Portmeirion - Portmeirion

Portmeirion is a tourist village in the county of Gwynedd in the North of Wales.

To know

The village, built entirely in the Italian Renaissance style, more precisely Palladian, is famous for having often been the set of films or television series, starting with The Prisoner in the sixties.

Geographical notes

The holiday village is located in the north of wales, on the estuary of the river Dwyryd, just 2 miles southeast Porthmadog and 1km from Minnffordd station.

Background

The village was built by the architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis on a private plot between 1925 and 1975 and is now run by a charity (Friends of Portmeirion) which is concerned with preserving the architect's works. It is not a residential village but rather a tourist attraction, accessible at a cost of £ 7.50 and with hotels housed in the many cottages in the village.

How to orient yourself

How to get

By car

The village is located a few miles southwest of Porthmadog, not far from the A487.

On the train

Portmeirion can be reached from Minffordd, a train station which is about twenty minutes walk from the village and which is served by:

• Trains Wales arrives and from
• Ffestiniog Railway

By bus

Bus no. 99B connects the village to the town of Porthmadog three times a day (excluding Sundays). The only stop is on the High Street, opposite the Australia pub.

How to get around

Portmeirion is a small village, everything is walkable and there is no internal public transport.

What see

All the attractions of the village are within walking distance. Portmeirion's colorful architecture alone is worth a visit.

The village also offers artistic gardens, a pagoda, a cliff-top lighthouse and an animal cemetery.

• Rob Piercy Gallery (in the Dome). April-October. Monothematic art gallery on the paintings of Rob Piercy, an artist who a few years ago also published a book about his experience in Portmeirion. 

Events and parties

• GWYL FWYD A CHREFFT (6-7 December 2014), ☎ 44 017 6677 0000, fax: 44 017 6677 0300. £ 4 adults, £ 2 children. 10:00-16:00. A Welsh food and wine festival is held this year. More than 100 exhibitors will be present. 
• Festival N.6 (5,6,7 September every year). £ 175 adults, £ 87.50 children. It is the festival dedicated to the television series the Prisoner to which cottage n.6 is particularly linked as a filming set. For the occasion, artistic and musical events are organized. All the information, year by year, is on the official website. 

What to do

The best way to enjoy Portmeirion is to walk through its narrow streets and admire the different and enchanting examples of architecture present here.

• Portmeirion's Mermaid Spa (in Battery Square). Wed-Sun. Portmeirion Spa on the most artistic square in the village. Aromatherapy treatments. 

Shopping

The typical souvenir of the village consists of a piece of his particular line of pottery. The line was designed by the daughter of the village founder himself and is now sold here in some typical shops, along with other typical Welsh items. 6, there are also objects related to the television series The prisoner here shot.

How to have fun

Where to eat

The village has only 1 restaurant, 1 pizzeria (recently built) and an ice cream parlor.

Moderate prices

• Caffi'r Sgwâr (in Battery Square). Small café with a continental climate, very populated during the school period. 
• Caffi Glas, ☎ 44 017 6677 2340. Pizzeria 
• Hotel Dining, ☎ 44 017 6677 2440. Restaurant of the only luxury hotel in the village. Reservation not required for groups smaller than 6 people. 

• Castell Deudraeth Brasserie, ☎ 44 017 6677 2400, @[email protected]. 12:00-18:00. Elegant restaurant at the castle. 

Where stay

There is only one hotel in Portmeirion:

• The Hotel Pormeirion, ☎ 44 017 6677 2406, @[email protected]. £ 90 per night. Village hotel. The rooms are housed in the cottages. The price is quite high, it is recommended to stay in nearby Minffordd which is only 1.6 km away. 

Safety

The village is under the jurisdiction of the North Wales police.

How to keep in touch

Around

Useful information

From the official website or by going there, you can buy a annual pass which allows access to the village for a whole year and the possibility of participating in extra tours. All at a not too high price of £ 20 for adults and £ 10 for children up to 15 years old.

• Village map

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Portmeirion
• Commons contains images or other files on Portmeirion

Usable : the article respects the characteristics of a draft but in addition it contains enough information to allow a short visit to the city. Use i correctly listing (the right type in the right sections).