Llandudno Transportation

Llandudno has a pretty good network of buses that will take you to most of the interesting parts of North Wales. But they aren't that regular, and they can be quite slow. If I was to do this trip again I'd rent a car. But if you must use a bus, you can get by. You'll just have to budget for seeing about half as much as you might if you were driving.

The buses aren't too expensive, and you can even buy a North Wales Rover, which will allow you to travel on bus or train all day with one ticket. The price varies depending on how many regions you want to travel in, but costs just 7 pounds for the basic two zone pass.

North Wales Rover

As much as I hate to drive in the UK, I decided about the only way to get around North Wales and Snowdonia was by car so I rented one. We were staying in Llandudno and the Avis rental place was in Llandudno Junction but only about a 15 minute taxi ride away. The staff there were very cordial. I had booked the car in advance and planned to return it to Chester due to my uncertainty about train connections. This clarified, I asked if I could return it to Llandudno Junction as well since the Avis place is virtually across the street from the train station. They agreed and informed me it would also save me about £50. Great deal for me as it also saved me driving to Chester.

Avis
Conway Road
Llandudno Junction, Gwynedd, LL31 9NH

We were driving from Llanberis to Harlech and thought we needed to take the A4085 to the A407 and go west to cross the river and get to the A496 which goes into Harlech. However, when we got to the small town of Penrhyndeudraeth at the intersection of the A4085 and the A407 I saw a sign which indicated a short cut to Harlech. Fool that I am, I took it and surprise, it worked! What we called the rusty bridge is indeed rusty and actually runs beside the railroad bridge, costs 40 pence and is one-way. It only saved us 20 or 30 minutes, but that was very helpful as we were in a bit of a hurry to get to the Castle to see it before closing time. I am not sure we would have made it in time otherwise. If you are coming from the north it is a handy and quaint little venture to save a few miles and minutes. Sorry I didn’t get a picture but got a nice look at it on Google satellite.

Llandudno lies at the foot of the Great Orme headland. Instead of walking all the way up the hill, why not take the Great Orme Tramway? This Victorian tramway has been in operation since 1902!

£5.20 for a return ticket.

Runs every 20 minutes from 10am to 6pm, March to October.

LLandudno is well connected to the national rail network as it lies just off the main line from London to Holyhead (the ferryport for Ireland). Change at llandudno junction for the last little bit into the town

If connections at Llandudno junction take too long, ther it is only a couple of miles into town by bus /taxi.

There are direct trains from manchester (that travel via Chester), that take a couple of hours.

Llandudno thus is well connected and useful as a stopover if you are heading to Ireland (by road it is just off the main dual carriageway A55) or as a base in it's own right.

P.S. The station is a complete dump, 50% delerlict , dirty and unstaffed. But don't let this put you off.

1 more image

On our trip to Llandudno and Northern Wales we drove up from London. The trip was estimated to take around 4hr 15min, but took us about 5hr 30min, due to lots of traffic and road work.

We decided to drive, as having a car is the easiest way to explore Wales. Although there is a train network and various bus routes, having a car made it quick and easy for us to get to those off the beaten track places without any problem. For the most part, we found the roads in Wales to be in excellent condition and well signposted.

Another way to get to Llandudno is by train. Virgin trains have a service that leaves from London Euston, via Chester to Llandudno. The trip takes around 3.5hrs. Llandudno is linked to other stations in Wales via the local rail network.

there are different ways to get to the top of the great orme,
you can get a tram either half way up or to the summit (top)
when at the top there is a cafe,pub, and an amusements you can alos visit the copper mines. great for all the family.

You can drive the scenic five kilometre Marine Drive around Great Orme’s Head after paying the £2 toll entrance. The road is only one way traffic so you can park your car at the gutter and do little excursions on foot.
If you haven’t got a car you are spoilt by choice. You can perfectly walk the circuit and enjoy the magnificent views at your own pace.
If you don’t want to walk you could take either the Great Orme Tramway (£4 return) or the Cable Car (£ 5 return).
Both options will take you to the Visitor Centre at the Summit Complex were there is a car park and toilet facilities.