How to get around Wales
Navigating Wales is straightforward with a variety of public and private transport options. Here's what you need to know about getting between and within its cities and towns.
Inter-City Travel
Traveling between cities in Wales offers a range of options varying in cost and speed. Train services, primarily operated by Transport for Wales Rail, connect major urban centers such as Cardiff, Swansea, and Newport, as well as northern towns like Holyhead and Bangor.
Prices for long train journeys can start from approximately $95.22, but purchasing in advance often secures better fares. For example, a combined train and TrawsCymru bus ticket for a journey like Swansea to Aberystwyth costs around £16.10 for an Anytime Single, and Holyhead to Machynlleth is around £15.30 for an Anytime Single.
Bus travel is generally a more economical choice for intercity journeys. TrawsCymru provides a network of longer-distance bus services across Wales. National Express also operates coach services connecting major Welsh cities and extending into England.
The cost of bus travel is typically cheaper than trains, with prices for longer journeys varying depending on the route and booking time. As a general guide for bus fares, a single adult fare in some regions can be as low as £2.00 or £2.50, and day tickets can be £4.00 to £5.00, though these are more typical for regional or local travel rather than long intercity routes.
Travel Within Cities
Within Welsh cities, public bus networks are the most common and cost-effective means of transport. Services are extensive, with various local operators providing routes throughout urban areas. For instance, in Cardiff, a single adult bus fare can be around £2.00 to £2.50, and a day ticket is typically £4.00 to £5.00. In North Wales, a 1bws ticket provides unlimited travel on most buses for £7.00 for a day or £30.00 for a week.
Taxis offer a more direct, yet more expensive, option for getting around within cities. In Cardiff, the base fare for a taxi is around £3.50, with an additional cost of approximately £2.09 per mile during the day. A typical 5-mile taxi trip in Cardiff might cost around £18.90, including some waiting time. In Rhyl, a 5-mile taxi trip is estimated at £12.00, while a 10-mile journey could be £21.00.
