Wales Travel Facts & Tips

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Captial City	Cardiff

Dialing Code	(00) 44

Emergency Numbers	Ambulance, police and fire 999/112

Weather	Wales’ climate is largely maritime, dominated by shifts in Atlantic air masses, which often cause local conditions to vary greatly from one day to the next. Rain is rather frequent and averages at around 1,500mm per year. Winter snowfall can be heavy in the uplands and the weather more unpredictable, where the average annual temperature is 10°C, ranging from 4°C in January to just 16°C in July and August. Wales tends to be slightly wetter than England, with a bit less sunshine on average. However, the coastal areas, can be quite warm in summer.

Tourist Board website	http://www.visitwales.com

Most Famous For	Castles, Mount Snowdon, Daffodils, Leeks

Useful Phrases	Welsh - Bore Da (good morning), Hwyl nawr (goodbye), Os gwelwch yn dda (please), Diolch (thank you)

Accommodation	There is a wide range of hotel rooms starting from cheap, tiny pub rooms to more luxurious types of hotel rooms, with all the well known hotel chains in between such as Ibis, Premier Travel Inn or Holiday Inn Express. Hostels are a cheap alternative to hotels and a fun way to meet other travellers. Besides the usual dorm rooms, larger hostels now also offer private rooms and breakfast that is included in the price, just like their independent competitors do. Since not all hostels are open all year round, make sure you book in advance. A lot of universities offer accommodation during Christmas, Easter and summer holidays. This can be more cost-effective than comparable rooms in the private sector. Bed and Breakfasts are often the best value accommodation; they’re not as expensive as hotels and have the added benefit that you get the chance to get to know the locals. Bear in mind that some guesthouses/B&Bs charge per room per night, while others charge per person.

Business Hours	Banks are open Monday - Friday 09.30-16.30(some close later and are also open Saturday mornings). Smaller shops are open Monday - Saturday 09.00-17.30, but supermarkets/off license shops are open longer, often until 22.00. Many shops in larger towns and cities are open on Sundays from 11.00 - 16.00 and some very large supermarkets are choosing to open 24 hours.

Visas	Americans, Canadians, Australians, South Africans, New Zealanders, Irish nationals and EU nationals do not require a visa for stays up to 90 days. Other nationalities should check before travelling as visas are likely to be required.

Tipping	Usually, service charge is not included in rates. In restaurants you would generally tip around 10%, unless a service charge has already been added to the bill or in case you were not satisfied with the service. Tipping in bars is rare and therefore you are not expected to leave a tip.

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