The oldest international football stadium in the world, a World Heritage aqueduct and a football club famous far beyond Wales: Wrexham became a city in 2022.
Wrexham is the largest town in north Wales, and it became a city in 2022. It grew as a market town and later as a centre of coal mining, iron and brewing. It has one of the oldest football clubs in the world.
In recent years, Wrexham has become famous around the world, after its football club was bought by two Hollywood actors and its story told in a television documentary series. But there is much more to the city, from a World Heritage aqueduct to grand country houses and the beautiful Dee Valley. This guide covers six things to see and do.
1. The Racecourse Ground and Wrexham AFC
The Racecourse Ground is the home of Wrexham AFC, founded in 1864, one of the oldest professional football clubs in the world. The ground hosted Wales’s first home international match, against Scotland, in 1877. It is recognised as the oldest international football stadium in the world still in use.
In 2021, the club was bought by the actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, and its story was told in the documentary series Welcome to Wrexham. The series made the club and the city famous around the world. Fans now travel from the United States and beyond to see a match.
Under its new owners, the club has enjoyed a remarkable run of success, with promotion after promotion. Match days at the Racecourse are lively, with a passionate local crowd and visitors from around the world. Tickets are very hard to get.
Stadium tours take you behind the scenes. The pubs around the ground, including some that appear in the series, are busy on match days. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to get to and from the match.
2. Pontcysyllte Aqueduct
Pontcysyllte Aqueduct, about five miles south west of Wrexham, is one of the great engineering wonders of Britain. It was designed by Thomas Telford and William Jessop and completed in 1805. It carries the Llangollen Canal high over the valley of the River Dee.
The aqueduct is about thirty eight metres high and more than three hundred metres long, and it is the longest and highest canal aqueduct in Britain. Its iron trough is supported by eighteen slender stone pillars. Together with eleven miles of the canal, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
You can walk across the aqueduct on the towpath, which has railings on one side only, and the drop on the other side into the valley is dizzying. You can also take a boat trip across, looking straight down to the river far below. It is an unforgettable experience.
The village of Trevor, at the northern end of the aqueduct, has a visitor centre, a café and boat hire. The canal continues to Llangollen, a pretty town about twenty minutes from Wrexham. It is best reached by car.
3. Erddig
Erddig, on the southern edge of Wrexham, is a grand country house looked after by the National Trust. It is famous for showing life both upstairs and downstairs. The Yorke family, who owned it, took a close interest in their servants.
The family had portraits painted of their servants, and wrote poems about them, which still hang in the servants’ hall. It is a rare and touching record of the people who worked in a great house. The kitchens, laundry, bakehouse and workshops are all preserved.
The house is full of the family’s possessions, collected over two hundred years. The rooms feel lived in. The gardens are beautiful, with a formal eighteenth century garden, fruit trees and a canal.
Erddig has woodland walks and parkland. There is a café and a shop. Allow at least half a day.
4. Chirk Castle
Chirk Castle, about ten miles south of Wrexham, is a medieval fortress built in 1295 during Edward I’s conquest of Wales. It has been lived in for more than seven hundred years. It is looked after by the National Trust.
The castle’s massive towers and walls are impressive, and inside there are rooms from different periods, from the medieval dungeon to grand state rooms. The Myddelton family lived here from the sixteenth century until 2004. Their story is part of the castle’s history.
The castle is famous for its magnificent wrought iron gates, made in the early eighteenth century. The gardens are beautiful, with clipped yew hedges, a rose garden and views across the countryside. The parkland is lovely for walking.
Near the castle, the Chirk Aqueduct and viaduct carry the canal and the railway side by side across the Ceiriog valley. It is a remarkable sight. A car makes it easy to visit.
5. St Giles’ Church and the city centre
St Giles’ Church, in the heart of Wrexham, is one of the finest medieval churches in Wales. Its tall, richly decorated tower, built in the early sixteenth century, is counted among the Seven Wonders of Wales, in a traditional rhyme. It rises high above the city centre.
In the churchyard lies Elihu Yale, a merchant whose gift of money helped found Yale University in the United States. His grave is a place of pilgrimage for visitors from America. The church is free to visit.
Wrexham’s city centre has a mix of shops, pubs and markets. Tŷ Pawb, a market and arts centre in a former car park, has food stalls, independent shops and galleries. It is a lively place to eat and browse.
Wrexham Museum tells the story of the area, from prehistory to the present day. The city has a good choice of pubs and restaurants. It is lively on match days and weekends.
6. Llangollen and the Dee Valley
Llangollen, about twenty minutes south west of Wrexham, is a pretty town on the River Dee, surrounded by hills. It is famous for the International Musical Eisteddfod, a festival of music and dance held every July, which brings performers from around the world. It has a friendly, lively atmosphere.
From Llangollen, horse drawn boats glide along the canal, and the Llangollen Railway, a heritage steam railway, runs along the Dee Valley. The ruins of Castell Dinas Brân stand on a hill above the town, with wonderful views. Valle Crucis Abbey, a ruined Cistercian abbey, is nearby.
The Horseshoe Pass, north of Llangollen, is a winding road with spectacular views over the hills. The Clwydian Range and the Berwyn mountains are lovely for walking. The Dee Valley is one of the most beautiful valleys in Wales.
The countryside is best explored by car. A driver for the day makes it easy to see the aqueduct, Llangollen, Chirk and the hills without worrying about the roads.
Getting there and getting around
Wrexham General station has trains to Chester in around fifteen minutes, and direct trains to London Euston, as well as to Shrewsbury, Cardiff and Birmingham. The A483 links the city with Chester and the M53 and M56.
Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester airports are each about an hour by road. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to travel between Wrexham, the airports and the station, and to reach Pontcysyllte, Chirk and Llangollen.
Ride with ZeroLanes. From your door, the station or the airport to anywhere in Wrexham, at a price fixed before you confirm. Travelling between cities? Get a fixed price for the journey, or keep a car and driver for the day with hourly hire.