Steph - Cruise with Amber
Cruising to Wales: A Quick Guide
Table of Contents
Wales may be a small country, but it is jampacked with plenty of beautiful and interesting things to see. National Parks cover one fifth of the country, there are five areas of outstanding natural beauty and 870 miles of beautiful walkable coastline to discover.
There is plenty of variety to keep all ages, abilities, and interests enthralled. From culture and heritage to myths and legends, nature and wildlife, to water activities and hiking trails. There are mines which produced coal for the Titanic, and more castles per square mile than anywhere in the world.
How many cruise ports does Wales have?
Wales has 6 cruise ports:
- Cardiff
- Fishguard
- Holyhead
- Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock
- Newport
- Swansea
What cruise lines visit Wales?
Cruise lines scheduled to visit in 2021/22 are: Princess Cruises, NCL, Tui Cruises, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Hurtigruten, Seabourn, Oceania, AIDA, Silversea, Crystal, Phoenix Reisen, Regent Seven Seas and Viking.
Cruising to Cardiff
Cardiff cruise port at Queen Alexandra dock is located adjacent to Cardiff Bay and is very close to the city centre (just under ½ km away). Cardiff is Wales’s capital city offers a range of shore excursions for interesting places to explore independently. Cardiff is easy to navigate. With an abundance of accommodation and way too much to see in one day, Cardiff is a perfect venue in Wales to extend your cruise holiday.
Places to visit
- The National Museum of Cardiff
- The Principality Stadium
- Cardiff’s Victorian arcades
- Cardiff Castle
- Castell Coch
- Cardiff International Whitewater Centre
- St Fagan’s National Museum of History
- Brecon Beacons Mountain Railway
- Penderyn distillery
- Llanerch Vineyard
- Royal Mint Experience
- Welsh mining experience at Rhondda Heritage Park.
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Cruising to Newport
Newport acts as the gateway to both Wales and England and offers turnaround facilities.
Not usually featured as a main cruise port, Newport usually loses out to Bristol (40 miles to the East) and Wales’ Capital city, Cardiff just 28 miles to the West. Therefore, cruises to Wales are more likely to call at Cardiff rather than Newport.
Cruising to Fishguard
The port of Fishguard is located at the mouth of the River Gwaun in South West Wales on a rocky tip of the beautiful Pembrokeshire coast. Here you will find a quaint and historic town with plenty of things to see and do when ashore and an ideal place to explore West Wales.
Places to visit
Cruising to Holyhead
One of Wales’s fastest-growing cruise ports The Port of Holyhead is located in the largest town on the Isle of Anglesey in North West Wales and is the gateway to Snowdonia National Park and the North Wales coast. Separated from mainland Wales by just a narrow channel (the Menai Strait), Anglesey is perfect for outdoor adventures, ancient history and beautiful scenery that will leave you relaxed and refreshed. A free shuttle bus operates to the town centre to browse around the shopping area for traditional Welsh souvenirs such as carved lovespoons and cuddly red dragons.
Places to visit
Cruising to Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock
Milford Haven is one of the deepest natural harbours in the world, situated on the north side of Milford Haven Waterway. Pembroke Dock is situated on the south side of the waterway.
Both these ports offer a perfect base for discovering Pembrokeshire. The port has the capacity to accommodate a wide range of cruise vessels wither at anchorage in Milford Haven or alongside in Pembroke. Cruise passengers can easily explore the town’s rich history of Royal Navy shipbuilding at Pembroke Dock Heritage.
Places to visit
Cruising to Swansea
The Port of Swansea is conveniently located between the SA1 Waterfront development, the Maritime Quarter and the city centre. The M4 motorway nearby also makes this a highly accessible port for many more key attractions slightly further afield.
Places to visit
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Hi, I’m Steph I’ve travelled around the world, backpacked across Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii and spent over 100 nights at sea. Having grown up by the coast, the sea is my passion and now I enjoy exploring the world on cruise ships with my family. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel to keep up to date with my ever expanding set of port guides to inspire you on your travels plus money-saving cruise tips, ship tours and cabin reviews.
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