Portmeirion, the Italianate village in Wales

Portmeirion is the most surprising village in Wales: a hamlet of Mediterranean colours, with pink, yellow and blue houses, a bell tower, little squares, statues and gardens, overlooking the estuary of the River Dwyryd in the north-west of the country. It looks like a corner of the Italian Riviera transplanted among the mountains of Eryri (Snowdonia), and that is exactly how its creator, the Welsh architect Clough Williams-Ellis, imagined it, building it little by little between 1925 and 1975. It is also famous as the set of the cult television series The Prisoner.

History

Clough Williams-Ellis had always dreamed of building an ideal village, to prove that a beautiful place could be developed without spoiling the landscape. In 1925 he bought a wooded peninsula on the estuary, with an old mansion that he turned into a hotel, opened in 1926. Over the following fifty years he added buildings of every kind, many of them rescued from demolition elsewhere in the country and rebuilt here: colonnades, façades, statues, a portico, even a baroque ceiling. The result is an eclectic and theatrical ensemble, inspired by Italian and Mediterranean architecture, which the architect himself described as a "home for fallen buildings".

Portmeirion soon attracted artists and writers: Noël Coward wrote the comedy Blithe Spirit here in a week in 1941, and guests included George Bernard Shaw and H. G. Wells. In 1966-67 the village was the set for the series The Prisoner, in which a secret agent wakes up in a mysterious "Village" from which escape is impossible. Fans of the series still gather here every year.

What to see

The village

You stroll around the central piazza with its fountain, the campanile, the Pantheon with its green dome, the Bristol Colonnade, an 18th-century colonnade brought here piece by piece, and the terraces overlooking the estuary. Every building has different colours, decorations and views, and almost all of them house hotel rooms, shops or cafés. The house that belonged to the hero of the series, Number Six, is now a shop devoted to The Prisoner.

The waterfront and the hotel

At the foot of the village stands the hotel, with its terrace over the water, and a small beach on the estuary. At low tide vast stretches of golden sand are revealed that you can explore on foot, but beware of the currents and the fast-rising tide.

The Gwyllt woods

Behind the village lies the Gwyllt, a large woodland with paths, ponds and exotic plants, famous in spring for its rhododendrons, azaleas and camellias. A walk leads to the lighthouse and the tip of the peninsula, with views of the mountains.

The pottery

The architect's daughter, Susan Williams-Ellis, founded Portmeirion Pottery in 1960, famous for its tableware decorated with flowers and plants, such as the classic Botanic Garden design. Pieces and seconds can be found in the village shops.

Practical information

The village is open to visitors every day of the year with an admission ticket; those staying at the hotel or in the cottages can enjoy it in the evening, after the day visitors have left. There are restaurants, cafés and an ice-cream parlour. Opening times and prices are published on the official website.

Getting there

• By train: to Minffordd, on the Cambrian Coast line or the historic Ffestiniog Railway, then about 20 minutes on foot.
• By car: near Penrhyndeudraeth, on the A487; free parking at the entrance.
• By air: the nearest airports are Liverpool and Manchester, about two and a half hours away.

Nearby

• The Ffestiniog Railway, a narrow-gauge line climbing from Porthmadog to the slate quarries of Blaenau Ffestiniog.
• Harlech Castle, about 20 minutes away, and Black Rock Sands beach.
• Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park, with Snowdon itself. See also the page on Wales.

Tips

• How long: half a day for the village and the woods.
• When to go: spring for the rhododendrons; on sunny days the village's colours are spectacular.
• A tip: arrive early or in the late afternoon to photograph the squares without the crowds.

Portmeirion on the map

Nearby