Tenby

Tenby kept its thirteenth-century town walls, of which a long stretch survives including the Five Arches barbican, and the old town inside them sits on a headland with beaches on three sides: North Beach, Castle Beach and the long South Beach running toward Giltar Point. The houses along the harbour and the seafront are painted in pastel colours, a Victorian resort habit that became the town's signature. The Tudor Merchant's House on Quay Hill is a late fifteenth-century merchant's home, the oldest furnished house in the town, kept by the National Trust. Boats run to Caldey Island, where a Cistercian community makes perfume and chocolate. St Catherine's Island, just off Castle Beach, holds a Victorian fort and is reachable on foot at low tide.

What you actually see

• The town walls - a long thirteenth-century stretch with the Five Arches gate.
• The pastel harbour - painted Victorian frontages above the boats.
• The Tudor Merchant's House - a furnished late fifteenth-century home.
• St Catherine's Island - a Victorian fort reached on foot at low tide.

When to go

May to September for the beaches and boats; the town is extremely busy in August and over bank holidays. Spring and autumn are calmer and the coast path is at its best. Caldey boats stop for winter.

Honest expectations

The old town's lanes are narrow and largely closed to cars, and parking is on the outskirts and charged. August crowds are heavy. Tide times govern access to St Catherine's Island, and people get caught out.

Nearby

Caldey Island lies offshore; Saundersfoot and the Pembrokeshire coast path run north.