Wales by train

The best time to visit Wales is during the shoulder seasons, May to June or September to October. Weather is mild, coastal towns are quieter than peak summer, and accommodation is easier to book. There are highlights year-round: the Hay Festival brings the world's leading writers to Hay-on-Wye every spring, the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod fills North Wales with music each July, the National Eisteddfod, Europe's largest festival of its kind, alternates between North and South Wales every August, and the Six Nations rugby brings crowds to Cardiff's Principality Stadium each February and March.

The best things to do in North Wales include hiking Snowdonia, exploring historic castles, and visiting the coastal towns of Conwy and Llandudno.

• Hiking or mountain climbing in Snowdonia National Park

• Watersports and treetop ziplining along the North Wales coast and River Dee

• Exploring Conwy Castle and the medieval walls of Conwy

• Riding the Great Orme Tramway above Llandudno

• Walking sections of the Wales Coast Path around Anglesey

• Visiting Caernarfon Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

• Exploring Cardiff Castle and the Wales Millennium Centre in the capital

• Browsing the second-hand bookshops of Hay-on-Wye, known as the 'town of books'

• Hiking the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog), with waterfalls, mountain peaks and some of the UK's darkest skies for stargazing

Wales is reachable by direct trains from London Paddington to South Wales, calling at Newport, Cardiff and Swansea, and from London Euston to North Wales, calling at Bangor and Holyhead. Connections are also available from major English cities including Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham. Within Wales, the North Wales Coast Line and South Wales Main Line connect towns along both coasts, including onward links to Pembrokeshire in the west.