The Best Things To Do In Swansea Bay, Mumbles & Gower

Last Updated on 14th January 2024

AD | This post about the best things to do in Swansea Bay was written as part of a press trip collaboration with Visit Swansea Bay. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own, please see my disclaimer for more.

Despite all the travelling I’ve done in recent years and the fact that I’ve visited more than 25 countries so far, it’s quite crazy that I only visited Wales – a country that’s only two and a half hours’ drive from me – for the first time last month!

However, our first visit didn’t go quite so well as Matt got Covid, so we promptly headed home and started re-planning an awesome road trip around Wales. As part of our trip, Visit Swansea Bay very kindly got in touch and proposed a press trip collaboration and I immediately accepted as I couldn’t wait to head to Swansea and the surrounding area.

We headed to Swansea Bay, Mumbles and Gower and spent a long weekend exploring the area. We managed to see and do so much while we were there and we also ate so much good food (I’ll have a fully dedicated post to all the incredible food we ate on my blog very soon!).

For now, I’ve compiled a list of the best things to do in Swansea Bay, Mumbles and Gower so that you can plan an epic trip around this beautiful part of Wales!

Where to stay in Swansea Bay – King’s Head Inn, Gower

As part of our trip with Visit Swansea Bay, we spent two nights at the stunning King’s Head Inn in Llangennith, Gower and it was such a great place to base ourselves while in the area.

I’ve written a full review of our stay at the King’s Head Inn here which you can check out if you’re looking for somewhere awesome to stay in Swansea Bay!

The best things to do in Swansea Bay

While Swansea Bay is the name of the actual bay in Swansea, it’s also the name used to encompass several areas around the Swansea area, including Swansea City, the Gower Peninsula, Mumbles and more. During our trip to Swansea Bay, we spent a lot of time exploring Mumbles and Gower, as well as many of the bays and beaches in the area too.

You could easily spend a week or more in Swansea Bay, but I think two or three days will give you ample time to explore the below activities and attractions and if you’re a big fan of walking while on holiday, you’re in for a real treat in Swansea Bay as there are dozens of hiking, rambling and coastal walking opportunities to enjoy!

Check out my top recommendations of the best things to do in Swansea Bay below!

1. Rhossili Bay

Rhossili Bay is one of Swansea Bay’s most iconic beaches and bays and once you arrive at this magnificent clifftop with stunning views of the beach and out to sea below, it’s clear to see why it’s been voted as one of the top ten beaches in Britain for eight consecutive years and it’s currently listed as the 11th best beach in Europe according to TripAdvisor’s Travellers’ Choice Awards!

When I heard about its many accolades, I was a little apprehensive about whether it would live up to its hype, but as soon as we parked up and wandered to the clifftop for those epic vistas out to sea and the beach below, I felt pretty confident in saying that it rightly deserves its top ten spots!

Rhossili Bay Beach stretches on for almost three miles along the coastline and on a clear day, you can see all the way up the coast. As we were visiting in mid-October, we weren’t blessed with stunning blue skies and glorious sunshine and while the rain managed to hold off while we were at Rhossili Bay, we were treated to grey, stormy skies.

After the weather on our road trip around the South Coast of England was pretty dismal, I was a little bit gutted to be exploring this awesome part of Wales in autumnal weather, but I’m actually so glad we had the weather we did on our visit to Swansea Bay now as I think it makes everything look even more dramatic and photogenic!

Rhossili Bay is a National Trust location in Swansea Bay so you have to pay for parking (£3 up to two hours or £6 over two hours) and there’s a lovely on-site gift shop where we purchased a few gifts including some scrumptious chocolate brownie biscuits!

The walk from the clifftop down the coastal path to the beach takes approximately 10 minutes down and around 10-15 minutes back up again, depending on how fit you are! Unfortunately, this coastal path isn’t accessible at all, so it’s not appropriate for wheelchair users or pushchairs.

Once you’re on the beach, you’ll be treated to seemingly neverending stretches of golden sand, awesome views of the cliffs above and an old shipwreck. On a nice day, it would make a lovely walk to go all the way across the beach towards Spaniards Rocks, but it was truly freezing and ridiculously windy when we were there, so we opted for a little exploration on the sand instead of a huge walk!

2. Worm’s Head

Named after the wriggly creature, Worm’s Head is a headland right next to Rhossili so you can easily see it when you park up at the bay and walk a short way along the clifftop.

While I’m personally not convinced that it looks entirely like a worm, this area of the Gower Peninsula is well worth exploring whether you’re a fan of its name or not.

When the tide is out, for around two and a half hours on either side of low tide, you can walk across a causeway to the headland for a different but still very awesome view of Rhossili Bay.

Unfortunately, we timed our visit poorly so that we weren’t able to walk across to Worm’s Head, but the viewpoint of it from Rhossili was still more than enjoyable.

3. Langland Bay – best things to do in Swansea Bay

Langland Bay is yet another beautiful part of the Swansea Bay and Gower coastline and the coastal walk from Langland Bay to Caswell Bay beach, with a stop at Snaple Point viewpoint along the way, is one that cannot be missed!

You can park at Langland Bay carpark, just behind Langland Brasserie (£1.50 for one hour, £3 for two hours £4 for three hours or £6 all day) and then head down to the beach.

From here, you can also walk along the coastal path around to Caswell Bay beach which takes around half an hour each way, depending on how many times you stop to take pictures and spot seals! We were lucky to see two little seals frolicking in the stormy sea below!

4. Caswell Bay Beach

Caswell Bay beach also has its own car park but we decided to visit it via the coastal walk from Langland Bay instead of driving to it.

We didn’t spend any time on the beach here as we were on a relatively tight schedule and as it was so cold and windy, I didn’t really fancy a dip in the sea anyway!

If you come to this area of Swansea Bay, I’d highly recommend parking at either Langland Bay or Caswell Bay and then completing the coastal walk between the two.

5. Bracelet Bay

Can you tell there’s a bit of a theme with things to do in Swansea Bay?!

Bracelet Bay is yet another awesome bay in the area and while the beach here isn’t all that good for activities such as sunbathing or digging sandcastles, it is a great place to play in the rocks and hunt for little sea creatures. It’s also located next door to Castellamare – a great restaurant in Swansea Bay that I’d highly recommend and I’ll be writing all about it soon!

Parking for Bracelet Bay is £1.50 for one hour, £3 for two hours £4 for three hours or £6 all-day.

6. Oxwich Bay Beach – best things to do in Swansea Bay

We didn’t actually go all the down to Oxwich Bay Beach but we did enjoy its stunning views from the clifftop walk above on our way to Three Cliffs Bay.

You can park at Oxwich Bay car park and then walk directly to the beach. Prices for the car park vary depending on the time of year as it’s owned by a private family estate.

7. Three Cliffs Bay

Three Cliffs Bay was probably my favourite beach/bay in the whole of the Gower and Swansea Bay area.

As we visited in the middle of October and the weather was bloody freezing, there were only a handful of people on the beach, despite it being a beautiful blue sky, albeit very cold day!

The sand here is absolutely gorgeous and as the tide was out, it seemed to stretch on for miles and miles.

As we visited Three Cliffs Bay with Matt’s uncle who lives in Swansea, he knew a really cool route to get down to the beach via a forest and sand dune path and we just parked in a little lay-by on the side of the road in Penmaen.

8. Tor Bay

We walked past Tor Bay on our coastal walk from Penmaen to Three Cliffs Bay and even though we didn’t go down onto the sand itself, the views of the beach and the sea from the cliffs above was absolutely stunning.

Tor Bay is situated between Oxwich Bay and Three Cliffs Bay, so even if you don’t want to spend any time on the actual beach here, you can still enjoy the views of it on the coastal walk.

The Best Things To Do In Swansea Bay, Mumbles & Gower

The pictures above make it look like a beautiful summer’s day when in fact it was absolutely bloody freezing, but we were just so grateful that it wasn’t raining as we managed to catch a lot of things in the rain when we were in Wales!

9. Arthur’s Stone – best things to do in Swansea Bay

When we first pulled up in the lay-by near Arthur’s Stone, both Matt and I were a bit apprehensive when we saw in the distance what was essentially a large rock; I really didn’t think it’d be that interesting at all!

However, once we’d walked approximately 10-minutes across the field on the top of Cefn Bryn to Arthur’s Stone, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that it was much cooler up close than it was from afar or from a quick Google search!

The Neolithic chambered tomb of Arthur’s Stone is thought to be over 5,000 years old and the chamber is formed of nine upright stones, with a giant 25-tonne stone placed on top.

Regardless of whether you’re interested in the stone’s history or not, I think it’s still worth a little wander over to the stone to explore it as it makes for an interesting sight and as it’s located within the spectacular Gower AONB, its surroundings alone make it worth the short journey.

10. Gower AONB

If you’re planning on visiting Arthur’s Stone, I would highly recommend spending some dedicated time in The Gower Peninsula Area of Outstanding Beauty

Gower was the first place in the UK to be awarded an AONB status all the way back in 1956 and once you step foot in this beautiful part of Wales, it’s clear to see why.

11. The Mumbles

The Mumbles is a city/beach headland situated on the west of Swansea Bay and it’s only a 15-minute drive from Swansea itself.

In the Mumbles, you’ll be treated to plenty of adorable pubs and cafes, plus great stretches of rocky beaches and numerous galleries and even its very own castle!

12. Oystermouth Castle

Unfortunately, Oystermouth Castle was closed on the day that we visited (and I think it’s actually closed for renovation over the winter months), but we still enjoyed a leisurely walk around the castle grounds and surrounding park.

There are plenty of car parks in Mumbles, but to visit the castle and nearby art galleries, we just parked on a little residential street called Castle Avenue where you can park for free for one hour.

Within the castle grounds, there are free public toilets and plenty of places to sit and relax and enjoy the impressive fortress.

13. Mumbles Pier

Mumbles Pier is a Victorian Pier that offers great views out to the bay from the very end and there are also several amusements to enjoy too.

The pier is open every day apart from Christmas Day so it’s a great thing to enjoy all year round. Not too far from the pier, there’s a restaurant called Verdi’s that Matt and his family used to frequent when they visited family in Swansea and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it (apart from that it’s a tad on the expensive side!).

14. Gower Gallery

As well as plenty of outdoor activities, Mumbles is also home to some of Swansea Bay’s most coveted galleries, including Gower Gallery.

I’m not usually one to visit galleries very often, but we had a little nosey inside Gower Gallery as it looked so lovely and intriguing from the outside and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was home to a plethora of wonderful gems such as Christmas decorations, beautiful ornaments and gorgeous pieces of art!

15. The Lovespoon Gallery

I’d never actually even heard of a Lovespoon until we arrived in Swansea Bay, but I soon learned that these ornately carved wooden spoons were traditionally presented as a gift to someone whom you regarded with romantic intent.

We didn’t actually buy a Lovespoon while we were there, but Matt’s family had at least a dozen dotted around their house so it was awesome to see all the beautiful designs.

If you did want to purchase one as a gift, the Lovespoon Gallery in Mumbles is a great place to find the perfect one as it’s the world’s oldest gallery dedicated solely to Welsh Lovespoons!

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Have you ever been to Swansea Bay, Mumbles or Gower? Will you be adding these places to your Wales bucket list? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram at @imjustagirl_16.