Portmeirion is a deliberate fantasy on the north Wales coast: an Italianate village of coloured facades, domes, terraces, and theatrical views over the Dwyryd estuary. Architect Clough Williams-Ellis built it through much of the 20th century as proof that development could be beautiful rather than brutal.
The village is the anchor, but Portmeirion is not only a backdrop for photographs. The Portmeirion Village rewards slow wandering, The Gwyllt gives the estate a wilder woodland side, and the Portmeirion Dog Cemetery adds a wonderfully odd Victorian note.
It is managed and ticketed, and it can feel busy on summer days. Go anyway if you are already around Snowdonia, Porthmadog, or the Llyn Peninsula. Few places in Britain are this self-contained, this eccentric, and this easy to remember.