Caernarfon Town Walls
About 900 metres round the circuit from Y Maes ·
About
The walls that close off the old town north of the castle were built with it and are the other half of Caernarfon's part of the UNESCO inscription. Cadw says the circuit of almost half a mile, with eight towers and two gateways, survives almost complete: Porth Mawr, the East Gate, was the main landward way in, and Porth yr Aur at the other end of the High Street could only be reached from the sea in the 13th century. Entry is free and the walls are open all year in daylight, but this is not Conwy: Cadw says they can be viewed externally only and that, for safety reasons, access onto them is not currently possible. So you walk round them and under them. Cadw's own tip is to walk the quay or the shady Hole in the Wall Street for the feel of the old town, and the best-kept stretches are just north of the East Gate. There is one way inside a tower: Cadw lends a key to the Porth Mawr tower from Siop Lwsi at 4 Pepper Lane, next to the tower.
Photos
Highlights
- ✓Free, managed by Cadw, open all year in daylight
- ✓Eight towers and two gateways, almost complete, per Cadw
- ✓Borrow the key to the Porth Mawr tower on set days
- ✓Part of the castle's UNESCO inscription
Tips
- →There is no wall walk here as there is at Conwy; Cadw says access onto the walls is not currently possible.
- →The Porth Mawr tower key is collected from Siop Lwsi, 4 Pepper Lane, 10:00 to 15:00 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, 31 March to the end of October 2026, per Cadw.
- →Dogs are welcome round the walls, per Cadw.
Best Season
Accessibility
Cadw grades the route round the walls Level 1, accessible. The ramparts themselves are closed.
More Heritage Activities
Caernarfon Castle
Edward I's castle at the foot of Y Maes, run by Cadw; the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum is inside.
Segontium Roman Fort
The foundations of the Roman fort that gave Caernarfon its name; check Cadw's access dates first.
Welsh Highland Railway from Caernarfon
Steam to Beddgelert or Porthmadog from the station under the castle walls.