The Village of Portmeirion

Portmeirion is the brainchild of Sir Clow Williams-Ellis’s imagination, a unique, fantastical village in a magnificent setting by the sea. The Welsh architect has been perfecting his design for 40 years, starting in 1926. The village of 50 houses is built in Italian style, said to be modeled after Portofino, with the houses painted in pastel colors and arranged around a square on several lovely streets. The village has a hotel, restaurant, town hall, souvenir stores and several self-service stores. A tidal estuary and sandy beach are nearby.

The charm of Portmeirion has inspired many artists and writers, although the village is perhaps best known for the cult TV series The Prisoner. Filmed in the 1960s, the movie, starring Patrick McCaughan, was a strange, mysterious story that kept viewers in suspense for many weeks. Each spring, fans of the series travel to the village for a holiday gathering.

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Portmeirion is located near Porthmadog, with wonderful views of Snowdon. Tourists can take a ride on the Festiniog Railwell branch line, a vintage-style narrow gauge railway built in the 1830s to transport slate from the nearby mines to the harbor. You don’t have to be a vintage railroad enthusiast at all to enjoy the journey. The vintage railroad runs through the village of Minford, from where you can walk to Portmeirion in just 20 minutes.

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