The best places for a family holiday in Wales by train

Wales is a wonderful place to explore with your family, with plenty of budget options for a cheaper family holiday. See where to visit in Wales with children plus cheap train deals

When it comes to family holidays, we love Wales. Beautiful scenery, loads of activities, getaways good with babies, toddlers, children and teens. Plus, by taking advantage of cheap train travel, your child-friendly holiday will be that much more affordable and fun.

Book a break to Wales this year and enjoy all that this gorgeous part of the world has to offer without having to get behind the wheel.

Why holiday in Wales?

With gorgeous beaches, more than 600 castles, mountains, museums, fantastic steam trains and 4 different UNESCO World Heritage Sites, you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing where to go for your holiday in Wales.

Free train travel for kids in Wales

Here's another bonus: Kids under 16 travel for free on trains across Transport for Wales’ rail network, when travelling with a fare paying adult. 

Under 16s travel for free off-peak. And kids under 11 can travel for free at any time!

So you can explore even more places using the train, saving money on your holiday with no parking fees and no petrol costs.

Find out more about kids' free train travel

Take advantange of 2-for-1 offers on Cadw Historic Landmarks

With a valid same-day rail ticket, you and your family can also get 2 entry tickets for the price of 1 when you visit some of the best-known landmarks in Wales, with the Cadw 2-for-1 entry Historic Landmarks offer.

Cadw look after more than 120 historic locations across Wales, many of which are easily accessible by rail.

All you need to do is present a valid Transport for Wales train ticket at a Cadw attraction to get your 2-for-1 offer. (Scroll down to see some of the attractions and days out you can take advantage of with this offer.)

We've put together 6six brilliant family-friendly places to visit in Wales in 2024, all easily accessible by train. What are you waiting for?

1 Visit Cardiff, the capital of Wales

If this is your first visit to Wales, the capital city, Cardiff, is a great place to start. Kids will love exploring Cardiff Castle, a fort with a rich 2,000-year history, from Roman times through to the Second World War.

Sports fans will love a tour of the Principality Stadium, the huge stadium on the banks of the river Taff.

If your little one's legs are tired, catch a linking train out to Cardiff Bay. Budding scientists will love a trip to Techniquest, an interactive science and discovery centre. Plus Cardiff Bay is a great place for families to hang out, with restaurants, cafes, a nature reserve and the chance of a boat trip.

Destination: Cardiff
Nearest station: Cardiff Central or Cardiff Bay
How to get there: Cardiff is a compact city; most family-friendly attractions are within walking distance of the station.

2 Fall in love with nature at Snowdonia National Park

Snowdonia is packed with treasures: a natural kid-friendly adventure playground with mountains, hills, rivers and woodlands to explore.

You can visit the stunning Swallow Falls, an awe-inspiring waterfall a 2-mile walk from Betws-y-Coed station. (Entrance is a wallet-friendly £2 for adults and £1 for under 14s).

Little train lovers will enjoy visiting the Conwy Valley Railway Museum (a family ticket costs just £6); learning about the history of the Welsh railways; and taking a ride on the miniature railway.

And if you’re in search of a unique Welsh adventure, be sure to include a day at Zip World Fforest, an incredible natural theme park near Betws-y-Coed.

Visit and you can try the UK's only alpine coaster; bounce on treetop nets; fly down zip lines; teeter around treetop adventure courses; and try Europe’s highest giant swing: Skyride!

Destination: Betws-y-Coed
Nearest station: Betws-y-Coed
How to get there: The village of Betws-y-Coed is within walking distance of the train station. Local buses connect to various parts of Snowdonia National Park.

3 Enjoy a North Wales adventure at Conwy Castle

Conwy in North Wales offers a heap of fab family-friendly adventures.

Part of the 2-for-1 Cadw Historic Landmarks scheme: Don’t miss the famous fortress, Conwy Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage site with stunning views of the Welsh coastline. It has beautifully preserved medieval royal apartments, spiral staircases and an incredible set of battlements your kids are just going to love exploring. Also in Conwy, you can also visit Plas Mawr, called Britain's 'finest townhouse of the golden Elizabethan age'.

Also don’t miss the smallest house in Great Britain (just 72 inches wide and 112 inches high) at Lower Gate Street in Conwy. Perfect for a Instagram-ready family selfie!

If you’re looking for a beach break, Conwy Morfa Beach is a glorious, large sandy bay; the ideal spot for building sandcastles; paddling in the shallows; and running wild!

The brilliant Conwy RSPB Nature Reserve (entrance costs just £6 for adults and £3 for over 5s) is also nearby: you can reach it from Llandudno Junction, just one stop along from Conwy station. Visit and you can meet a variety of wonderful wildlife, including warblers, waders and wildfowl!

Destination: Conwy
Nearest Station: Conwy
How to get there: Conwy Castle is a five minute walk from the train station

4 Discover the breathtaking Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

Take a trip to the beach by train this summer, with a visit to Tenby, where you can explore not one but at least 5 different beaches – which will be your family's favourite?

• North Beach is the most photogenic
• Harbour beach is the smallest
• Castle Beach is a short walk from town, with the added excitement of St Catherine’s island, accessible at low tides

Tenby itself also offers the family-friendly Tenby Museum and Art Gallery, nestled between Harbour Beach and Castle Beach; entrance is FREE for kids.

There's roarsome fun to be had at Dinosaur Park Tenby, a dino-themed adventure park; or meet wonderful creatures from the present day at Manor Wildlife Park, Wales’ only walking safari.

Older kids will love Tenby’s Great Escape, an escape room experience where your family will need to work as a team to escape before your time runs out!

From Tenby you can enjoy a boat trip to Caldey Island; one of Britain’s holy islands. Visit the historic monastery, watch seabirds, and spot seals.

Destination: Tenby
Nearest Station: Tenby
How to get there: Tenby town centre and Tenby beach is just a 10-minute walk from the train station

5 Step back in time at St Fagans National Museum of History

For a fabulous, FREE day out, head to St Fagans National Museum of History, one of Europe’s leading open-air museums.

Horrible Histories fans will love exploring Wales from the time of the Celts to the present day. There are around 40 original buildings from different historical periods: houses, a farm, a school, a chapel and a splendid Workmen's Institute. Kids will love visiting the animals; exploring the past through play; and burning off steam at Yr lard, St Fagan’s new adventure playground. Did we mention that entrance to St Fagans is FREE too?

Destination: St. Fagans
Nearest station: Waun-Gron Park
How to get there: From Waun-Gron Park station, take bus 32A or 320 towards St. Fagans.

6 Caerphilly

Part of the 2-for-1 Cadw Historic Landmarks scheme: Caerphilly Castle is the UK's second largest castle after Windsor and a dramatic day out. It has a beautiful concentric 'walls within walls' construction and is surrounded by water (a moat!).

You can walk the dam platform where jousts and tournaments were held, see the famous 'leaning tower' and look at replica siege weapons and more. The popular TV series Merlin has been filmed here. Plus there are 2 new family attractions: Gilbert's Maze, an interactive maze that mimics the layout of the castle, and the Dragon's Lair, tells the story of dragons including smoke!

Destination: Caerphilly
Nearest Station: Caerphilly
How to get there: Caerphilly Castle is a 10-minute walk from the train station or a five-minute bus journey