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Although Cardiff boasts most of Wales' national institutions, including the National Museum, the appeal of a visit lies outside the towns, where there is ample evidence of the war-mongering which shaped the country's development. Castles are everywhere, from hard little stone keeps of the early Welsh princes and the mighty Carreg Cennen to Edward I's doughty fortresses such as Beaumaris, Caernarfon and Harlech . Passage graves and stone circles (such as on Holy Island ) offer a link to the pre-Roman era when the priestly order of Druids ruled over early Celtic peoples, and great medieval monastic houses, like ruined Tintern Abbey , are easily accessible.

All these attractions are enhanced by the beauty of the wild Welsh countryside. The backbone of the Cambrian Mountains terminates in the soaring peaks of Snowdonia National Park and the angular ridges of the Brecon Beacons ; both are superb walking country, as is the Pembrokeshire Coast in the southwest. Much of the rest of the coast remains unspoilt, though long sweeps of sand are often backed by traditional British seaside resorts, such as Llandudno in the north or Tenby in the south.

Mid-Wales
Mid-Wales is a huge, beautiful region, crisscrossed by breathtaking mountain passes, dotted with characterful little towns and never far from water - whether sparkling rivers, great lakes or the sea of the Cambrian coast. This is certainly the least-known part of Wales, and that is, perhaps, to its advantage, for it is here that you'll find Welsh culture at its most beguiling and most natural, folded into the contours of the land as it has been for centuries.

A quarter of the area of Wales is occupied by the inland county of Powys , whose name harks back to a fifth-century Welsh kingdom. By far the most popular attraction is Brecon Beacons National Park , stretching from the dramatic limestone country of Fforest Fawr in the west through to the English border beyond the Black Mountains. The best bases are the tiny city of Brecon , the market town of Abergavenny , or the characterful border town Hay-on-Wye that buzzes all year round with devotees of its abundant secondhand book trade.

North of the Beacons lie the old spa towns of Radnorshire, among them twee Llandrindod Wells . The quiet countryside to the north, crossed by spectacular mountain roads such as the Abergwesyn Pass from Llanwrtyd, is barely populated, dotted with ancient churches and introspective villages. In the east, the border town of Knighton is the home of the flourishing Offa's Dyke path industry. Montgomeryshire is the northern portion of Powys, similarly underpopulated and remote. Like many country towns in mid-Wales, beautiful Llanidloes has a healthy stock of old hippies amongst its population, contributing to a thriving arts and crafts community and a relaxed atmosphere. It's also a great base for the mountains, forests and boggy heathland that surround it.

Continuing north are the mountains that course down into the Dee Valley , a fertile landscape much fought over between the English and the Welsh. With the language still thriving hereabouts, there's more of a tangibly Welsh feel to towns like the fabulous Llangollen , a great base for a variety of ruins, rides and rambles, as well as the venue each summer for the colourful International Eisteddfod festival. Further west is the old county of Meirionydd , which stretches to the enduringly popular Cambrian Coast, peppered with coastal resorts. Between the towns of Harlech and Barmouth lie some great beaches, backed by burbling rivers and stunning mountains.

The southern tranche of Meirionydd is dominated by mountain scenery, most notably around the massif of Cadair Idris . South of the great mountain is Machynlleth , a great base for beaches, mountains, shopping and the Centre for Alternative Technology , an impressive showpiece for community living and renewable energy resources.

Between Meirionydd and Pembrokeshire is the cheerful county of Ceredigion , firmly Welsh but surprisingly cosmopolitan with it. This is especially so in the beguiling "capital" of Mid-Wales, Aberystwyth , a great mix of seaside resort, university city and market town. From here, wide sands and beaches give way to clifftop paths, small sandy coves and sea-birds, as the coast heads towards Pembrokeshire. Ceredigion's interior is best seen around two river valleys: the lush and quiet Teifi , running through old-fashioned market towns like Lampeter , and the dramatic ravines around the Rheidol .

North Wales
With the advent of the A55 dual carriageway across the width of North Wales , the region has become considerably more accessible in recent times. This, however, has not tamed the wilder aspects of this stunningly beautiful area, especially in the western parts of Snowdonia and the Llyn peninsula. Wales's north coast and its natural offshoot, the isle of Anglesey, not only encompass the geographical extremities of the country, but comprise an area exhibiting the extremes of Welsh life. As you walk around most of the brash seaside towns along the eastern section of the coast, only the street signs give any indication that you are in Wales at all; further west, there are places where English is seldom spoken other than to visitors. Scattered along the coast, dramatically sited castles act as a superb antidote to low-brow fun-seeking.

Without doubt, Snowdonia is the crowning glory of North Wales. This tightly packed bundle of soaring cliff faces, jagged peaks and plunging waterfalls measures little more than ten miles by ten, but packs enough mountain paths to keep even the most jaded walking enthusiast happy for weeks. Even if lakeside ambles and rides on antiquated steam trains are more your style, you can't fail to appreciate the natural grandeur of the scenery, occasionally revealing an atmospheric Welsh castle ruin or decaying piece of quarrying equipment. The area's small settlements - well geared up for walking and other outdoor activities - make for lively bases, whether long-standing tourist towns like Betws-y-Coed and Llanberis , or old mining and quarry towns such as Beddgelert and Blaenau Ffestiniog .

Snowdonia is the heart - and undisputed highlight - of the massive Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri), an 840-square-mile area which extends north and south, beyond the bounds of Snowdonia and this section, to encompass the Rhinogs, Cadair Idris and 23 miles of superb coastal scenery. To the west, this coast is the highlight, in the gentle rockiness of the Llyn peninsula , where Wales ends in a flourish of small coves and seafaring villages, offering almost unlimited rambling potential around the high-hedged lanes. Roads loop back along the Llyn to the tip of the north coast, where Caernarfon sits overshadowed by its stupendous castle, the mightiest link in Edward I's Iron Ring of thirteenth-century fortresses across north Wales.

Across the Menai Strait lies the island of Anglesey , a gentle patchwork of beautiful beaches and sites of ancient heritage, well worth exploration. Edward's final castle, a masterpiece of design, is sited in Beaumaris , and catamarans and ferries from Anglesey's main town, Holyhead , provide the fastest route to Dublin.

Back on the mainland, the university and cathedral city of Bangor is the area's most cosmopolitan haunt, while remaining solidly Welsh in outlook and language. The same could certainly not be said for the string of seaside resorts along the north Wales coast, among which Conwy - another walled bastide town built by Edward I - and genteel Llandudno , always a cut above the rest, are the highlights. Further east towards England, faded Victorian resorts are the mainstay. However, a few surprises come embedded into this matrix of bingo halls and caravan sites: the allegedly miraculous waters at Holywell have attracted the hopeful since the seventh century, while others come for the National Portrait Gallery's collection at Bodelwyddan , and Britain's smallest cathedral at St Asaph .

South Wales
The most heavily populated, and by far the most anglicized, part of Wales is the south . This is a region of distinct character, whether in the resurgent seaport cities of Cardiff and Swansea, the mining-scarred Valleys or the beauty of the Glamorgan, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire coasts. Unlike the rest of Wales, transport connections are fast and frequent, making this region by far the easiest Welsh stop for those on a limited itinerary.

Monmouthshire, the easternmost county in Wales, abuts the English border and contains the full span of south Welsh life, from the bucolic charms of the River Wye and Tintern Abbey , to Newport , Wales's third largest conurbation, near the remains of an extensive Roman settlement at Caerleon . West and north are the world-famous Valleys . Although all but one of the coal mines have closed, the area is still one of tight-knit towns, with a rich working-class heritage that displays itself in some excellent museums and colliery tours, such as Big Pit at Blaenafon and the Rhondda Heritage Park in Trehafod. The valleys course down to the great ports of the coast, which once shipped Wales's products all over the world. The greatest of them all was Cardiff , now Wales's upbeat capital and an essential stop. Further west is Wales's second city, Swansea - rougher, tougher and less anglicized than the capital. It sits on an impressive arc of coast that shelves round to the delightful Gower Peninsula , one of the country's favourite playgrounds that juts out into the sea like a mini-Wales of grand beaches, rocky headlands, bracken heaths and ruined castles.

Too many people rush from here straight to the coastal national park of Pembrokeshire, missing out Carmarthenshire . Of all the routes that spoke out of the county town of Carmarthen , the most glorious is the winding road to Llandeilo along the Tywi Valley , past ruined hilltop forts and two of the country's finest gardens. Immediately west sits Wales's most impressively sited castle at Carreg Cennen , high up on the dizzy rock plug of the Black Mountain.

The wide sands fringing Carmarthen Bay stretch towards the popular seaside resort of Tenby , a major stop on the 186-mile Pembrokeshire Coast Path . The rutted coastline of St Bride's Bay is the most glorious part of the coastal walk, which leads north to brush past the impeccable mini-city of St David's , whose exquisite cathedral shelters in its own protective hollow. Nearby are plenty of opportunities for spectacular coast and hill walks, dinghy crossings to local islands and numerous other outdoor activities.