Europe > 🇬🇧Wales
Should You Hire a Car in Wales? This can be broken down into two similar questions - do you need a car in Wales (in other words, will your holiday be ruined without one), and is it worth hiring a car in Wales - i.e. is a car better value than using public transport? We'll weigh up both questions and give you a response generated by Chat GPT, together with our own curated opinion before finally giving a yes or no verdict at the end.
Wales offers rugged mountains, dramatic coastlines, medieval castles, and some of the UK’s greatest scenic railways 🚆🏞️. When you ask should you rent a car in Wales, the answer depends on how widely you want to explore. Although trains and buses cover a surprising amount of ground, a car gives you more freedom, especially in rural and mountainous areas.
Getting to Wales ✈️🚆
Although Wales has one international airport — Cardiff Airport (CWL) — its inbound routes remain limited. As a result, most visitors actually arrive via Bristol, London, Birmingham, Manchester, or Liverpool.
-
South Wales: Bristol Airport usually offers the easiest access. London airports also work because of fast rail connections to Cardiff and Swansea.
-
Mid Wales: Birmingham Airport provides the most convenient rail gateway via Shrewsbury.
-
North Wales: Manchester and Liverpool airports are significantly closer than Cardiff and link directly to the North Wales Coast Line.
So your arrival airport matters when planning whether to hire a car, because you may find it simpler to pick one up in England before crossing into Wales.
Getting Around Without a Car 🚆🚌
Wales has an expanding network of trains and buses that works well for linear itineraries, especially between major towns.
Rail strengths include:
-
The South Wales Main Line (Bristol–Cardiff–Swansea)
-
The North Wales Coast Line (Chester–Llandudno–Bangor–Holyhead)
-
Scenic rail links from Shrewsbury into mid and northwest Wales
Buses fill many gaps, although timetables thin out in rural regions and in the evenings.
If you stick to towns like Cardiff, Swansea, Llandudno, or Conwy, public transport feels perfectly adequate.
Wales’s Heritage Railways — A Highlight, Not a Limitation 🚂💚
Wales is famous for its narrow-gauge and steam railways, including the Ffestiniog Railway, Welsh Highland Railway, Talyllyn Railway, and Brecon Mountain Railway.
These aren’t meant to be fast or “practical” — their slow pace is the whole point. They offer some of the most breathtaking train journeys in Europe, winding through Snowdonia, forests, and valleys. You ride them for pleasure, not efficiency, and they’re a major reason some visitors choose not to rent a car at all.
When a Car Helps 🚗⛰️
A rental car becomes more valuable when you want to explore:
-
Snowdonia / Eryri, especially trailheads far from stations
-
Pembrokeshire Coast, where buses are seasonal
-
Brecon Beacons / Bannau Brycheiniog, with dispersed villages
-
Remote castles, waterfalls, and beaches not served by rail
Driving also makes it easier to link multiple national parks in one trip. Roads are generally good, although narrow lanes and steep hills are common in rural areas.
Driving in Wales 🚗🌄
Driving here is extremely scenic and generally stress-free. Even so, roads in rural areas can be narrow, winding, and slow. With that said, the upside is huge: you can reach hidden bays on the Llŷn Peninsula, small mountain villages in Snowdonia (Eryri), and sweeping uplands in the Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) on your own schedule.
Parking in Cardiff, Swansea and Llandudno is straightforward, and smaller towns often have well-marked car parks.
Aberystwyth’s “No Traffic Wardens” Experiment
Aberystwyth famously scrapped its traffic wardens in 2011 after a long-running dispute, and the results were chaotic almost immediately. With no enforcement, double-parking, blocked junctions, and cars abandoned on pavements became daily problems. Bus routes struggled, emergency vehicles faced delays, and local businesses complained that spaces were constantly occupied by all-day parkers.
After a few months, the council reversed the decision because the town centre simply couldn’t function without basic parking regulation.
Driving Between England and Wales — A Complete Non-Issue
Driving across the England–Wales border is completely seamless. There are no checkpoints, no paperwork, and no restrictions — it works exactly like driving between two English counties. Number plates are universal across Great Britain, and numberplates are issued by the DVLA in Swansea anyway, so one-way rentals pose no special problems. Whether you pick up your car in Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, or Cardiff, crossing into Wales is as effortless as crossing from Yorkshire into Lancashire.
Summary — Should You Rent a Car in Wales?🚗
- Yes, if you want maximum flexibility for remoter areas, scenic road loops, and hiking regions.
- No, if you prefer rail travel, heritage lines, coastal hopping, or city-based stays.
Many travellers choose a mix: public transport for the main routes, plus a short car hire to reach Wales’s more secluded corners.
Either way, the landscapes are gorgeous — and wandering slowly is part of the magic of Wales. 🏰🌊✨
