Portmeirion, North Wales: Clough Williams-Ellis's Italianate Village

Portmeirion stands on a wooded peninsula above the estuary of the River Dwyryd, near Porthmadog in Gwynedd. Its pastel-coloured houses, domes, colonnades and piazza tumble down to the sands like a Mediterranean village transported to Wales.

Why Portmeirion Is Special

There is nowhere else quite like Portmeirion. It is a work of art as much as a village, a fantasy of Italian and Baroque architecture in a setting of woods, gardens and tidal sands.

It is also a place to stay, eat and walk, with miles of paths through the subtropical Gwyllt woodland and along the estuary shore.

The History of Portmeirion

Portmeirion was designed and built by the architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975, in a playful Italianate and Baroque style. He wanted to show that a beautiful place could be developed without spoiling it, and he rescued fragments of demolished buildings to use in his village.

The village has served as the location for many films and television programmes, most famously as "the Village" in the 1960s series The Prisoner, starring Patrick McGoohan.

Portmeirion is now owned by a charitable trust, which runs the hotel, the self-catering cottages and the village for visitors.

Things to Do in Portmeirion

Wander through the piazza, up to the Campanile and the Pantheon, and down to the quay and the stone boat on the shore. Walk out onto the estuary sands at low tide.

Explore the Gwyllt, the woodland garden, with its rhododendrons, camellias and exotic trees, and paths to the lighthouse and the headland.

Gardens, Countryside & Antiques near Portmeirion

See the Portmeirion listing for opening times. The mountains of the Eryri National Park rise just inland; see our guide to Eryri, and Beddgelert is a short drive north; see Beddgelert.

For gardens, Bodnant Garden is about an hour away, and Tyddyn Sachau near Pwllheli and Fron Goch Garden Centre near Caernarfon are within reach.

Portmeirion Through the Seasons

Spring brings the rhododendrons and camellias of the Gwyllt into flower. Summer is the busiest season. Autumn colours the woods above the estuary, and in winter the village is quiet and magical.

Getting to Portmeirion

The nearest stations are Minffordd and Porthmadog, on the Cambrian Coast line and the Ffestiniog Railway. There is a car park at the entrance.

Portmeirion: Questions & Answers

Who built Portmeirion?

The architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, between 1925 and 1975.

Which TV series was filmed at Portmeirion?

The Prisoner, in the 1960s, in which it played "the Village".

Our Advice

Our advice: Arrive when the village opens, walk the woodland paths first, and finish with tea on the terrace above the estuary.