West Wales has something for everyone: balmy beaches; historical castles and churches; the home of the Welsh bard Dylan Thomas; plus eateries full of seafood too! All it takes is one click and you can book your hire car without a credit card here to take you on a road trip you’ll never forget.
Starting at Swansea
- National Waterfront Museum is a visually powerful architectural landmark in its own right, and keeps up the tradition of the industrial and maritime history of Wales dating back to the 1800s. Using an interactive guide it takes us through an epoch of Welsh supremacy in the coal and steel industries.
- Glynn Vivian Art Gallery contains a wide range of visual arts from the Old Masters to international porcelain and Swansea china to modern painting and sculpture including some great Welsh artists such as Ceri Richards, Gwen John and Augustus John.
- Dylan Thomas Centre is a permanent exhibition devoted to the life and times of Swansea-born poet Dylan Thomas. Tours and guides will explain and perhaps explode the man and the myth (pint of porter required!)
Find out more about hiring a car in Swansea without a debit card.
Move on to The Mumbles
- Mumbles is an exciting seaside village with over 120 shops and places to eat and drink balanced on the west side of Swansea Bay. There is a battle for the finest seafood at the Oystermouth Food Festival and a competition for the best ice cream parlour too. So you can get crabby and then cool down!
Parkmill for Play and Prayer
- Parc le Breos Burial Chamber is a beautiful park in spring full of bluebells and garlic plus the added historical interest of the ancient burial mound. Great if you have a dog on tow!
- St Illtyd’s Ilston is a restored medieval church with Dark Age foundations so worth visiting both for its historical value or simply as a quiet place for prayer and reflection.
Beach Time at Rhossili Bay
- Rhossili Bay is situated at the western end of the gorgeous Gower peninsula. The golden sands roll on for some three miles with Worms Head and Rhossili Down providing irresistible landscapes.
Kidwelly Is Where Norman Is the Norm!
- Kidwelly Castle is a Norman stronghold and is a strong competitor to be one of the greatest castles of Wales. It is famed for its appearance in the Monty Python and the Holy Grail film and is a formidable form in a wondrous setting.
Laugharne’s Links to Poet Dylan Thomas
- Dylan Thomas Boathouse gave the famous Welsh poet the stability of a permanent home and produced a creative renaissance in him.
- Laugharne Castle is the ‘brown as owls’ castle beloved of Dylan Thomas, Laugharne’s most famous resident. He wrote Portrait of the Artist as a Young Dog here.
Camarthen: Fly and Buy!
- The British Bird of Prey Centre is home to some twenty native & migrant British species. See one of the three daily flying displays or you can take part in these too, all with an aim to promote conservation.
- Carmarthen Market is a must-see place that has been here for more than eight centuries. Although it dates back to Roman times, it has been cleverly updated to become a high-point of West Wales road trip for food-lovers, by offering some of the best local produce in Wales..
Tenby: Back in Time, Back to the Beach
- The Dinosaur Park is fun for all the family and educational too as it takes you back to prehistoric times with all the creatures that inhabited earth back then.
- Tenby South Beach is a mile and a half long, dune-backed, beach playground. There’s lots of space at the Tenby end for families or continue eastwards for adventurous beach activities
Pembroke: Explore Its History and Have Fun!
- Pembroke Castle is one of the most splendid of Britain’s castles and the “birth place of the Tudor Dynasty.” There is an 80ft Great Keep to climb, a pre-historic cave to explore and look down into a prisoner in a medieval dungeon. Activities in school holidays include falconry displays, historic re-enactments and other entertainment.
- Pembroke Museum is situated in Pembroke’s Georgian Town Hall, and the old Courtroom which now houses the Museum. Here you can follow the absorbing Story of Pembroke to discover the highly honoured history of the town, one of the oldest in Wales and famous as the birthplace of Henry VII.
St Davids: Stretch Those Legs
- Welsh Coastal Path reveals the Welsh coastline’s many contrasts and really does offer something for everyone. Stretch those legs after your long road trip!
We hope you have enjoyed reading about the delights that West Wales has to offer and don’t forget to consider Debit Card Car Hire for your perfect car hire package during your travels.