A short visitor's guide to Criccieth, Gwynedd: things to do, places to eat and drink, and what's on through the year.
Criccieth sits on the southern edge of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north Wales, where Eifionydd meets the sea and the Snowdonia hills tip down toward Cardigan Bay. It is a small, walkable town: Porthmadog lies five miles to the east, Pwllheli nine miles west, and Caernarfon seventeen miles to the north, which makes it a natural base for anyone wanting a seaside stay within easy reach of the mountains.
Visitors come for the twin beaches either side of the headland, the medieval Criccieth Castle crowning the rock between them, and a high street of independent cafés, ice-cream parlours and small shops rather than chain stores. It is quieter than nearby Pwllheli or Porthmadog, which suits walkers, families and dog owners; many of our dog-friendly holiday cottages in Criccieth are within a short stroll of both beaches and the castle path.
Criccieth keeps things simple on the pub front: two long-standing locals on the High Street, both well rated by visitors, and both within a few minutes' walk of the castle and beaches. The Prince of Wales is the more traditional of the pair, a wood-panelled pub with exposed beams that pours real ales and serves comfort food, and welcomes dogs in from the seafront walks. The Bryn Hir Arms is just along the same High Street, a steady neighbourhood pub that draws a mix of locals and holidaymakers in the evenings.
Between them, you have what most people want from a Criccieth pub: a quiet pint after a coastal walk, a plate of pub food, and a short stroll back to your cottage.
The headline restaurant in Criccieth is Dylan's, the seafood-led casual European on the Esplanade in a restored 1930s beachside building; it is the busiest table in town and the one most visitors book first. For something quieter and more old-school, Poachers Restaurant on the High Street has been family-run for thirty years and is the highest-rated of the lot, the place locals point you to when you ask where to eat.
Beyond those two, the High Street covers most appetites in a short walk. Castle Fish & Chip Shop and Allports Fish & Chips are the takeaway pair to weigh up if you want chips on the seafront; Spice Bank does Indian cooking inside a converted old bank building; and The Crab & Lemon Restaurant on Parciau Terrace runs Mediterranean dishes and evening tapas platters for something a bit different.
Coffee and cake punches above its weight here. Tir a Môr on Mona Terrace is the all-rounder: a licensed cafe with homemade, locally sourced food, dog-friendly seating across two floors and an outdoor area, and the beach a short walk away. No. 46 Coffee Shop on the High Street is the best-rated coffee in town, the kind of small place regulars treat as their morning fixture, and Idris Bakery further along the same street handles the pastry side, with bread and cakes baked on site.
For something with a sea view, Divine Coffee sits inside the Marine Hotel overlooking the bay, serving signature blends in edible biodegradable cups and freshly baked croffles (their croissant-waffle hybrid). And on a sunny afternoon you will hear Cariad Gelato Piaggio before you see it: an independent, family-run gelato outfit operating since 2015, with their little Piaggio van parked up on the promenade roughly noon to five, weather permitting, scooping authentic Italian gelato made just down the road in Porthmadog.
By car, Criccieth sits on the A497, the main road across the southern Llŷn Peninsula between Porthmadog (about five miles east) and Pwllheli (about nine miles west). For Caernarfon and the north, take the B4411 out of town to join the A487 near Garndolbenmaen.
Trains run direct to Criccieth railway station on the Cambrian Coast Line between Pwllheli and Machynlleth. Services are operated by Transport for Wales and run through to Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton and Birmingham. The station is unstaffed but it is one of those small stations that has been adopted by the community: locals keep flower displays going and artists have painted scenes of the town on what used to be boarded-up windows, which is more welcoming than most rural halts.
By bus, Caelloi Motors of Pwllheli run local service 3 between Pwllheli and Porthmadog through Criccieth, and Lloyds Coaches of Machynlleth run the long-distance TrawsCymru T2 from Bangor down to Aberystwyth via Caernarfon, Criccieth, Porthmadog, Dolgellau and Machynlleth. If Criccieth is fully booked, the smaller villages just inland are a sensible fallback: try Llanystumdwy two and a half kilometres up the road, or Tremadoc on the way to Porthmadog.