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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
St Davids
Tyddewi
Give St Davids one full day and two nights: cathedral and Bishop's Palace in the morning, coast path or a Ramsey Island boat in the afternoon. A car helps.
St Davids is Britain's smallest city, population about 1,750, and the westernmost city in Wales. It exists for two things: the cathedral and the Bishop's Palace, and the Pembrokeshire Coast Path that runs past both. The city itself is 15 minutes end to end on foot. Everything else — Whitesands Beach, St Justinian, the boat trips, the cliff walks — is a short drive or a longer walk out. Come for one full day and two nights, or use it as a stop on a Pembrokeshire coast trip. A car makes the peninsula far easier; without one you are tied to the 411 and T11 buses.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Local name
- Tyddewi
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug (crowds, full car parks), school summer holidays for camping minimum stays
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–75 excl. bed · Mid £75–130 excl. bed · High £130+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Emergency (police, fire, ambulance, coastguard) 999 · Emergency, any phone 112 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | £3–4.50 |
| Pub main course | £12–20 |
| Sandwich or pasty from a deli | £4–7 |
| Pint of beer in a pub | £4.50–6 |
| Cathedral entry | Free; donations recommended |
| Bishop's Palace adult entry | £5 |
| Ramsey Island boat trip | From about £20 |
| Car park, half day | £3–6 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CWL · Cardiff Airport
- About 2 h 30 min by road; check onward bus and rail connections.
- BRS · Bristol Airport
- About 3 h 30 min by road via the M4 and A40.
Typical fares
- Bus 411 St Davids → Haverfordwest
- check the current timetable and fare with Richards Coaches
- Bus T11 Haverfordwest station → St Davids
- check the current timetable and fare
- Taxi in the city
- short hops only; check locally
Get around
Walk in the city: Cross Square to the cathedral is about 5 minutes downhill. For the coast, use the seasonal council coast bus (check the current timetable) or drive; lanes are narrow with passing places and main car parks fill by mid-morning in summer. The Pembrokeshire Coast Path runs through the peninsula, so you can walk between bays and bus back.
See and do
Known for
- St Davids Cathedral
- Bishop's Palace ruins
- Pembrokeshire Coast Path
- Whitesands Beach and Ramsey Island boat trips
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Solva | Coast path walk east, about 3 miles, or the 411 bus | 1.5–2 h on foot |
| Whitesands Beach and St Davids Head | Car or coast bus to Whitesands, then walk | 15–20 min by car |
| Ramsey Island (RSPB) | Boat from St Justinian, about 10 min by car from the centre | Half a day |
| Fishguard | A487 by car, or the 411 bus | About 30–40 min by car |
| Tenby | Car via the A487 and A478 | About 1 h |
| Pembroke | Car via the A487 and A477 | About 45 min |
Sleep
- Cross Square and High Street
- The centre: pubs, cafés, shops and the cathedral 5 minutes downhill. Best for a short stay without a car.
- The Pebbles and The Close
- The lane down to the cathedral and Bishop's Palace; quietest for the sights themselves.
- Whitesands and St Justinian
- Coast and beach bases 5–10 min by car; YHA hostel and campsites; needs a car or bus.
- Caerfai and Porthclais
- South and west of the centre; camping, cottages and cliff walks.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | HeloHEH-loh |
| Thank you | DiolchDEE-olch |
| Please | Os gwelwch yn ddaos GWEL-ookh un thah |
| Goodbye | Hwyl fawrhooil vowr |
| Where is the toilet? | Ble mae'r toiled?bleh mire TOY-led |
| How much is it? | Faint yw e?fynt yoo eh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Car parks at Whitesands, the cathedral and St Justinian are fee-paying and fill early in summer; have a fallback.
- Many lanes and minor roads are single-track with passing places: drive slowly and use the passing places.
- Swim only between the lifeguard flags at Whitesands; check daily lifeguard cover before you go in.
- Boat trips to Ramsey Island are weather-dependent and sell out: book ahead and take a waterproof.
- Camping and some self-catering have minimum stays in the school summer holidays: check before booking.
Very safe. The real risks are the sea and the weather: fast tides and cold water off St Justinian and Ramsey Sound, cliff edges in wind, and narrow lanes with passing places. Swim between lifeguard flags only.
One and two days
No timed day plan for St Davids yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- St Davids Cathedral
- Bishop's Palace ruins
- Pembrokeshire Coast Path
- Whitesands Beach and Ramsey Island boat trips
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Pembrokeshire Coast National Park: www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/
- St Davids Cathedral: www.stdavidscathedral.org.uk/
- Cadw — Bishop's Palace: cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/st-davids-bishops-palace
- Wikivoyage: St Davids, revision 5302722 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5302722
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
St DavidsTyddewi
I'r cyfeiriad hwn, os gwelwch yn dda
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Emergency (police, fire, ambulance, coastguard)999
- Emergency, any phone112
- NHS non-urgent111
- Police non-urgent101
No embassies in St Davids; London has the main embassies and Cardiff has consulates for some countries. Check your own country's list.
Welsh is co-official in Wales; English is spoken everywhere.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/st-davids). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.