Before the railway brought tourists to the bay in the 1860s, the only settlement here was a small farming village inland — Old Colwyn (Hen Golwyn). It sits a couple of miles east of the modern town centre, on rising ground above the coast. The high street has a handful of pubs, an antique shop or two and St John's church, an attractive small 19th-century building.
Worth a wander if you want to see the village underneath the resort. The walk along the front from Colwyn Bay railway station is about 30 minutes and passes through the rebuilt promenade.