Welsh castles in 2 days itinerary
From Chester: North Wales and Caernarfon Castle Tour
Duration: 10 hours
Conwy and Caernarfon, two of Edward I’s UNESCO-listed 13th-century castles, are both reachable from Chester without a car - Conwy via a direct train to Llandudno, Caernarfon via Bangor plus a short bus connection. This 2-day itinerary is the rail-based counterpart to our North Wales castles road trip, dropping Anglesey’s Beaumaris Castle (which genuinely needs a car) in exchange for a route that works entirely on public transport.
Both castles form part of the “Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd” UNESCO World Heritage Site, built in the 1280s as part of a deliberate ring of fortifications to enforce English rule following the conquest of Wales. Doing them without a car means accepting somewhat longer travel times than a self-drive route, but it also removes the stress of navigating unfamiliar Welsh roads and narrow historic town centres, and the train journey itself - particularly the stretch along the North Wales coast towards Llandudno - is scenic enough to be part of the experience rather than dead time.
Getting there without a car
Trains from Chester to Llandudno run roughly every 1-2 hours and take about 1 hour 7 minutes direct - from there, Conwy is a short local train or a 15-20 minute walk across the estuary bridge. For Caernarfon, take the train to Bangor (about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes from Chester), then the 5/5C/X5 bus service to Caernarfon, which runs every 30 minutes and takes about 35 minutes. There’s no need to book any of this in advance - just check the timetable the morning of travel, since services are less frequent than on Chester’s more heavily used Liverpool and Manchester routes.
Day 1: Conwy
Morning - travel and arrival
Catch an early direct train to Llandudno (about 1 hour 7 minutes), then a short local connection or a 15-20 minute walk across to Conwy itself. Aim to arrive by mid-morning to make the most of the day. The train journey itself runs along the North Wales coast for the final stretch, with sea views opening up past Colwyn Bay that make this one of the more scenic rail approaches in the region - worth requesting a window seat if you can.
Late morning - Conwy Castle and the town walls
Conwy Castle is one of Edward I’s best-preserved Welsh castles, built directly onto a rocky spur above the estuary with eight intact towers and a complete curtain wall - entry typically runs £11-15 for an adult, and it needs about 90 minutes to explore properly, more if you climb the towers for the estuary views. Conwy’s own medieval town walls, a smaller cousin to Chester’s Roman circuit, are free to walk and give you a different angle on the castle from above.
If you’d rather have a local guide narrate the history, a private walking tour covers both the castle context and the town walls in 90 minutes to 2 hours.
Check availability for the Conwy medieval walls walking tourConwy’s suspension bridge, built by Thomas Telford in 1826 and deliberately styled with castellated towers to visually match the medieval castle it sits beside, is worth a glance as you cross into the town from the station side - a rare case of Georgian engineering trying to be architecturally deferential to a 600-year-older neighbour.
Afternoon - the smallest house and Plas Mawr
Conwy’s quayside is home to the smallest house in Great Britain (£1-2 entry, a 5-minute stop), and Plas Mawr, one of the best-preserved Elizabethan townhouses in Britain, is a short walk from the castle if you want to add another hour of history to the day. Lunch at Alfredo’s on Castle Street or the Bridge Café near the castle entrance (£8-14) fits well between the two.
Evening - overnight in Llandudno
Conwy itself has limited overnight accommodation, so most visitors base themselves in nearby Llandudno instead, a 10-15 minute train or bus ride away, with a much wider choice of hotels and guesthouses (£70-120/night) along its Victorian seafront promenade. Llandudno’s pier and seafront restaurants make a pleasant evening stroll after a day of castle-climbing.
Day 2: Caernarfon
Morning - travel to Caernarfon via Bangor
From Llandudno, take the train to Bangor (roughly 30-40 minutes), then the 5/5C/X5 bus onward to Caernarfon (about 35 minutes, departing roughly every 30 minutes). Total door-to-door travel time runs 1.5-2 hours depending on connections, so build in some buffer rather than cutting it fine for a specific bus.
Midday - Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle is the grandest of Edward I’s Welsh castles, built with deliberately imperial polygonal towers modelled on the walls of Constantinople - a unique design among British castles and a clear statement of the scale of royal ambition behind the whole “Iron Ring” building programme. It’s also the traditional site of the Prince of Wales investiture in the modern era. Entry runs roughly £11-16 for an adult; allow at least 90 minutes, more if you’re interested in the castle’s role in 20th-century royal ceremony as well as its medieval origins - display panels throughout cover both periods in detail.
Compared with Conwy, Caernarfon feels noticeably larger and more deliberately imposing rather than merely defensive, a difference in intent that becomes obvious once you’ve seen both within 24 hours of each other.
A guided day tour from Chester covering both Conwy and Caernarfon in a single trip is worth considering if you’d rather not manage the train-and-bus connections yourself.
Check availability for the Chester to North Wales Caernarfon Castle day tourAfternoon - the town walls and Menai Strait views
Caernarfon’s own town walls, built as part of the same integrated project as the castle rather than added later, are free to walk and give views over the Menai Strait towards Anglesey - on a clear day you can pick out the Britannia and Menai suspension bridges linking the mainland to the island. Lunch in the castle square area (£8-14) works well before the walk back towards the station or bus stop for the return journey; the square itself, Y Maes, doubles as the town’s main market space on certain days of the week if you happen to coincide with one.
Evening - return to Chester
Retrace the route back via Bangor to Chester (roughly 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes direct once you’re on the mainline train), aiming for an early evening arrival. If your onward travel isn’t until the next day, staying a second night in Llandudno rather than travelling straight back to Chester is worth considering, since it avoids a long final-day journey stacked on top of a full day of sightseeing.
Budget for two days
- Accommodation (1 night, Llandudno): £70-120 for the room
- Trains and buses (Chester-Llandudno-Bangor-Caernarfon-Chester loop): roughly £35-55 per person
- Conwy Castle entry: £11-15
- Caernarfon Castle entry: £11-16
- Meals across 2 days: £45-70 per person
- Total per person over 2 days: roughly £170-280
The two castle entries (£22-31 combined per adult) are the main fixed cost beyond accommodation and transport - the town walls at both Conwy and Caernarfon, the smallest house detour, and the seafront stroll in Llandudno all cost nothing beyond time. Booking trains a few days ahead where possible, rather than buying on the day, can meaningfully reduce the transport portion of this budget, particularly for the longer Chester-Llandudno leg.
Packing notes for a rail-based castle trip
Both castles are largely open to the elements once inside, so pack a waterproof layer regardless of the forecast - coastal North Wales weather changes quickly, and towers and battlements offer little shelter from sudden squalls. Sturdy, grippy shoes matter for the original medieval stone stairs at both sites, which can be uneven and slippery when wet. Since you’re relying on public transport rather than a car, it’s also worth keeping a printed or downloaded copy of the day’s train and bus timetable, since mobile signal can be patchy in parts of the Conwy Valley and along stretches of the coast line.
Why base in Llandudno rather than travel back to Chester each night
Doing this itinerary as two single-day round trips from Chester is possible but adds hours of extra travel across the two days, since you’d be retracing the Chester-Llandudno-Bangor route twice rather than once. Basing in Llandudno for the one night in between cuts total travel time noticeably and means day two starts from a point already close to Bangor and Caernarfon, rather than needing the full journey out from Chester a second time.
Tourist traps to skip
Avoid buying castle tickets from third-party resellers advertised near the entrances at inflated prices - both Conwy and Caernarfon sell official tickets at their own gates for the prices listed above. In Caernarfon, some souvenir shops near the castle charge noticeably more than shops a street or two back into the town centre.
Comparing this to the road-trip version
The obvious trade-off against our North Wales castles road trip is Beaumaris Castle on Anglesey, which this rail-based itinerary drops entirely since the island has no meaningful public transport link from Bangor within a reasonable timeframe. What you gain instead is lower cost (no car hire or fuel), no need to navigate unfamiliar roads, and a genuinely scenic train journey along the coast that some travellers enjoy as much as the castles themselves. If Beaumaris matters enough to you to justify hiring a car for a single extra castle, the road-trip version is the better fit; if two well-explored castles are enough, this rail-based route delivers them more simply.
If you have more (or less) time
If you’d rather add Beaumaris Castle on Anglesey and don’t mind hiring a car, our North Wales castles road trip covers the same two castles plus Beaumaris over the same two days. For a version that extends into Snowdonia’s mountains as well as the castles, see Chester and North Wales in 3 days.
Frequently asked questions about Welsh castles in 2 days by train
Can I really do Conwy and Caernarfon without a car?
Yes - Conwy connects directly by train via Llandudno, and Caernarfon is reachable via Bangor plus a reliable, frequent bus service. It takes somewhat longer than driving, but it’s a genuinely workable rail-and-bus route.
Do I need to book train or bus tickets in advance?
Not usually - buy on the day or a few days ahead for a small saving on the trains; the bus from Bangor to Caernarfon is pay-as-you-board and doesn’t need advance booking.
Why base in Llandudno rather than Conwy or Caernarfon themselves?
Llandudno has considerably more accommodation choice and a livelier seafront for an evening, and it sits conveniently between the two castles on the rail line, making it a practical hub for this particular two-day loop.
Is this itinerary suitable if I have limited mobility?
Both castles involve some stairs for the best views (tower climbs at Conwy, uneven ground within Caernarfon’s inner ward), though ground-level access covers the main courtyards at both. The train and bus connections themselves are straightforward, with step-free access at the main stations.
What’s the best time of year to visit these castles by train?
May to September for the longest daylight, since you’re relying on public transport connections rather than a car, and shorter winter daylight hours make the Bangor-Caernarfon leg feel more rushed. Both castles are open year-round with reduced winter hours.
How does this rail-based itinerary compare in cost to driving?
It’s usually cheaper overall once you factor in car hire and fuel, though it does cost more in total travel time. If two or more people are travelling together and splitting a hire car, driving can work out similar in cost; solo travellers or pairs relying on public transport tend to come out ahead financially with this rail-based version.
Is Bangor worth stopping in rather than just changing trains and buses there?
Bangor has a small cathedral and a pleasant high street, and if you have a spare 30-45 minutes between connections it’s a reasonable place to grab a coffee, though it isn’t a destination in its own right on the scale of Conwy or Caernarfon and most visitors treat it purely as a connection point.
What happens if I miss the bus connection from Bangor to Caernarfon?
The 5/5C/X5 service runs roughly every 30 minutes throughout the day, so a missed connection costs you half an hour rather than derailing the day - it’s frequent enough that this itinerary doesn’t require precision timing, just a general awareness of the schedule.
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