiple tea options, cakes, and tea sandwiches.

Caffi No. 6 is the first cafe you see when you enter. It’s directly after the entrance. This is cheap eats… sandwiches, paninis, pasties, quick bites… oh and there’s ice cream here!

Caffi Glas is freshly made pasta, pizza, salads and paninis… and it’s reasonably priced, about £10.00 for a personal-sized pizza!

Caffi’r Sgwâr is a coffee shop located in Battery Square, they don’t have too much of a food selection, but you can get scones and small tea cakes.

Caffi’r Angel is the gelato shop. Much like everything else in Portmeirion, this is their very own gelato… and it’s delicious! try the salted caramel!

Stay at Portmeirion

I haven’t stayed at Portmeirion *yet*, although I would LOVE to!

But I got a pretty good idea of what hotel life was like from the current guests and team members.

You NEED to stay on property, meaning skip the Castell. You can wake up and walk around as early as you like and you can stroll around as late as you want. So no day-trippers.

You can save money with the self-catering cottages. Yes, they are a little more expensive, but some cottages sleep 6 and split between that many people for a week will make the cost worth it for the experience you get!

If you want more privacy, then choose a cottage that is on the hill or off the main strip. Don’t pick the White Horses Cottage because you will have Prisoner fans and day-trippers taking pictures non-stop (including me) of your cottage.

Yes, there’s a private balcony on the other side, but if you don’t close the curtains, people can see right in!

The Mermaid is one of the original houses that was on-site before the village was built, so if you want an authentic feel, stay there!

If you want to stay in the villas or the self-catering cottages then you need to stay a minimum of 3 nights.

It’s also limited to what days.

3 nights can only be taken on the weekends and 4 nights can only be taken during the week. You can also stay for the entire week.

The Hotel Portmeirion has no restrictions.

Book early!! Seriously…. wayyyyyy early!

They book up pretty quickly and you want to avoid disappointment.

And make sure you double-check what you are booking because there are off-site properties available too!

Fun Facts

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness was filmed in Portmeirion… it was the set for China! After filming, the crew left a giant Buddha for Clough as a thank you gift.

A lot of the intricate pieces found in the Town Hall were saved from Emral Hall before it was demolished. The star was the barrel-vaulted plaster ceiling depicting the trials and tribulations of Hercules. (You can’t just walk in here, but if you take the buggy tour, you’ll get a peak inside – if there are no weddings going on).

One of the former tenants was a very different and eccentric lady, Mrs. Adelaide Haig enjoyed the company of dogs more than people and she kept hers in the mirror room of the hotel. She also didn’t like the destruction of any living thing, so from 1870 until her passing in 1917, the village turned into an overgrown jungle. If you take a walk through the forest, then you will come across the dog cemetery, created by Haig.

Playwright Noel Coward wrote Blithe Spirit while he was staying at Dolphin. It’s one of the suites around the village and yes, you guessed it, you can stay there!

Festival No. 6 is a celebration of local music, art and crafts. It’s also a chance to let your inner The Prisoner fan girl out and dress up and nerd out.

Right before you enter Battery Square, you’ll see a turquoise bell and a striped pole next to it. This is the toll house and the pole used to restrict access and the bell used to summon the gatekeeper. This is where patrons used to pay for access to Portmeirion and the “toll” would fluctuate depending on how busy or slow it was… or how rich you were.

A lot of the shops you’ll pass by were originally garages for the guests staying in the cottages above. The garages were too small for post-war cars and converted soon after.

Tips for Visiting Portmeirion

• Dogs are not allowed in the village. Service dogs are ok.
• Get there 10 minutes before opening and check-in. You’ll be the first one in the village (aside from the overnight guests).
• Resort guests have access to a heated swimming pool overlooking the estuary during the summer months.

Have you been to Portmeirion or are you planning your trip?! Let me know in the comments!! And if you’ve stayed there, I wanna hear all about it!!

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