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Bangor University, Main Arts building

Bangor is a small coastal city in Gwynedd in North Wales. It is a picturesque city offering views over the Menai Straits (especially attractive at sunset), and serves as a convenient base for visiting the nearby Snowdonia National Park. The city is a popular place to spend the night for travellers leaving for Ireland on the Holyhead to Dublin ferry.

Understand

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With a population of only around 14,000, Bangor is one of the UK's smallest cities. Bangor is a university city and has a large student population, and is home to Bangor University, established in 1884.

Around half of the people in the city can speak Welsh, but if you took away all of the students in the university, this figure would be much higher.

Get in

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By train

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1 Bangor station lies on the North Wales Coastal Line, and can be reached from either the direction of Holyhead, for those travelling from Dublin, or from Chester, for those travelling from the mainland. Bangor is on the Holyhead → Chester track, and can be reached from either with trains running roughly every hour. Bangor can also be reached the following ways:

  • Liverpool Lime Street → Chester → Bangor: about 2 hours travelling time. £18.10 for standard day ticket.
  • Manchester Picadilly → Chester → Bangor
  • Cardiff → Bangor
  • London Euston → Crewe → Bangor: roughly every hour, taking about four hours. £96.50 for a standard open single, £62.90 for a saver single (available most days). Booking in advance may get you a ticket for £51.
  • London Euston → Bangor direct: three times a day. Takes just over 3 hours, but same price as above.

By car

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Bangor is just off the intersection of A5 and A55 between Conwy and Holyhead. Bangor is directly on the A5, which runs directly from London to Holyhead making it easily accessible from the capital city of England. This 250-mile (400-km) journey takes roughly 4½ hours.

From the north west of England, Bangor can easily be reached on the coastal road A55, which provides a nice safe journey on a road which serves all of the North coast of Wales. The journey takes as little as an hour and is about 65 miles (105 km).

Bangor is also served by the A487 from the west coast of Wales, from Haverfordwest via Aberystwyth.

By bus

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Students visiting or moving to Bangor with a lot of luggage may find it safest to travel by coach.

Get around

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Map
Map of Bangor (Wales)

See

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Bangor Cathedral
  • 1 Bangor Pier, ☏ +44 1248 352421. Also known as Garth Pier, this Victorian pier opened in 1896 and reaches halfway across the Menai Straits to the Isle of Anglesey. At the end of the pier is the Whistlestop Cafe, which is popular and well-known locally for its scones. Garth Pier (Q5524374) on Wikidata Garth Pier on Wikipedia 
  • 2 Penrhyn Castle, LL57 4HN, ☏ +44 1248 353084, . Varies by season. The castle is closed over the winter months. A neo-Norman Victorian fantasy castle from the 19th century, Penrhyn Castle is now a National Trust property. It contains a collection of "Norman" style furniture and old masters' paintings. It has a shop, tea room, a doll museum, two galleries and an industrial railway museum. Can be considered well over the top in the desire to impress but the kitchen quarters and the walled garden are particularly to be recommended. £11.50, £5.75 for children. Penrhyn Castle (Q3402621) on Wikidata Penrhyn Castle on Wikipedia 
  • 3 The Spinnies (near the coast immediately east of Penrhyn Castle estate.). Two splendidly situated bird hides administered by the North Wales Wildlife Trust. Birds frequently seen include little egrets and kingfishers. Spinnies Nature Reserve (Q13128811) on Wikidata Spinnies, Aberogwen on Wikipedia 
  • 4 Bangor Cathedral, ☏ +44 1248 354999. A 6th-century cathedral with attractive architecture. The focal point of the city. Bangor Cathedral (Q1991360) on Wikidata Bangor Cathedral on Wikipedia 
  • 5 Storiel (formerly Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery), Ffordd Gwynedd, LL57 1DT, ☏ +44 1248 353368. Tells the story of the people of Bangor and Gwynedd over previous centuries. Free. 
  • 6 Bangor City FC, Nantporth Stadium, Holyhead Rd, LL57 2HQ, ☏ +44 1248 725745, fax: +44 1248 724182, . Bangor City Football Club's home ground, near the town centre. A good place to go on match days to soak the atmosphere and to meet real Bangor locals. Adults £6, concessions £4, kids £2. Bangor City F.C. (Q264129) on Wikidata Bangor City F.C. on Wikipedia 

Do

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  • University Concert Series, Powis Hall and Prichard-Jones Hall, Main Arts Building, College Road. Regular concerts of classical music during term time, usually on Thursday and Saturday evenings. Performers include professional orchestras, chamber ensembles and soloists, and there are also concerts of electroacoustic music and regular performances by the University's own choirs and orchestras. 

Events

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Learn

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Eat

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Welsh lamb and beef feature prominently as does freshly caught fish such as salmon, brown trout, white crab and lobster. Vegetarian preferences are also well catered for with organic fruit and vegetable producers in the area. Some of the local eateries include:

  • Blue Sky Cafe, Behind Abbey National/G Williams & Son Butchers, High Street, ☏ +44 1248 361652. M-Sa 9:30AM-17:30PM. Cafe and restaurant, which focuses providing locally sourced, organic and fair trade food and drinks. Caters well for vegetarians, but also has a good selection of meat dishes. Lovely atmosphere with wooden beams and a wood burner. Can be easily missed as it's just off the high street, but don't be put off. The cafe is located on the first floor and is reached by climbing a flight of stairs. Unfortunately, there is no disabled access. 
  • The Black Bull Inn (JD Wetherspoon), 107 High Street, ☏ +44 1248 387900. Su–Th 9AM–midnight; F Sa 9AM–1AM. Typical food menu and drink service. Music is played (sometimes loudly), but family-friendly atmosphere. Food varies in quality and is not a home-made meal, typical from a high-street brand chain. Can provide the venue, but not the atmosphere. If you're looking for a good insight into Bangor culture, this will more remind you of a small bar in any city or town. 
  • 1815, Waterloo Street, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 1DS, ☏ +44 1248 355969. 9:30AM-5PM. Quaint cafe located on Waterloo Hill, which serves lovely tapas and other lunchtime dishes, as well as a variety of homemade cakes. 
  • Kyffin, 129 High Street, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 1NT, ☏ +44 1248 355161, . M-Sa 9:30AM-5:30PM. A vegetarian cafe and deli serving three choices of vegetarian meals and salads a day. Kyffin also serves a wide selection of cakes 
  • Noodle One, 166 High Street, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 1NU, ☏ +44 1248 354418. A Japanese and Asian noodle bar. Set out with long tables and benches, Noodle One serves a range of noodle and rice dishes, as well as Yaki and Ramen dishes from Japan. 

Drink

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Bangor's waterholes vary from the traditional to the student popular venues, to somewhere for a quiet drink. Students who have money to spend can also find a great night out.

Traditional

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  • The Harp Inn, 80 High St (Towards the station on the high street), ☏ +44 1248 361817. A friendly, cosy traditional pub. Great menu, all cooked from scratch, no microwaving here! Reasonable drink prices, and offers on house vodka, whiskey. Round of Jaegerbombs only £10 (for 6 shots and red bull). 
  • Belle Vue, Holyhead Road, ☏ +44 1248 364439. A traditional, ideally situated pub in the busy student sector, offering lunchtime snacks and main meals. Selection of local and established real ales, themed evenings and weekly quiz on Sundays. 

Student

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  • Rascal's Bar, 6a Holyhead Rd, Upper Bangor, ☏ +44 1248 353511. Increasingly popular student bar. 
  • The Globe (Tafarn y Glob), Albert Street, Upper Bangor. Daily 10AM-midnight. Traditional Welsh pub. Very popular with Welsh-speakers, especially the Welsh student population. 

The rest

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  • Patrick's Bar, 57-59 Holyhead Road, ☏ +44 1248 372530. Affectionately known as "Paddy's Bar", this small Irish-themed bar is popular with all and makes such a stamp on visitors that they make sure to return whenever nearby. 

Night out

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The Students' Union has no venue, as it was demolished, along with the cinema and theatre, Theatr Gwynedd. They are due to be replaced by a complex called Pontio.

  • 2 Cube (formerly Peep, formerly Octagon), 29 Dean St, Bangor LL57 1UR, ☏ +44 1248 354977. Cube is a lively night out occasionally supported by some of the top DJs in the UK. Student night is a great laugh and appears on every Wednesday during term time. Be safe here on weekends though, this is outside student territory and locals frequent this club often. However, this provides a good mix of people and can still be a great night out. There are some good rock/metal nights here in the week and also the occasional band night. 
  • Hendre Hall, The Courtyard Hendre Hall Aber Rd, Tal-y-Bont (About 3 miles from Bangor just off the A55 Tal-y-Bont intersection). Hendre is Victorian Grade II listed stone farm building that has been converted to provide a venue of real character for weddings and music events. A favourite venue for local bands, DJs and promoters of world music. It does not provide accommodation. 

Sleep

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Budget

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Mid-range

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  • 2 Tyn Rhos Country House Hotel Bangor, Ty’n Rhos, Seion, Llanddeiniolen LL55 3AE (Short drive from the main city, in the countryside), ☏ +44 1248 670489, . Has superb gardens. There is a large choice of individually decorated rooms and the establishment. It also has its own restaurant, with lounge, bar, main restaurant or conservatory areas, which serves delicious and visually beautiful food sourced locally. 
  • 3 Tyddyn Sydney Bach, Tyddyn Sydney, Treborth LL57 2NJ (Close to Junction 9 of A55), ☏ +44 1248 355180, . VisitWales 5* Holiday Cottage for two people. 19th-century stone cottage fully furnished and equipped. £285 - £445 per week. 

Go next

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Routes through Bangor
Dublin ← Holyhead ← Menai Bridge ←  NW  SE  → Bethesda → Snowdonia
Holyhead ← Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch ←  W  E  → Llanfairfechan → Llandudno


This city travel guide to Bangor is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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