Places to visit around Bethesda, from Penrhyn Castle
Nothing is mapped inside Bethesda’s built-up area, but 3 places to visit are within 5 km of its edge. Look for a castle, a garden and an attraction. Our list counts 2 places looked after by the National Trust. Travel 15 km and you reach Caernarfon.
The names to know near Bethesda
The list goes on from Penrhyn Castle to a garden and an attraction.
Castle · National TrustPenrhyn Castle4.5 km outside town, to the northwestGardenGarden · National TrustWalled Garden4.6 km outside town, to the northwestAttractionAttractionY Rhaeadr Fawr4.9 km outside town, to the northeastEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Finding your way
Leave town to the northwest for most of the 3 nearby.
The dashed line is Bethesda’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
A breakdown by kind
It comes down to a castle, a garden and an attraction.
Green: inside Bethesda. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
2 places are cared for by the National Trust (Penrhyn Castle and Walled Garden).
Every entry
The list runs to 3 places, all within 5 km of its edge.
Walled Garden
Grade II listed building in Llandygai. Located approximately 150m west of Penrhyn Castle on a fairly steep, south-west facing slope with bog garden below to south-west..
Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
37 listed buildings and 1 scheduled monument are on Bethesda’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Bethesda →
A drive away
Day trips number 12; the best known is Caernarfon, 15 km off.
FortCaernarfon15 km west
Castle · CadwCastell Biwmares / Beaumaris Castle9.7 km north
Castle · CadwCastell Caernarfon15 km west
Castle · CadwConwy Castle19 km northeastCastleCastle · CadwCastell Dolbadarn8 km southwest
CathedralBangor Cathedral7 km northwestCastleCastle · CadwCastell Dolwyddelan17 km southeast
Castle · CadwCastell Harlech36 km south
CastleCastell Aberlleiniog13 km north
MuseumWelsh Slate Museum7.6 km southwest
Heritage railwayLlanberis Lake Railway7.4 km southwest
Historic houseThe Smallest House in Great Britain19 km northeastPlaces well known beyond Bethesda (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
What people ask about Bethesda
What is there to see near Bethesda?
No attraction is mapped inside Bethesda itself. Within 5 km of it are Penrhyn Castle, Walled Garden and Y Rhaeadr Fawr.
Does Bethesda have a museum?
No museum or gallery is mapped in or within 5 km of Bethesda.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Bethesda?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Bethesda, 2 places are cared for by the National Trust (Penrhyn Castle and Walled Garden).
What are the best-known days out near Bethesda?
Within 40 km: Caernarfon (15 km), Castell Biwmares / Beaumaris Castle (9.7 km), Castell Caernarfon (15 km), Conwy Castle (19 km).
Where are Bethesda’s historic buildings listed?
Bethesda has 37 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Cadw’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Bethesda when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (11)
- Penrhyn Castle: Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Caernarfon: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castell Biwmares / Beaumaris Castle: Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castell Caernarfon: Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Conwy Castle: Source: Llywelyn2000 Derivative: User:MathKnight, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Bangor Cathedral: Denis Egan from Bangor, Gwynedd, North Wales, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castell Harlech: Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castell Aberlleiniog: Stephen Elwyn RODDICK, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Welsh Slate Museum: Talsarnau Times, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Llanberis Lake Railway: The original uploader was Mick Knapton at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- The Smallest House in Great Britain: JK the Unwise, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.