Porthmadog is a large coastal town that sits on the western edge of the Snowdonia National Park within the county of Gwynedd, North Wales.
The town is a popular tourist destination due to its proximity to both the national park and the Llyn Peninsula.
A large marina is close to the centre of the town and boating activities are popular.
Porthmadog is home to two of North Wales major railway attractions in the Ffestiniog Railway and Welsh Highland Railway.
A short walk along the High Street takes you between the two stations.
The Welsh Highland Railway is the longest tourist railway in Wales and will eventually take visitors through the heart of the Snowdon mountains to Caernarfon in the north, a distance stretching over 40 miles.
The Ffestiniog Railway is a small gauge railway that was originally built to transport slate from the mines at Blaenau Ffestiniog to the waiting ships at Porthmadog. After the railway closed it was reopened by volunteers who turned it into a successful tourist attraction taking in some stunning scenery.
Porthmadog is ideally situated as a base for exploring all the local regions. The towns of Criccieth, Pwhelli, and Abersoch are just a few miles to the west on the Llyn Peninsula and are easily reached by car.
A couple of miles to the south of the town is Portmeirion, an Italiante village designed by William Clough-Ellis during the early 20th century. Portmeirion was used as the setting for the popular television series, The Prisoner, in the 1960's. Today it is one of the regions best tourist attractions and is also home to the Portmeirion Hotel and Castell Deudraeth.
Further south of the town, but still within easy reach by car, lies Harlech, another coastal town and home to Harlech Castle one of the most famous in Wales.
To the east of Porthmadog is the Snowdonia National Park. Snowdon, the tallest mountain in England and Wales is within a half hour drive.
To the north is the town of Caernarfon, home to probably the best castle in Wales, and beyond that the Isle of Anglesey with its many great beaches.
There's plenty of activities in and around the town and the Porthmadog Golf Club lies to the south of the town across the cob and close to Portmeirion.
Just a few miles from the town is the popular Greenacres Holiday Park which is operated by Haven. There's a host of other accommodation nearby but if you want to stay in the town and the luxury of a hotel then The Royal Sportsman Hotel is located close to the town centre.
Getting to Porthmadog is relatively easy along the North Wales A55 dual carriageway. Leave the expressway at the Caernarfon/Bangor junction and head south. The journey from the A55 to Porthmadog takes approximately 40 minutes.
If travelling by train you'll need to take the Mid Wales railline which comes across from Shrewsbury.