New Quay

New Quay's hotels and guesthouses are mostly small and independently run, reflecting the scale of the town itself, and many make the most of its hillside setting with rooms looking straight out over the harbour and Cardigan Bay. A handful of pub-hotels sit right on the waterfront, putting you within a few steps of the boat trip departure points and the harbour wall where dolphins are often spotted without leaving dry land. Further up the hill, guesthouses and B&Bs occupy the terraces of colourful cottages that give New Quay its distinctive look, typically offering a quieter night's sleep and, from the higher streets, sweeping views across the bay towards Aberaeron and beyond.

Self-catering cottages are especially popular here, letting visitors settle into New Quay's slower pace for a week at a time, with many properties an easy walk from the beach, pubs and dolphin-watching operators. Because the town is compact and extremely popular in the summer holidays, booking ahead is strongly advised for July and August, when hotel and cottage availability tightens considerably. Outside peak season, New Quay is a quieter and easier place to find a room, with the added appeal of storm-watching from a cosy harbourfront bar.

New Quay is small enough to explore on foot in an afternoon, but its coastal setting means there is plenty to fill a longer stay.

• Dolphin watching boat trips — Operators including New Quay Boat Trips and SeaMor run regular trips out into Cardigan Bay to see the resident bottlenose dolphins, along with grey seals and a variety of seabirds; several local trips have picked up Visit Wales awards.
• Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre — A small, free-to-enter centre on Glanmor Terrace, open from spring to autumn, with exhibits on the dolphins, seals and other marine life recorded in the bay that week.
• Dylan Thomas Trail — A self-guided walk around the town taking in the house where Thomas lived, the Black Lion pub said to be his favourite, and other spots that inspired Under Milk Wood.
• New Quay Harbour — The working quay itself, with its lifeboat station, fishing boats and lobster pots, is a good vantage point for spotting dolphins without leaving dry land.
• New Quay Beach and Harbour Beach — Sandy, sheltered beaches either side of the pier, popular with families and within easy walking distance of the town centre.
• Cei Bach Beach — A quieter cove-style beach a short drive or coastal walk from town, backed by low cliffs.
• Wales Coast Path — New Quay sits on the long-distance coastal path, with dramatic clifftop walking in both directions towards Llangrannog to the south and Aberaeron to the north.
• Local pubs with literary history — The Black Lion and the plaque-marked corner of the Sea Horse Inn are among the pubs where Dylan Thomas is said to have drunk and gathered material for his writing.

New Quay punches above its weight for a small town, with several fish and chip shops close to the pier, including Café Mariners and the newer Lime Crab, both well placed for eating with a view over the harbour. The Watch House on South John Street reopened in 2025 as a pizza and tapas bar with big windows looking out over the bay, while Rossini serves long-standing Italian favourites at Uplands Square. For a drink with history, the Black Lion is said to have been Dylan Thomas's favourite New Quay pub, and the Sea Horse Inn and Hotel Penwig's harbourfront bar are both popular spots to watch the boats come in.

The coastline around New Quay offers some of the most scenic camping in Ceredigion, with clifftop sites making the most of views out over Cardigan Bay towards the dolphin grounds. As in the rest of Wales, wild camping is not legally permitted without the landowner's explicit permission, so visitors should book into one of the area's established campsites and caravan parks rather than pitching on open land or coastal footpaths, several stretches of which are protected for their wildlife value.

Most sites sit a short drive from New Quay itself, spread along the coast towards Llangrannog to the south and Aberaeron to the north, and range from simple grassy touring pitches to larger holiday parks with statics and glamping pods. The terrain here is properly coastal: exposed clifftop fields give dramatic sunset views but can be windy, so a sturdy tent and secure pegging are worth the effort, while sites set back slightly inland or behind hedging offer more shelter for those camping outside peak summer.

The camping season generally runs from Easter through to the end of September, with July and August the busiest and most expensive months, when many family-run sites fill up well in advance thanks to the pull of the dolphin-watching boat trips and sandy beaches. Spring and early autumn bring the added attraction of coastal wildflowers and, often, calmer seas for spotting dolphins from the shore, along with the practical benefit of easier pitch availability.

For those who prefer a roof over their heads without giving up the outdoor feel, glamping has grown steadily around New Quay, with shepherd's huts, bell tents and safari-style tents available at several sites within easy reach of the harbour. These typically come with proper beds and some form of heating, making them a comfortable option for shoulder-season stays when a standard tent pitch might feel exposed. Whichever type of pitch is chosen, the Wales Coast Path runs directly along this stretch of coastline, making it straightforward to walk into New Quay from most of the surrounding campsites.