Portmeirion is an Italianate fantasy village built between 1925 and 1975 by the eccentric Welsh architect Clough Williams-Ellis on a private peninsula overlooking the Dwyryd Estuary. It was his lifelong passion project, a demonstration that development need not spoil a beautiful site. The result is extraordinary: a Mediterranean village dropped into the Welsh hills, complete with campanile, colonnades, baroque statuary, and buildings in shades of terracotta, yellow, and cream.
It is absolutely worth visiting, even if you find the concept absurd. The setting is beautiful, the gardens are lovely, and there is something genuinely strange and memorable about the place. An admission charge applies to the village grounds — the hotel and restaurants inside are a separate expense.
The village is about 3 km east of Porthmadog and can be combined with a ride on the Ffestiniog Railway for a full day out.