Plenty of guides tell you how to drive to Anglesey. This one is for the visitor who’d rather not — by choice, or because they’re arriving by train. The honest verdict: getting to the island car-free is genuinely easy, and several of the best places are reachable by public transport, but a car still unlocks the remote corners. Here’s how to do it well.
By train
The North Wales Coast railway line runs right across Anglesey, which is its great advantage. Trains from Chester, Llandudno Junction, and Bangor cross the Britannia Bridge and stop at:
- Llanfairpwll — for the famous station sign, the Menai Strait, and bus connections.
- Bodorgan, Ty Croes — rural request stops.
- Rhosneigr — walk straight from the station to the beaches and watersports.
- Valley — for the west of the island.
- Holyhead — the end of the line, and the gateway to Holy Island, South Stack, and the mountain, plus the Irish ferry.
Several stations are request stops, so signal the driver or tell the conductor. See our main how to get to Anglesey guide for arrival routes.
By bus
Anglesey’s bus network (the routes run largely under the regional TrawsCymru / Bws Môn umbrella) connects the main towns — Llangefni, Menai Bridge, Beaumaris, Amlwch, Holyhead — and many villages. Useful realities:
- Beaumaris is well served by bus from Bangor and Menai Bridge, making a car-free day there (castle, gaol, pier) very doable — see things to do in Beaumaris.
- Buses to the beaches and the far north are less frequent and often don’t run on Sundays or in the evening — check timetables carefully and plan your return.
- Fares are reasonable and a day or regional ticket can be good value.
On foot and by bike
The 125-mile Anglesey Coastal Path rings the island, so walkers can string together car-free days using the train and bus to reach the start and end of a section — see the best day walks on the coastal path. The island’s flat lanes also make it excellent cycling country, and trains carry bikes if you reserve a space.
What’s hard without a car
Be realistic. The wild north and west — Cemlyn Bay, Church Bay, the Lligwy ancient sites, much of the coast path’s remoter stretches — have little or no public transport, and taxis outside the main towns are limited. If your trip centres on these, either base yourself somewhere walkable and accept some taxi fares, or hire a car for a day.
A car-free itinerary that works
Base yourself in Beaumaris or Menai Bridge (both bus-connected and walkable, with good places to eat), take the train to Holyhead for South Stack and the mountain, and the bus to Beaumaris for the castle and a Puffin Island boat trip. That’s a strong two or three days without ever touching a steering wheel.