There’s something dreamlike about Portmeirion. Heavily inspired by the Italian Riviera, it’s a mix of pastel-coloured houses, ornamental gardens and Italianate architecture, tucked into the natural landscape of the North Wales coastline. The oddest part, it’s not even a real village!
Designed by Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis in the early 20th century, no one permanently lives here (although you can pitch up in a campervan or sleep in a hotel), and it is probably best described as a “folly village”. It was built over two phases (1926-1939 and 1954-1976) and remains a surreal tourist destination today.
From the Town Hall to the Bristol Colonnade, the Gothic Pavilion and Hercules Hall, Portmeirion is full of loggias, porticoes, campaniles, Italian-style gardens and terracotta-roofs on brightly-painted cottages everywhere you go. It also incorporates pieces of endangered buildings and unwanted artefacts, from all over the world, into the village itself.
What is there to do at Portmeirion?
Portmeirion is as odd a village as can be. A bizarre bazaar of colour. An Instagrammer’s dream. You could spend all day walking around in awe, taking photographs, but you’ll find plenty of extra excitement around the central piazza—including many gift shops, restaurants, and cafes.
If things couldn’t get weirder, surrounding the tourist village is The Gwyllt, a 70-acre sub-tropical forest. It features some of Britain’s largest trees, a derelict castle and a Japanese Garden with a pagoda and a lily-covered lake. Meanwhile, the sandy beaches of the nearby Dwyryd Estuary are full of hidden caves.
Why is it so famous?
Some of you may already recognise Portmeirion without ever having visited. That’s because its exotic look has often been utilised several times as a filming location—from Doctor Who to CBeebies’ Gigglebiz. Altered Images and Siouxsie and the Banshees have both used Portmeirion as a setting in their music videos, too.
Most famously, the village was the setting of the cult TV classic, The Prisoner (1967-1968). It acts as a fitting backdrop to the surreal spy drama about a retired intelligence agent trapped in The Village. Number Six’s Round House has been transformed into a dedicated gift shop, while a permanent large-scale chess set can be found next to the central piazza.
How do I get there from Manchester?
Let’s rip off the plaster: Portmeirion is around 2.5 hours from Manchester. You can drive following the M56 to around Ellesmere Port, and then several A roads to Portmeirion – a gorgeous, scenic route that takes in the coast of Conwy Bay and Snowdonia – or take the train from Manchester Oxford Road, with a few changes, to Bangor, and then the bus to Minffordd (about a mile from Portmeirion). It’s much easier by car, but public transport should take just under five hours, but there are camper van pitches, hotel rooms and self-catering cottages available.
🌐 To learn more about Portmeirion and book somewhere to stay, head here.