Porthmadog

Porthmadog, formerly Portmadoc, is a small coastal town in Gwynedd with a population of 4,000. It has a picturesque harbour. 19th-century wharves survive, but the harbour is used by leisure yachts.

Understand

William Madocks built a sea wall in the early 1800s that reclaimed the region for agricultural land. The town grew during the 19th century and by 1861 had a population of 3,000. The town became significant as a port, but that part of the local economy declined with World War I.

Visitor information

Get in

By train

Porthmadog station is on the Cambrian Coast Line which runs from Machynlleth to Pwllheli. Travel to Machynlleth is from either Aberystwyth or Shrewsbury. Direct trains run from Birmingham New Street.

The town is also served by the narrow gauge Ffestiniog Railway from Blaneau Ffestiniog and the Welsh Highland Railway from Caernarfon.

By bus

Porthmadog is served by Sherpa'r Wyddfa's Line S4 from Pen-y-Pass, TrawCymru's T22 from Blaenau Ffestiniog and Caenarfon, and the T2 from Aberystwyth and Caenarfon. All buses charge a flat fare of ยฃ7 per adult (2025) for a 1bws ticket, which grants unlimited travel on buses in North Wales for a day.

By car

On the A487, the Fishguard to Bangor trunk road. The A498 runs north from Porthmadog to Beddgelert, giving access to Snowdonia. The A497 runs west through the southern Llลทn Peninsula to Criccieth and Pwllheli.

Get around

See

Do

Buy

  • Cob Records, 1-3 Britannia Terrace. Shop specialising in bargain second-hand records, tapes, CDs, videos and DVDs. Good Welsh-language sections. 

Eat

The town has a Chinese restaurant, an Indian restaurant, a bistro, and various pubs serving food, including one at the station of the Ffestiniog Railway situated at the end of the Cob. The village of Tremadog is about a fifteen minute walk and enjoys four food pubs on its square. There are also numerous take-aways, including Chinese and an award-winning Fish & Chip shop.

Drink

Sleep

The town has a good selection of Bed and Breakfast guest houses and makes a good base for exploring North-West Wales.

Go next

  • Portmeirion, 1ยฝ miles south of Porthmadog, was created by the architect Clough Williams-Ellis from 1925 to 1976. The location of the cult 1960s TV series The Prisoner, "I am not a number. I am a free man".
  • The Lleyn Peninsula is an easy drive.
  • Snowdonia National Park stretches both North and South from here.
  • Criccieth
  • Harlech
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