Top 17 things to do and attractions in Carmarthen

Local parking, short walk to the main entrance, huge castle to walk around and filled with interesting items including a museum which is over a few different floors within the castle. Well worth a visit. We did it in a couple of hours but you could easily spend three to four hours in the castle.

Carmarthen Castle is a ruined castle in Carmarthen, West Wales, UK. First built by Walter, Sheriff of Gloucester, in the early 1100s, the castle was captured and destroyed on several occasions before being rebuilt in stone during the 1190s. The castle was captured by Owain Glyndŵr in 1405.

What a wasted opportunity! Carmarthen Castle could be an attractive focal point for the town — and to its credit, it does have plaques explaining what you're looking at, which many ruined castles don’t. But the whole place was filthy and felt completely neglected. It’s frustrating to see such a historic site treated like this. A bit of pride in the heritage and some basic upkeep would make a huge difference. Sadly, the same sense of filth and disregard was obvious in many of the main towns across South and South West Wales. Please note that the review below by another member showing a big castle is Caernarfon Castle, NOT Carmarthen Castle!

A short uphill walk from train station. We had one hour wait for train connection and decided to go up to castle grounds. We did not go in the castle. You have a nice aerial view of surroundings. There are also informative placards. If you go from train station give enough time for the crosswalk you need to use. It’s an odd 4 point crosswalk and takes longer to wait for the green sign than it actually takes to walk up the hill. On the opposite side of castle there is a nice bricked plaza with shops and a nice place to take a drink if you have the time. If you are driving beware of limited parking. We were there mid week and noticed available parking spaces right there.

To be honest, I expect more from the castle, but overall it's not a bad place to visit. It has a nice view.

Small part left of this castle but nice to visit . Lovely views from the side

It was closed so can’t rate it. No signage for opening time either! It is in a very pretty town centre that is nice to walk around.

We didn’t go into the castle itself, but walking the full exterior loop was totally worth it. The path winds you through a mix of charming streets, little bridges, and open views of the estuary. The castle ruins pop up between trees and rooftops, and honestly, it was just such a gorgeous setting for photos. The tide was low when we were there, so we saw boats resting in the mudflats, and the whole landscape felt kind of frozen in time—but in a poetic way, not a boring one. The village is quiet but full of character. It’s an easy, peaceful walk, and if you're into photography or just nice scenery, this place really delivers.

Took a walk around the castle and had an ice-cream. Lovely views across the estuary listening to bird calls. A very relaxing atmosphere. You can walk up steps to Dylan Thomas's writing shed. There are public toilets available a short walk from the car park but you need 20p to enter. A convenience store , gift shop ,cafe and pubs within a short walk.

The castle is pretty and enjoys a lovely outlook over the estuary. However, it’s quite small and you can see everything in just a few minutes — I’m not sure it justifies the entrance fee, especially when nearby castles like Llansteffan are free and in my opinion, more impressive. Having said this, the small garden was well kept and had the most amazing smelling rose blooming The town itself: We visited on a Monday afternoon at the very end of June (not exactly out of season), and although Laugharne has several pubs, only the wine bar was open — the others didn’t open until between 3:30 and 5pm. We might have enjoyed the experience more if we’d been able to grab some lunch and a drink to extend our visit but overall it felt a bit underwhelming.

Beautiful views over the Taf/Laugharne estuary from the top. So much history associated with the castle and lovely to see it so well cared for and looked after. Can see where the entrance fees are spent. Really enjoyed our visit.

Gorgeous castle. The views and the outlook are amazing. Read the boards inside, it’s a good story. Also, take the flights of stairs to the top for the view.

Beautiful Castle, impressive grounds and historic significance Short distance from Dylan’s Boathouse Definitely worthy of a visit and climb the stairs to the turret for great views

Lovely place to spend an hour or two, history explained and nice grounds and view. Lawn games available free to use and nice shop with friendly staff.

Offers a variety of interesting courses for all ages. Hosts some thought provoking exhibitions - some raising the age old question of: What is art? One person's art is the next person's unmade bed....

Excellent gallery. A must for any art lover. Don't forget to call if your in Carmarthen. It's free

Some great exhibitions here throughout the year from local groups.

Always showing great exhibitions

Wonderful contemporary art gallery.

Been

Fantastic day out. The staff are very friendly and the birds are SO we'll looked after. A great family day out. My daughter and I even got to fly one of the birds. Visit and support a wonderful experience

The shows are educational and the birds beautiful. If you have ever been to a country show this is much more impressive, the birds are used to people and will fly between you. There are also group experiences for flying the birds which are very affordable, allowing you to experience the connection falconers have with their birds

I was gifted an owl flying experience here at the British Bird of Prey Centre. The experience far exceeded my expectations. I had the opportunity to fly four owls, and watch two bird of prey shows. Emma, Alex and their team clearly loved these birds and their care was evident throughout. They had immense knowledge and were able to demonstrate this for each bird. Every owl had its own personality and it was brilliant to be part of their world. I can't wait come back, and I highly recommend a visit, or an experience to anyone.

We have just finished a bird flying experience with Simon and I can’t recommend it enough. It was absolutely amazing! Staff are brilliant and the new location is going fantastic looking forward to see you again soon! Good luck with your new adventure

We had the most amazing visit and Owl Experience! 🦉 It was honestly one of the best days of our lives, spending time so close with these incredible birds. The team were absolutely brilliant — so friendly, welcoming, and passionate. The shows were varied, fun, and fascinating. We can’t thank you enough and can’t wait to come back!

What an amazing experience, I can’t recommend this enough. We did the half day experience the birds were truly beautiful and we had a superb guide who taught us lots about them, thank you Simon, a day I will never forget.

What an amazing experience at this hidden gem of a place! We watched the flying display run twice daily, with falcons and a golden eagle, and then booked on for an owl flying experience with Dory here, a great grey owl! Just £10 pp for half an hour walk through the woods - turned out were were the only ones, so it was even more special.

Marvellous place to visit. Easy parking with plenty of disabled bays. A good range of exhibits. Great cafe which is doggy friendly and offers doggy ice cream. Free entry to the museum. Famous large grounds to walk round too.

Beautiful gardens and walks, lovely cafe with delicious food. The museum is interesting, I visit often and enjoy every time. It is also dog friendly!

I recently visited the Museum in Carmarthen and l had a lovely experience. It was truly fascinating to learn about how life was lived in specific eras, giving me a deep insight into the activities and daily routines of people long ago. The museum did an excellent job of showcasing the advanced way of life for the time. What really stood out to me was seeing artifacts that were remarkably similar to others I've encountered in Zimbabwe. This connection was so interesting and really highlighted the shared aspects of human history and development across different continents. I highly recommend a visit to anyone looking to explore the local history and appreciate the broader connections found within its collection.

Museum wasn't open on a monday as I would of loved to of gone in to see it ad I've heard some amazing things about it so sad it was shut on monday But the gardens and grounds are well maintained and saw many wildlife and flowers Love the cafe there so would recommend there.

Plenty of free parking at this free museum and many interesting historical items and information to see. Has a small shop and a really nice cafe, dogs allowed in the gardens which is a great place to relax or have a picnic. Takes about an hour and a half to peruse the museum.

Surprised to find the Bishop's Palace is a museum. Plenty of interesting information.

A rainy day in Carmarthen made brighter by visiting the museum. Free entry and very interesting local history exhibits. Coffee shop on site serves very nice cake and coffee along with dishes for lunch. Cafe is dog friendly and lots of free parking on site. The gardens look interesting too but didn't explore due to wet weather but a great excuse to return 😊

An interesting place to visit. Lovely views, even though we were in the clouds the day we visited, it added to the atmosphere. There's a good walk to be done, if you're capable, unfortunately I'm not, so I only walked onto the dam and back but the rest of the family went over and walked for a while. There is plenty of parking and also toilets. The journey in took us down what seemed like an unused (for general traffic) road, it was very narrow but we made it safely!

A beautiful area, the dam is impressive. You can park up the other side and then drive around and walk over the top. The resovoirs go on for a long way and are an amazing drive with beautiful scenery, lots of places for walks and picnics. If you drive for sometime you can come across the remotes chapel in Wales I believe. At the car park for the dam there are toilets, the days we have been there, there has been a burger van and ice cream van. From the car park you can take a very long or short walk, for those in wheelchairs or mobility issues across the dam is flat and accessible. Plenty of parking. So of the roads are a little high and windy but the amazing views make it a worthwhile day out.

Beautiful Llyn Brianne Dam And Valley. I Have Explore And Still Yet To Adventure More Area. Lots Of Hiking And Place To Stop By In Car To Admire The Scenery. Fannog And Dam It My Favourite Places To Visit.

Amazing place. Plenty of parking and toilets ( could do with updating). Stunning views and lots of walks for all abilities.

My favourite place in South Wales. We were the only people there at the time, gorgeous weather and breathtaking views. Shame that because of the dry summer water levels were super low, so no water over the dam. Beautiful part of the world🌍

Good place for walks and pictures. And there is toilets. And a mobile food cafe. 😋

Awesome place to visit and wild camping. No distractions due to not reception or internet so great relaxing place with beautiful backdrop views

Randomly came across this when on holiday last week and just had to give it ago. It was fun, interesting and the staff were really friendly, helpful and happy to chat about the exhibitions. Highly recommend whether you are a believer or not because it’s still interesting and unique. I loved the display of the Victorian hair jewellery. Thanks for a great visit 🖤

We visited on a rainy day and we are so glad we did. Full of fascinating items, housed in side a listed chapel, it was absolutely fascinating. Would definitely recommend if visiting Camarthen.

Discovered this museum through word of mouth, and Laura & Erik have yet to get rid of me (even w/ the amount of insane experiences I've had)–I absolutely adore Rowtons' Museum. Whether you're a seasoned spiritualist (including my fellow mediums, psychics, etc.), a nervous beginner, or a sceptic–the Rowtons have something to catch your attention, so long as you remain open-minded. Erik & Laura are both incredibly approachable, and knowledgeable, about their many artefacts & objects–and always seem curious & excited, when learning new/uncommon experiences with said objects. Absolutely beautiful museum, being hosted & ran by two wonderfully beautiful people. If you're looking for something a little 'odd' and 'kooky' to do around Carmarthen, Rowtons' Museum could be the place waiting to provide that experience for you. (And no, there's no scare actors hiding around corners. Any scares you have here are purely authentic!)

Amazing museum and lovely, friendly, welcoming owners (Laura and Erik) both very knowledgeable. Beautiful building and great artifacts, definitely worth the visit.

Wow! Such an amazing collection, you can stay there for hours as there are so many things to look at and read. The couple were really friendly and helpful too. Would highly recommend! We are hoping to come back in the spring with some friends.

I absolutely love Rowtons. I have been back a number of times for different events and viewings. Laura and Eric have so much knowledge and are very welcoming. Laura's knowledge is so vast and she is always able to state her sources and recommend further reading. Highly recommend a visit or two(or three)

Stumbled upon this during a Google search and being intrigued we thought we would go. Well worth the entrance fee, lots of truly interesting things and run by lovely people that took the time to discuss things. Will look forward to returning to see what new items they have. One of our favourite places wd have found.

Was really looking forward to their 'strawberry cream tea'. 1 dry scone a teacup of cut strawberries and Flora plant cream... in what universe is that acceptable? Plant cream? That is false advertising at its height. Absolutely disgusted by the misleading information provided by the elderly man who was quick enough to take my £5.... obviously I didn't ask for a refund as it's a lovely church and for a good cause(one hopes..) But they shouldn't mislead people. Disgraceful.

Very pretty church in the heart of Carmarthen. Close friend had a wedding there which was lovely. Beautiful setting inside with stained glass windows a plenty.

I agree with the previous review as my family and I went along to this church for a cream tea, the old man at the door was quite demanding and we wanted to have a look around and then have our tea, lovely little church but on seeing the price and lack of quality of their products, we went to a local coffee bar instead and had real clotted cream and fresh scones and jam.

So enjoyed this visit. We were at the open day we saw the tomb of the Bosworth knight. And the story teller was second to none. It is so full of history. Especially grateful it is still a functional Church. Top of my list for another visit. Amazing value for my 10£ donation.

This was an amazing church. We visited because my ancestors the Morris family were either baptised .married, buried or worshipped there, the significance of the tomb of Rhys Thomas the soldier that put the death blow to King Richard 111 is interesting as the Thomas family name is also in my family tree .we loved the visit.

Absolutely stunning church with beautiful stained glass windows and a very long aisle . This church is steeped in history. The aisle is the longest I've seen in a long time. I was told by a church elder that the church seats 600 people... Wow!

The stained glass window- shepherds holding the key is well worth a viewing.

Lovely old theatre with comfortable seats with decent legroom (I am 6'5"). Free evening parking nearby is a bonus.

Wonderful cinema and fantastic play. The staff were really helpful recommending easy access seats for people with limited mobility. We saw Ceridwen, it was a great production and had a cast of really talented actors

First time visiting the Lyric and we loved it. The staff were welcoming and friendly. The inside of the theatre has some lovely original features such as the old film projector and signage. Seats were some of the most comfortable we have had in a theatre too. Sound and view of the stage were good. We went to see Rev Richard Coles and really enjoyed the show. Parking was easy at the car park close by and added bonus, it was free after 6pm when we went.

Friendly helpful staff. Small, quaint theatre. Excellent local production. Great family entertainment.

Great venue lots of character, seating old but very comfortable. Great sound and acoustics, staff brilliant. Diolch.

Comfortable small theatre with intimate feel. Saw Elis James comedy in Welsh and the Nutcracker by the Russian Ballet within a week of each other. I mean- there's a bit of everything! Well worth a visit.

Had a lovely evening out. The theatre had been repainted and I think new seats. Had been restored to its former glory!!!.

Was in the area with family so decided to visit. Lovely patch, sandy soil (so no mud), great pumpkins and plenty of photo opportunities. Visited on 25/10, young farmer was very friendly and polite.

Out of date art , not relevant to 2024 , avoid this poor excuse for ART .!

Amazing gallery - fab hand-made cards too

Spent a thoroughly enjoyable, fun weekend with Andrew Douglas Forbes as he shared his intriguing style of painting with the group. Delightful studio, warm, clean and light with tea /coffee on tap. Looking forward to Andrew's five day Painting master class starting on Tuesday 5th November at 5-30pm.

This gallery very contemporary and very welcoming even to the extent I was able to help with a open competition exhibition although only 15. Everyone was very nice and it was an excellent experience. High standard artwork which inspired my own work

A lovely eclectic mix of original, local art at reasonable prices.

Wide range of art produced by local artists who take it in turns to man the desk. Exhibitions and classes through the year. Subscribe to email to be kept up to date with events and sales.

Lots on inspiring art pieces. Worth a visit.

I rode with my Wife who has some mtb experience and I had my toddler in a front mounted seat on my bike. The Green route was mostly a pleasure to ride, a little bit harder work than the 'family friendly' description let on but the trail is nice and flowy with no roots or rock gardens to contend with. We also added on the blue route which was certainly a step up and was much harder with the bike seat fitted. I'm a confident rider and would have had an absolute blast charging through the descents had it not been for the additional 12kg I was carrying up front. The start of the trail was slightly confusing as there's a pair of black wings that look like the entry to a bike trail but I believe this is actually the end of the Black 'Raven' trail, the green, blue and black all start with a fire road ascent from the top of the carpark.

Great family cycle trial. Some brilliant downhill runs and some nice up hill sections to get the heart pumping. Visited with my six year old, although he had to walk up most the up hill sections the downhill parts made up for it!! Unfortunately I did man to snap my chain 2/3rds of the way round so had to walk/ free wheel the last section as I forgot my tools!! Great few hours out on the bike though

Closed as of early Feb 2025 due to storm damage :-(

Lovely easy to follow walks with some stunning views. Great for dogs

I have done the last part of the Derwen trail several times so today I took on the whole trail. I loved it, great flowy single track with a mixture of inclines and descents. Great fun! Will add on the blue next time!!

Only rode the Derwin trail as I took my two kids, but we had a really great time. Would love to go back again when I am down this way.

Trails are riding lovely at the moment. Believe it or not the rain in the past week has done a lot of good after such a dry summer.

Took my daughter with other kids in the family and close friends. First time we have visited and we were pleasantly surprised. It was very clean, ple ty of space and so much for the kids to do. Price was reasonable to book and prices of food and drink while there were was priced as expected. There was a small additional charge for kids to used the bumper cars, but once paid, they could go on again and again. So that was worth it, they absolutely loved going on them. All staff were friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend to anyone looking to fill some time with the kids. Will try their site in Llanelli next.

My kids wanted to go to a soft play whilst in the area so thought we would give this a go. It's a reasonable size, located in an industrial unit. We pre-booked a 2hr slot and had food whilst there. The play area is a reasonable size, however a little limited in what the kids can do. There is a big three level softplay area, a ball play area (football, basketball, etc) and the inflatable cushion they can jump on. They enjoyed all of these, however would have liked more variety. Food was reasonably priced and the staff went above and beyond and tailored the food to our own request. The children's portion sizes are a little on the small side though. Staff were pleasant, helpful and attentive. Not bad value for money and would likely return

Great soft play! We were visiting the area and this was a fab option for a rainy morning. Different areas for different ages but not to overwhelming. Coffee was good too.

If I could put zero stars for the staff I would. One of the first to put an order in (just a coffee and a warm milk) and the very last to be served the whole time looking over at me while I wait. Was it something personal? Watched them have lovely conversations with each other rather than do their job. When I asked where my order was I received a stroppy “I’m just doing it”. When they finally got round to doing just the one coffee, they had to re-do it as it as was left on the side for so long. Thankfully they re-made the coffee as I watched the kitchen staffs chemicals spray over it. After the 40 minutes of waiting for just a coffee and warm milk, it arrived without basic customer service standards, no smile, no hello, just slammed on the table and she left. What a joy the staff are! Maybe lacking some basic customer service skills? Training required. After not eating or drinking anything different that day apart from having their coffee, I was violently sick in the night… I wonder why! Wouldn’t eat or drink here again. Bring your own food and drink. 🤢🤢

I took my 20-month-old child there. It was my first time there. There is no such thing as service. They really do zero cleaning. Everyone touches the place and they do not clean it. My child ordered food there and brought it with my wife. He got food poisoning. He had a fever and I took him there within minutes. I took him straight to the hospital. They always do no cleaning. The service is not good.

We brought our 1 year old here. It was clean and plenty of seating. There were toilets and a kitchen for hot and cold food and drinks. We didn't eat though. The 0-3 area had a code to get in and out which was good and it had a small soft play and slide, as well as other toys. It was great. Bigger kids came in and were a little rowdy, with no parents in sight so stay with your little ones. There is a sensory room, again rowdy bigger kids but the staff came in to remove any kids without parent supervision -so that was great. The bigger kids has a football/basketball area, soft play with slides and an inflatable launchpad. So plenty to do. We'd come again. Plus bonus it's a 2 hour session. 1 hour never seems enough.

Friendly staff, great place for the kids to blow off steam, easily able to relax with a cuppa and bite to eat whilst being able to see the entire play space, only gave 4 stars as parking space let's it down a bit.

Lovely walk, shortish. Maybe 15/20 mins walk if you're going slow. There's a Sensory garden and its wheelchair accessible. Can be a circular walk too. There's a cafe that closes at 5pm, we always miss it so idk what it's like sadly. Good walk for dogs. Loads of small birds and beautiful trees, smells so fresh there. There's park benches/tables aswell. We met this little cutie cat today and he loved some petting. Hope the owner sees this, cat looks like he's having the time of his life haha. Overall would recommend walk and would recommend cat pets even more 🐈

Fair amount if parking but can involve a little wait for a space, nice little museum which is free to enter but a little donation doesn't hurt to enter. Good amount of welsh history items to view, and an activity sheet for young children to complete. Nice cafe attached with a good selection of hot food, sandwiches and cakes, not to mention excellent coffee! Gardens have a few nice paths to wander around with a few rope climbs up the embankments if your feeling frisky! Right next to it is also a very good long cycle path, all in all a good way to spend half a day or more.

Nice little place to come and walk just outside of Carmarthen town centre. Dog friendly - but must be kept on a lead. Lots of parking and some disabled parking areas. The pathways are wheelchair friendly. Lots of seating outside and picnic tables. I would say it's about a 30 min walk around the gardens. I didn't visit the museum as it was closed.

Lovely, hidden garden currently being renovated. Beautiful autumnal colours. Definitely returning in spring 2022 when the new café is open and to enjoy the garden on the spring.

The Restaurant:::: Initially feels friendly but the till reception staff decidedly cold. 🤔 I think working a bank holiday at sufferance came across. I am sure there are better places within the immediate Vactivity to eat. Venue is OK as a 2nd choice where food is concerned. On all accounts they stopped cooking as the primary staff all had other jobs to go to! What an excuse and explanation!! VERY unprofessional. When it was explained but whom I presume was the manager it was delivered without curtousy but in a "Hard Luck & Lump It" tone! Yet one hour later (after we ate our second rate pasty) the kitchen came out with hot meals for other clients. It appears a 2nd class service is in the offering!! Personally we will be avoiding this venue as it does not merit a second visit! 😕 Sad but a true reflection of our experience. The museum Moreover and grounds are lovely. We'll bring a picnic next time and sit outside. Restraunt decided to stop Cooking at 2pm, whereas when I rang this morning they were serving food all day. An inconveniance having travelled 80 miles. One tip I must give, if you visit, bring your own cutlery. It was stinking!!

Nice place for a picnic and free parking.

Well signed paths, several excellent boards with information about the area, lots of seating at well spaced intervals for those unable to walk far. Lots of interesting trees that are labelled with the name of the trees. Trees, flowers, grassland, haha, meadow and pond. Lots of dog walkers. Near to the museum and cafe and free car parking.