A Welsh village has been named Britain’s best in the UK to visit. Hand Luggage Only, a popular travel blog started in 2014 by two Cambridge students, crowned Portmeirion the ultimate destination in the country this year.
“Perched on the Welsh coastline, this gorgeous Italian-esque place is easily one of the most beautiful towns in the UK,” the pair wrote. Make sure to spend a gorgeous day wandering the village, see the stunning architecture, pick up some gelato and grab some of the village’s famous china”, they added. The idyll joins Bibury in the Cotswolds, Yorkshire, and Aberaeron, on the Welsh coast, in the top three.
Portmeirion, sitting on the Nort Wales coast, was designed by its founder, Victorian architect Clough Williams-Ellis.
The eccentric bought the plot of land, which looks out into the Dwyryd Estuary, in 1925 to create a “home for fallen buildings”.
A labour of love, the village developed organically, with Williams-Ellis finessing his design until his death in 1978 at 94.
He was deliberate in his reason for building Portmeirion.
“My main objective, that of architectural and environmental propaganda, is by no means obscured,” he said.
The beauty spot, which now attracts about 220,000 visitors a year, would serve as an example, or “propaganda for good manners”.
It also served as the set for classic 1960s tv show The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan, and hosts an annual convention for the cult classic.
Visitors can enjoy an array of shops, including those selling ceramics and pottery designed by Williams-Ellis’ daughter Susan, Italianate piazzas, two hotels, brasseries, and a 70-acre woodland populated by plants bought over by intrepid Victorian explorers.
Set to celebrate its centenary year in 2026, there are plans for a programme of concerts and a party next year.
Portmeirion is a private village and charges guests for entry. Expect to pay £20 per adult for a day pass, with concessions priced at £17.50. Children under five are able to go free.