Conwy is a small town in North Wales that is a great place to visit with the family. Here I’m going to share the best things to do with kids in Conwy. There are also a number of fantastic family tourist attractions just a short drive from the town in the county of Conwy. Find all my favourite UK family days out and holidays here.
Ad – This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase through the links I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Explore the town of Conwy
The town of Conwy is a world heritage site with a thirteenth-century castle, a cute little harbour and walls surrounding the town. It’s a lovely little town to walk around. You’ll find lots of little cafes and shops
The castle, town walls, harbour and the smallest house in the UK are also worth a visit, more details below. You only need a day in Conwy to fully explore the town and castle. If you are here for longer then there are plenty of popular attractions outside but not too far from Conwy to explore.
Visit Conwy Castle
Conwy castle is possibly one of our favourite Welsh castles to visit with kids. This historic castle is over 700 years old and thanks to the restored spiral staircases you can enjoy walking the whole circuit of the battlements. From here you can enjoy the spectacular views over the town and harbour.
A family ticket currently costs £36.60 and can be booked online. Find out more about the castle and book here.
Visit the smallest house in Great Britain
Did you know the smallest house in Great Britain is in Conwy and you can go inside? It’s tiny so it won’t take you long to look around. Prices at the time of writing are £1.50 for adults and £1 for children. It’s located on the harbour and is painted red so, despite its small size, it won’t be hard to find.
Walk the Conwy town walls
The historic walls that surround the town allow you to enjoy great views of the town, castle, harbour and across to the Snowdonia National Park. The walls are three-quarters of a mile in total and you can access them at various points around the town.
It is free to climb and walk around the walls. You can’t take a pushchair up but there is a rail all the way around. We took our kids up when they were just 4 and 7. Our youngest was fine so long as we kept hold of her on the walled side.
Walk along the harbour
It’s worth going down the harbour which runs along River Conwy. Again it’s very small but it’s very pretty, there are plenty of benches, the UK’s smallest house is here, the public toilets and you get great views of Conwy Castle and Conwy suspension bridge.
Eat ice cream
You can’t beat eating ice cream and we found a fantastic Ice cream parlour on the High Street – Parisella’s Ice Cream Parlour. There are a couple of other places selling ice creams and ice lollies too.
Conwy sightseeing cruise
Down on the harbour, you can also join a boat tour. Choose from the different boat trips available including ones that go downriver toward the sea at Colwyn bay. There is another that goes upriver (away from the sea) which is great for wildlife spotting and there is another that goes a bit in both directions. Find out more here.
Conwy suspension bridge
Conwy suspension bridge (also known as Thomas Telford’s bridge) is managed by the National Trust but it is free to enter and walk or cycle along the bridge for everyone. It’s a really impressive bridge to walk along and well worth doing.
Visit Aberconwy house
This National Trust property is currently closed for restoration. This is the only merchant’s house to survive in Conwy.
Visit Plas Mawr
Plas Mawr is a 16th century Elizabethan townhouse that families with older children may enjoy looking around.
Complete the Conwy Treasure trail
Have you heard of Treasure trails? They’re self-guided treasure trails and there is one for Conwy. It’s a 1.5 mile circular walk around Conwy town centre – get yours here.
Paint pottery at Tan y Ddraig Ceramic Cafe
The perfect creative activity for families on rainy days. Choose from all sorts of different things to paint in this ceramic cafe. It’s located in the town centre. Book here.
Gyffin play area
This is a lovely play area with lots of play equipment for kids including a castle-themed climbing frame/slide structure. There is a free car park right next to it. We have parked here and walked into Conwy which is about half a mile away.
Bodlondeb woods and nature reserve
These are lovely woodlands to walk around, located just outside the town walls. There is a lovely kid’s play area too.
Explore the surrounding areas in Conwy county
There are so many things to do with kids in Conwy town but there are so many places to explore nearby too, you’re going to be spoilt for choice. The county of Conwy extends down to include Bewts-y-Coed. There are beaches, the popular seaside town of Llandudno, theme parks, zoos and so much more.
Visit RSPB Conwy nature reserve.
Nature lovers will enjoy visiting this RSPB reserve on the Conwy estuary, not far from Conwy at Llandudno junction. It is a great place for walking and also has a fantastic play area for kids. Entry is free for RSPB members, £6 for adults, £3 for kids (under 5s are free) and family tickets are £15.
Visit a beach
There are several nearby beaches. Conwy Morfa beach is a large sandy bay, just a short drive from the town of Conwy. You could also drive a little bit further to visit either Llandudno West shore which is a lovely sandy beach or Llandudno North shore, which is a pebble beach but it does have a pier and lots of nearby attractions. You could also visit Colwyn bay beach or
Explore Bodnant gardens
We love visiting these beautiful gardens. There is a small play area in the car park but the rest of the gardens are great for family walks. There are beautiful flower gardens to explore, meadows and stunning woodlands and water gardens too. They often have children’s trails. * Find out more here.
Visit Manorafon Farm Park
This is fun day out for all the family. At this farm park, you can enjoy watching pig racing, meeting reptiles and rabbits and playing in the indoor and outdoor play areas. They also regularly have events on for Easter, Halloween and Christmas. Find out more and book here.
Visit the Welsh Mountain zoo
We love the Welsh mountain zoo. It’s fantastic fun for all the family. It’s the perfect size of zoo for young children as it isn’t huge but there is still plenty to see and a full day out.
There are daily bird shows, penguin parades, species talks and my favourite, Sea lion feeding and training. You can easily walk around the whole zoo and the majority is fine for a pushchair or pram but remember it is a mountain zoo so there are some hills to climb.
Animals include brown bears, tigers, chimpanzes, wild ponies, welsh mountain goats, wallabies and so many more. Find our full review here – Welsh Mountain Zoo.
Visit Zip world forest
We haven’t visited here yet but I have heard it is fantastic for older children. it’s a 30 minute drive down the Conwy valley, near to Betws-y-Coed. In this stunning forest, you can choose from 6 different adventures.
Skyride – For over 9s only. This is Europe’s giant swing.
Treetop trek – For over 3s. There are 250 meters of treetop nets, 60 ft in the trees with treehouses and slides to explore.
FForest coaster – The UKs only alpine coaster for over 3s. It’s a toboggan style, adrenaline-filled ride through the forest.
Zip safari 2 – For over 9s. This includes 21 zip lines and 17 additional elements (bridges, nets and balance beams).
Tree hoppers – for children 5 and over, under 8s require an adult to go on with them. This is a mini assault course, 7m up in the trees.
Plummet 2 – For over 7s. This is a 100ft tower with a tandem drop.
Visit LLandudno
Llandudno is a fantastic seaside town for families with lots of things to do with kids including taking a cable car up the Great Orme and walking along Llandudno pier. Find the best things to do with kids in Llandudno.
Conwy water gardens
Conwy water gardens is set in the Conwy valley and include a nature trail where you’ll spot lots of wildlife, an aquatic centre with 100 species of fish, a Dutch pancake house and a tortoise area. Entry is free. Find out more here.
Visit Adventure Parc Snowdonia
Home to the world-first surf lagoon, here you can enjoy surfing lessons or just surf on one of the graded difficulty areas. There are other activities to enjoy such as indoor and outdoor climbing walls, soft play, zip lines, Ninja assault course and extreme slides, indoor high ropes and indoor caving. Find out more and book here – Adventure Parc
Visit Penmaenmawr
This is a quiet seaside town. You can play on the beach, walk along the promenade, paddle in the paddling pool or play on the playground (there’s also a skate park too).
Visit Colwyn bay
As well as the beach and the promenade to walk along, there is a brand new playground. There is also Eirias park which is nice for walking around and has a playground. You can also enjoy walks in Fairy glen nature reserve.
If you have the family dog with you, here are some Places to Eat in Colwyn Bay with Your Dog.
Visit Betws-y-Coed
Betws-y-Coed is a lovely town to explore. There is also the Conwy valley railway museum in the centre which has a miniature railway that kids love. You can also walk over the wobbly Sappers suspension bridge although it is currently closed for restoration.
Just outside Betwsy-y-Coed is swallow falls which are well worth a visit. There is a small admission feed.
Visit Llanrwst
This is a lovely town not too far from Betws-y-Coed. Parking is currently free at gwydyr park. The park itself, although not large, has a great play area and even an ancient stone circle! The town is lovely to walk around and there are beautiful riverside walks to enjoy.
Where to next?
- Just under an hours drive away from Conwy you’ll find the fantastic family theme park – Greenwood family park review.
- Bodnant gardens in Conwy is just one of many National Trust North Wales family days out, find the rest here.
- One of my favourite places to visit in North Wales is Anglesey. There are so many fantastic things to do in Anglesey with kids.