Our guide to luxury holidays in Wales

The seven cities of Wales are: Bangor, Cardiff, Newport, St Asaph, St Davids, Swansea and Wrexham. With a population of just 1600 residents, St David’s is officially the smallest city in the UK. Its young and creative capital, Cardiff, is a hub of Welsh culture and sport. Only in 2022, following a successful bid for city status as part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, was Wrexham officially designated as Wales’ seventh city.

The flag of Wales (Baner Cymru or Y Ddraig Goch, meaning 'the red dragon’) signifies the power and fearlessness of the Welsh; as an emblem, it has been used since the reign of  Cadwaladr, King of Gwynedd (c. 655AD).

Today, you’ll find the Welsh dragon proudly flown across the country, as well as depicted on badges, bumper stickers, and painted on the faces of raucous rugby fans at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, too.

Traditional Welsh dishes include cawl (a lamb and root vegetable stew), Welsh rarebit, laverbread or bara lawr (a salty seaweed paste), Welsh cakes (a buttery bread biscuit studded with plump currants), bara brith (a spiced fruit loaf made with black tea) and Glamorgan sausage (a crumbly, comforting dish made with Caerphilly cheese and leeks). No holiday to Wales is complete without savouring these national delicacies.

Of the six living Celtic languages, Welsh has the highest number of native speakers who use the language on a daily basis. As of 2022, around 29.5% of Welsh residents can still speak the language, which totals 900,600 people. It is the only Celtic language which is not considered to be endangered by UNESCO.

Like England, Wales has well-defined seasons – though it’s best to prepare for all eventualities, as the weather can be unpredictable.

Spring or Gwanyn (March, April, May) brings with it wild daffodils, carpets of bluebells, and newborn lambs to the fields. Temperatures tend to range from 5°C to 16°C, though it can be wet.

Summer or Haf (June, July, August) is typically the warmest and driest season, with long days filled with barbecues and beach days.

Autumn or Hydref (September, October, November) announces the return of colder climes and darker nights in Wales. The trees are ablaze with auburn leaves and plump blackberries are ripe for the picking.

Winter or Gaeaf (December, January, February) is the coldest season. Temperatures hover between 0°C to 8°C, bringing crisp mornings, snow showers and afternoons by the crackling log fire.