Guidebook Updates for Wales

When we learn of critical changes to the Welsh information in our Great Britain guidebook, we post them here. (Of course, it's still smart to reconfirm critical transportation and sightseeing details locally.) Armed with a Rick Steves guidebook and these late-breaking updates, you're set for a great trip!

Across Britain

For books printed before September 2024, the following may apply:

  • Most visitors from outside the UK and Ireland are now required to register for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before arriving in the UK. Travelers need to submit an online application ahead of their trip and pay a fee of about $20 (£16). Applications must be completed for every traveler, regardless of age, and a fee is required each applicant. Once approved, you'll be notified that the authorization is electronically linked to your passport. It's wise to take care of this minor bureaucratic hassle a week or two before your trip. Note that you don't need to register if you're simply changing planes at a UK airport. For more information, and to apply, see the UK government's ETA page. You may find it easiest to apply via the UK ETA app.
  • Visitors to the UK are no longer able to get a VAT (value-added tax) refund on purchases made in UK shops, and tax-free sales at airports, Eurostar train stations, and in ports have been discontinued. In Great Britain, overseas visitors can still buy items tax-free at stores that offer this service, provided that the items are sent directly to an overseas address outside the UK. (Visitors to Northern Ireland may shop tax-free if the items are sent directly to an address outside the UK and the EU.) The UK's rules around tax-free shopping may evolve further as the UK continues to adjust to the fallout from Brexit.
  • Jurys Inn has rebranded as Leonardo Hotels.
  • The phone number for English Heritage is now +44 3703 331 182.
  • The Loch Fyne restaurant chain has closed.

Cardiff & South Wales

For books printed before October 2024, the following may apply:

  • Both bridges over the River Severn (between Bath and Cardiff or Tintern Abbey) are now toll-free.

North Wales

For books printed before October 2024, the following may also apply:

  • Caernarfon's tourist information office has closed.
  • Adventure Parc Snowdonia (formerly "Surf Snowdonia") has closed in the face of technical difficulties; it's unclear whether it will reopen.