HOLYHEAD SHORE EXCURSION: North Wales Adventure - Sightseeing Day Trip Tour
Description
Hop on for a fun-filled day from Holyhead Cruise Terminal to North Wales! Enjoy easy transport, guided tours, and stops at Snowdonia, Caernarfon Castle, Llanfairpwll Station and more! If you're not arriving by cruise ship and wish to join this tour, please email BusyBus directly to see if arrangements can be made.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Start your adventure with a scenic drive from Holyhead, crossing the iconic Conwy Suspension Bridge into the walled town of Conwy, one of Britain’s best-preserved medieval towns.
Your journey continues to the historic walled town of Conwy, where you’ll have free time to explore. You may choose to visit Conwy Castle (additional cost), see the Smallest House in Britain on the marina, or walk along the medieval castle walls. This stop is also the perfect chance to enjoy a traditional Welsh lunch, and we recommend Fisherman’s Fish & Chips on the main high street.
The tour then continues to the picturesque village of Betws-y-Coed, a perfect place to stretch your legs and explore. Here you can browse traditional shops, pick up souvenirs, and take a look at the old train station that adds to the village’s charm. It’s also an ideal stop to enjoy a refreshment — perhaps an ice cream on a warm day or a hot coffee when the weather is cooler.
The adventure continues as you journey into Snowdonia National Park, the second largest national park in the UK. In true BusyBus style, you’ll go off the beaten path and have the chance to spot native sheep and wild ponies before taking a short walk up the Ogwen Valley to capture some memorable photos. Many guests consider this the highlight of the day!
Explore the charming town of Caernarfon. Stroll along its cobbled streets, soak in the historic atmosphere, and enjoy the opportunity to visit Caernarfon Castle (additional cost) — one of Wales’ most iconic medieval fortresses. Try your hand at crabbing by the quay or simply wander the streets while learning about the town’s rich history. This stop is perfect for capturing memorable photos and enjoying the authentic Welsh town experience.
Enjoy a quick stop at the famous Llanfairpwll Railway Station, home to the world’s longest train station name. This is the perfect opportunity to take fun group photos and pick up unique souvenirs to remember your day in North Wales. A leisurely visit before you return to the port rounds off your adventure nicely.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Pushchairs, wheelchairs and luggage must be communicated to and approved by our company in advance
- Please note that the tour’s timings are designed exclusively with your cruise schedule in mind. If you dock late, do not panic - we will be there waiting for you and we will adjust timings accordingly to make sure everything runs smoothly. If you dock early, we will depart at the scheduled ticket time above. We will ALWAYS ensure you are back at least one hour before your ship departs.
- Holyhead operates either JETTY (with a courtesy shuttle bus) or TENDER methods of disembarkation. In either case please disembark as quickly as possible using either a TENDER or a JETTY SHUTTLE BUS and we will meet you at the ARRIVAL GATE in our yellow, BUSYBUS jackets.
Reviews(145)
Our tour guide was Shelly and she and the bus driver made a remarkable team. She gave us so much information and entertainment along the way the trip was superb. The excursion was unexpectedly beautiful! You must do this if you wanna see different aspects of Wales. It was very informative. Well paced enough time to see everything and it stayed very interesting. No head nodding/dozing off on this trip.
Our tour guide was Frank and he made the excursion fun. He did a great job at giving directions, making sure everyone was ok. They picked us up at the cruise port. My only complaint because it was raining it was difficult to find the tour. We didn’t see anyone holding up the Busy Bus sign but other tour operators were helpful to direct us to the correct motor coach. All the sites were interesting and it would’ve been nice to have been told it takes 1.5hour to tour the castle vs going to get something to eat…but that didn’t ruin our experience because the town was wonderful to walk around. We did have two couples who were late and made everyone wait 45mins before we could leave, all because they misunderstood what time they were to get back to the bus. Frank was really good at trying to find them and I’m not sure I would’ve done what he did, they were lucky to come back when they did. The one restaurant recommended to us only took pounds so we had to eat some where else. We would recommend this tour/shore excursion.
Our driver Dylan was excellent and our tour guide Frank was the best!! Frank kept us entertained with funny jokes and great info about Wales and the sites we were visiting. We were taking a cruise and they picked us up from the port and dropped us off with plenty of time to spare. 10/10 Recommend!!
I went on the North Wales excursion through EF Ultimate Break, and we had Ann. She was amazing - we had such a fun time! She was adapting to the storm and showed us a great time. She was incredibly knowledgable, and I’m glad she was my guide. It’s been my favorite part of my trip to the UK so far. I only wish we had more time together!
More emphasis on geographical sites. Could have deleted one of 45 minute duration in order to expand time at the castle. Turned out we did not have enough time to meaningfully visit the castle and have lunch; should’ve been a two hour stop. Otherwise, the driver was friendly, knowledgeable, but could not provide more in depth tours. Made sure to get the bus back on time to get back to the ship as a shore excursion.
We completely understand wanting more time at the castles and for lunch. As this is a scheduled day tour from Holyhead, we do need to stick closely to the timings to ensure everyone returns to the ship on time. The tour allows for visits to both Caernarfon and Conwy castles, with stop durations listed under our booking details, and please note that entry to the castles isn’t included in the tour. We would love to stay longer at each site if we could! We’re glad you enjoyed the driver’s friendliness and knowledge, and we hope despite the tight schedule, you still had a memorable North Wales adventure with us.
This tour is was incredible. Frank was a kind and knowledgeable tour guide and drove us all over beautiful Northern Wales. I cannot say enough about this tour. The views were stunning and every town we stopped in was idyllic. Would highly recommend this tour!
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! 🌟 We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed your North Wales adventure from Holyhead. Frank will be delighted to know his kindness and knowledge made the tour even more special. We really appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you onboard again soon.
Upon arrival it was a mess and unorganized. Because of this we never did see one of the items on our itinerary which was important to us. We thought castles were included but no they just took us there. With the limited time that we had at each of them it wasn’t worth paying extra for admission. I would never book with this company again just because of how chaotic it was when we got to the port. We stood around without anyone to help us for about 20 minutes and didn’t know what was going on.
Thank you for your feedback. We are sorry to hear about your experience, but we would like to clarify a few points. Clear instructions on where to meet are sent to your email 24 hours before departure and are also printed on the tickets you receive upon booking. Additionally, it is clearly stated on Viator’s website that admissions to the castle are not included, which can be found under the Inclusions & Exclusions section. We regret that this information was missed, but it could not have been communicated any more clearly. Itineraries are also subject to change, and this is displayed directly under the itinerary on Viator’s website. We hope you will reconsider booking with us in the future, as we strive to ensure all details are communicated clearly and tours run smoothly.
The tour was good in so far as you got to see lots of places in a short space of time. Our guide was Lee, he was knowledgeable and informative about the places we visited. But, he lacked some basic things. First of all there was no mention of wearing seatbelts which is compulsory in the Uk. We live in the UK so knew this but most of the group were from the US and didn’t wear seatbelts and nothing was said about this. There was also a stop to the waterfalls where the walk was uneven and slippery and got worse the further you went but we were just told that there’s a path up there and quite a few people were struggling and had to turn back and we had to help a couple get back and Lee was nowhere to be seen! From speaking to people who were on other buses all the above was pointed out to them and their guide was available to assist them. No issues with the tour itself but a few basic safety points need to be made.
Thank you for your detailed feedback — we’re glad you enjoyed seeing so much of North Wales and appreciated Lee’s knowledge. We’re very sorry to hear that some important safety points were missed. Seatbelt use is compulsory in the UK, and we’ll be reinforcing this with all guides to ensure it’s always mentioned clearly. Regarding the waterfall stop, all walks and activities on our tours are optional, as we aim to make them as inclusive as possible. That said, you’re absolutely right — waterfalls can make paths uneven and slippery. We’ll remind our guides to give clearer advice and support so everyone feels confident in deciding whether to take part. We really appreciate your comments, as they help us improve, and we hope we can welcome you back for an even better experience next time.
Rod and our driver gave us a fantastic tour of Wales. They packed in so much to our day, but it was just the right mix of history and scenery. Really enjoyable day and experience.
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear that Rod and our driver made your North Wales Adventure such a fantastic experience. It’s great to know you enjoyed the mix of history and scenery throughout the day. We’d love to hear — what was your favourite scenery or spot that you saw on the tour?
We booked this excursion directly with busy bus. There were five bus loads. We had the most amazing driver, Malcolm and our guide Lee had quite the personality. Was a great experience
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We’re delighted to hear you had a great experience with Malcolm and Lee — they’ll be thrilled with your kind words. Our cruise excursions are very popular, so it’s fantastic that you were able to enjoy one of our full and fun tours. We hope to welcome you on another BusyBus adventure in the future!
