Carmarthen

Carmarthen makes a sensible, well-connected base for a west Wales hotel break, with the town itself offering a handful of central options within walking distance of the castle, market and railway station, and a wider spread of country hotels and inns scattered through the surrounding Tywi Valley villages. Because Carmarthen is a working county town rather than a purpose-built resort, prices tend to stay reasonable even in peak summer, and you get the bonus of proper shops, pubs and a supermarket on your doorstep rather than a strip of seasonal tourist outlets. Hotels here suit visitors who want a fixed, comfortable base from which to explore the Carmarthenshire coast at Llansteffan and Laugharne, the National Botanic Garden of Wales a short drive up the valley, and the Brecon Beacons and Cambrian foothills to the north and east. Families tend to appreciate the short distances involved, since most of the county's beaches and attractions are within a 20 to 30 minute drive, while the town's own sights, the castle grounds, the Roman amphitheatre and the riverside walks along the Tywi, can be covered comfortably on foot. Booking a hotel in or near Carmarthen also puts you within easy reach of the Heart of Wales railway line for those wanting to explore mid Wales without a car for part of the trip.

Carmarthen rewards a slow wander, and most of its best-known sights sit within easy walking distance of the town centre.

• Carmarthen Castle — a Norman stronghold founded in the 11th century and rebuilt several times since; the surviving gatehouse and towers now share the hilltop with the county council offices, with views down over the Tywi.
• Merlin's legend and Merlin's Hill — the town's Welsh name, Caerfyrddin, is popularly linked to the wizard Merlin, and local lore places his enchanted sleep beneath Merlin's Hill just outside town.
• Roman Amphitheatre — tucked behind Priory Street, this grassy oval is one of only seven confirmed Roman amphitheatres surviving anywhere in Britain, a quiet reminder of Carmarthen's status as Moridunum.
• Carmarthenshire County Museum, Abergwili — housed in the former Bishop of St Davids' palace just outside town, with collections covering the county's archaeology, costume and rural history.
• Carmarthen Market — a lively indoor market plus an open-air market on Wednesdays and Saturdays, both long-standing fixtures of town life selling local produce, crafts and Welsh cakes.
• St Peter's Church — the town's largest parish church, with medieval origins and the tomb of Sir Rhys ap Thomas, a key figure at the Battle of Bosworth.
• National Botanic Garden of Wales — around 15 minutes by car in the Tywi Valley, home to the world's largest single-span glasshouse and extensive parkland and lakes.

Carmarthen's food scene centres on its market halls, where stalls sell Welsh cakes, local cheese and the town's famous Carmarthen ham, a air-cured ham with protected status similar to Parma ham. In town, Y Prior on Priory Street and The Warren on King Street are popular for modern Welsh menus, while Waverley Stores is a long-running deli and coffee stop for picking up local produce. A handful of traditional pubs, including the Queens Hotel and the Boars Head, serve real ale and pub classics close to the castle.

Carmarthenshire's countryside, all rolling hills, wooded river valleys and a quiet, unhurried stretch of coast, has become a popular base for campers and glampers looking for something a little less crowded than Pembrokeshire next door. Sites cluster along the Tywi Valley around Carmarthen itself and further out towards the coast at Llansteffan and Laugharne, where Dylan Thomas once lived and worked, offering everything from simple grass touring pitches to fully-equipped glamping pods, safari tents and shepherd's huts. As in the rest of Wales, wild camping without the landowner's permission is against the law here, so it is worth sticking to licensed campsites and farm-based sites, most of which are family-run and happy to point guests towards local walks, beaches and the region's handful of country pubs. The Tywi Valley's terrain is gently undulating rather than mountainous, which makes it forgiving for tents, caravans and motorhomes alike, though riverside sites can be prone to damp ground after heavy rain, so autumn and winter camping is best reserved for well-drained pitches or hardstanding. Late spring through to early autumn is the most reliable camping season, when the valley is at its greenest and long evenings make the most of sites near the coast at Llansteffan, where the beach and ruined castle draw a steady trickle of visitors without ever feeling overrun. Glamping has taken off strongly in the area over recent years, with converted barns, bell tents and wooden pods offering a warmer, more sheltered alternative for those who want the countryside setting without sleeping under canvas, and many of these sites are dog-friendly and geared towards families wanting an easy, low-key rural break within a short drive of Carmarthen's shops, market and castle.