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

• Porthmadog 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.

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

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 Llŷn Peninsula to Criccieth and Pwllheli.

Do

• 1 Ffestiniog Railway, Harbour Station, LL49 9NF, ☏ +44 1766 516024, enquiries@ffwhr.com. The Ffestiniog runs through several miles of attractive terrain to Blaenau Ffestiniog. From Blaenau you can either proceed north on the standard gauge Conwy Valley Line to the coast at Llandudno or you can return to Porthmadog. A round trip (Porthmadog - Blaenau - Porthmadog) will take approximately 4 hours (more if you break the journey along the route) and it is therefore an excellent way of occupying a day.  
• 2 Welsh Highland Railway, Harbour Station, LL49 9NF, ☏ +44 1766 516024, enquiries@ffwhr.com. It runs trains from Porthmadog via Beddgelert to Caernarfon through picturesque scenery of Snowdonia.  
• 3 Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, Tremadog Road, LL49 4DY, ☏ +44 1766 513402, info@whr.co.uk.  
• Wales Coast Path

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.

• 1 The Ship, 14 Lombard St, ☏ +44 1766 512990. (updated Nov 2016)

Drink

• 1 Spooners Grill, Cafe and Bar, Harbour Station, 113 Britannia Terrace (On the platform of the Ffestiniog Railway), ☏ +44 1766 516032. A great place for a drink or food before or after your journey on the Ffestiniog Railway or Welsh Highland Railway. 
• 2 Purple Moose Brewery, Madoc Street, ☏ +44 1766 515571. (updated Nov 2016)

Sleep

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

• 1 Royal Sportsman Hotel, 131 High St., ☏ +44 1766 512015. (updated Nov 2016)

Go next

• 1 Portmeirion, LL48 6ET (1½ miles south of Porthmadog), ☏ +44 1766 770000, info@portmeirion-village.com. Portmeirion village 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". (updated Dec 2017)
• The Lleyn Peninsula is an easy drive.
• Snowdonia National Park stretches both North and South from here.
• Criccieth
• Harlech