One the UK's 'most entertaining' getaways is in North Wales

North Wales Live

24-05-2025

It's Bill Bryson's favourite seaside town, so it must being doing something right. While many of Britain's coastal resorts are in genteel decline, Llandudno is doing its best to buck the trend.
Being shoehorned between two headlands, with a great crescent of a promenade backed by handsome pastel-coloured hotels, and a stately pier stretching out into the bay, it will always have the bones of a classic seaside destination. Even without shops, restaurants and attractions (and North Shore sand), the resort still has a natural beauty guaranteed to appeal.
While its core demographic of visitors may be the wrong side of 50, Llandudno has enough going on to generate traditional seaside buzz. As an entertainment venue, it's not quite Blackpool, not does it wish to be. But if you care to look for it, there's plenty of ways to keep busy besides promenading with chips and ice cream.
This week, a survey named Llandudno the UK's 10th most 'entertaining resort' - it was second in Wales behind Swansea (5th). Inevitably, the list was headed by a glitzy Lancashire seaside town with an iconic tower and gaudy promenade lights.
Blackpool topped the pile – compiled by SuomiCasino from a shortlist of 26 – by virtue of its 12 water/amusement parks and, appropriately, 13 casinos. Swansea's ranking was boosted by its 529 bars and restaurants – more than three times the number attributed to Llandudno (148).
The survey was perhaps overly generous when it credited the Conwy town with four beaches – residents may wonder where half of them are. As the compilers used Tripadvisor's AI assistant, beaches at Penrhyn Bay and Deganwy might have been thrown in for good measure.
At the same time, Llandudno was credited with 58 'landmarks', the most in the top 10 other than Blackpool (67). It fared less well for music venues (two), casinos (one, apparently?) and escape rooms (one). But the town has plenty more besides donkey rides, boat trips, and Punch and Judy.
For the energetic, there a dry ski slope and a climbing centre. For families, the freshly renovated Craig-y-don paddling pool is always popular. The Great Orme has San Franciscan-style trams, alpine cable cars and simply spectacular views, including those from a road carved into the sea-cliff.
And does Blackpool have a 3,000-year-old prehistoric copper mines you can wander around? Or a network of Victorian tunnels dug out beneath its streets?
In the resort, tourists can visit chocolate and Home Front museums, and browse canopied shopping streets behind the seafront. Young and old can enjoy a blast of Wonderland whimsy by following the Alice Trail and its sculptures. Venue Cymru is huge, offering events, music and big touring productions.
Sure, some elements are naff and parts of the town need sprucing up, particularly the iconic Grand Hotel. Phone signals are dire and the seagulls vicious. But this is a place that trades on its dramatic location and that will never change.