A brilliant way to experience Conwy's medieval story at street level — walk sections of the historic walls and look out across rooftops and water.
Conwy Town Walls are among the finest and most complete medieval town walls in Europe -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site that most visitors walk straight past on their way to the castle, and that rewards those who stop to give it proper attention. Built simultaneously with Conwy Castle between 1283 and 1287 under Edward I, the walls and castle were designed from the outset as a single integrated defensive system.
The walls stretch for 1.3 kilometres around the medieval heart of Conwy, with 21 towers and three original gateways along their length. They stand nine metres high in most places, with the towers rising to fifteen metres, and are largely uninterrupted -- an exceptional degree of preservation for walls of this age. The towers are spaced at roughly 46-metre intervals, a precision that reflects the military engineering sophistication of James of St George, the Savoyard master builder who designed the whole complex.
What makes Conwy unusual is that you can walk the walls. Sections of the wall walk are accessible and open to the public, and the views from the top -- over the castle, the estuary, the harbour and the mountains of Eryri -- are outstanding. The experience of walking above a medieval town on walls that have stood for over 700 years is genuinely extraordinary, and it is free.
The walls were treated with some sensitivity even during the Industrial Revolution -- when Robert Stephenson brought the Chester to Holyhead railway through Conwy in 1848, he built the entrance through the walls as a mock-Gothic arch rather than simply cutting through them. The walls are managed by Cadw and access is open at any reasonable time. Start from the castle car park for the most straightforward route onto the walk.
- ✦ Highly rated by our guests
- ✦ Easy to reach from The Rosedene
- ✦ Suitable for all guests
