Beaumaris (Biwmares) is the most genteel town on Anglesey — a seafront of painted Georgian houses looking across the Menai Strait to the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia), with a world-famous castle at one end and boats running out to a wildlife island from the pier. It’s compact, walkable, and easily a full day. Here’s how to do it.
Morning: Beaumaris Castle
Start at Beaumaris Castle, the last and largest of the castles Edward I built to ring North Wales, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was never finished — the money ran out — which is exactly what makes it fascinating: a perfect concentric design, frozen mid-build, with a moat you can still see and walls within walls. Allow an hour to walk the ramparts and the inner ward. It’s run by Cadw, so check seasonal opening hours before you go.
Late morning: the gaol and the courthouse
A short walk into town brings you to Beaumaris Gaol, a Victorian prison preserved more or less intact — cells, the treadwheel, the condemned cell, and the route a prisoner walked to the scaffold. It’s a sobering, genuinely interesting hour and a good one for older children who like the macabre. The Georgian courthouse opposite is sometimes open to pair with it.
Lunch on the seafront
Beaumaris eats well. The seafront and the streets behind it have a strong run of pubs and restaurants — from the historic Ye Olde Bull’s Head, a coaching inn that’s been serving since the 17th century, to The Boathouse and a clutch of cafés and bistros. Sit where you can see the water and the mountains beyond it.
Afternoon: the pier and a boat trip
Walk it off along Beaumaris Pier, the Victorian promenade pier that reaches out into the Strait. From here — or the adjacent slipway — boats run the Puffin Island trip, a cruise out to Ynys Seiriol past cormorant colonies and grey seals hauled out on the rocks. (A note on the name: the puffins were wiped out by rats decades ago and haven’t returned — see where to see puffins on Anglesey for where they actually are. The trip is still an excellent seal-and-seabird cruise.) Book ahead in summer.
For something more active, Beaumaris is also a base for sea kayaking on the Menai Strait, threading the tidal currents with the castle and town as your backdrop.
A short drive away: Penmon Point
If you have an extra hour, drive five minutes east to Penmon — a medieval priory, a holy well, a dovecote, and a lighthouse looking across the water to Puffin Island. The Penmon Priory ruins are free to wander and the toll road down to the point is one of the quieter corners of this coast.
Practical notes
- Parking: there’s seafront pay-and-display parking and car parks in town; both fill on summer weekends, so arrive earlier rather than later.
- Getting there: Beaumaris is about 10 minutes from the Menai Bridge, the natural gateway to Anglesey — see our how to get to Anglesey guide for routes onto the island.
- Dogs: the seafront and castle grounds are dog-friendly; check individual cafés.
- Time: give Beaumaris a full day if you can, or pair a half-day here with Penmon or the food-focused food lover’s guide.
Castle, gaol, pier, boat, and a proper lunch with a mountain view — few towns this size give you a fuller day than Beaumaris.