Hotels in Aberystwyth

Where to base yourself in Aberystwyth comes down to how much time you plan to spend on the seafront versus using the town as a springboard into the surrounding countryside. Marine Terrace and the promenade put you within a few minutes of the castle, harbour and pier, with sea views from most front-facing rooms and the whole town within walking distance; this is the obvious choice for a classic seaside break, and it is where most of Aberystwyth's guest houses and larger hotels cluster. North Beach, at the quieter end near Constitution Hill, offers the same coastal setting a short walk further from the busiest part of the promenade, useful if you want sea air without quite so much passing traffic in summer.

Visitors attending events at the National Library, the university or the arts centre may prefer to stay closer to Penglais Hill, though it involves a steeper walk down to the seafront and shops. For something quieter still, a clutch of country house hotels and farmhouse guest houses sit a few miles out in the Ceredigion countryside around Chancery, Capel Bangor and Bow Street, generally set in their own grounds and better suited to travellers with a car who want peace in the evenings and easy access to Devil's Bridge, the Rheidol valley and the wider hills rather than a five-minute walk to the beach. Rooms across the town range from simple, good-value guest house doubles to four-star hotels and a couple of genuinely grand country houses, so budget and appetite for a view both play into the choice as much as location does. Booking ahead is worth doing for July and August, and around any of the town's festivals or university open days, when the closest options to the seafront sell out first.