Tintern Abbey - Castles of Wales

Visit Tintern Abbey and Get Your Cadw Explorer Pass to Visit 20 Historic Monuments in Wales

Your key to unlock Wales' greatest castles, in one ticket!

The Castles of Wales Explorer Pass offers the freedom to explore all of Cadw's historic attractions and help you get the most out of your visit to Wales. 

• Entry to 20 Welsh castles and attractions (see additional info for full list)
• Visit as many castle as you want
• Choice of either the 3 day pass or 7 day pass (the 3 day pass gives you 3 days of entrance and is valid for a 7 day period. The 7 day pass gives you 7 days of entrance, valid for 14 days)
• Save lots of money!

Book your Castle of Wales Explorer Pass by tapping 'Book' on this page. Once booked, your pass will be sent to you by email. Show this pass upon entry to all attractions either on your device or print if you prefer.

A village made famous by poets and painters

You'll have a truly wonderful time when you visit the beautiful village of Tintern with the family.

As soon as you step out of the car, head first to the iconic Tintern Abbey, founded in 1131. 

Listen to the birds gently fluttering their wings as you walk through the grounds of the abbey ruins. It still stands proud, despite its terrible fall from grace 500 years ago.

The white-robed monks originally began to create a new abbey here in 1269 with the help of the patronage of wealthy Marcher lords. You'll fall in love with the huge seven-lancet window they created which always takes visitors' breath away.

History of Tintern Abbey

Take a stroll with your family as you discover the abandoned cloisters - you can even bring your dog along for the adventure.

The abbey was closed in 1536 by the commissioners of Henry VIII when he planned to destroy the monasteries after his split from the Roman Catholic Church.

You'll notice this monument has a huge amount of national importance as it was bought by the Crown for £15,000 in 1901 from the Duke of Beaufort. The ruins are also extremely well maintained as Tintern Abbey has been taken care of by Cadw since 1984.

As you stroll around under the soaring arches of the nave, peacefulness circles this place - the only sound is the water flowing past the banks of the River Wye on the border between Wales and England.

Step back to the Romantic Age

You'll feel the romance around you at this gothic masterpiece when you step on the same grass that poets and painters have walked upon.

Famous faces such as Wordsworth and Turner took inspiration from the atmosphere of this place to produce some of their best work.

Walk in the steps of Wordsworth who visited this place 200 years ago and wrote his well-known poem Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey. It describes the real picture of nature and how he lost track of time there as the beauty completely consumed him.

Good food, good mood

Why not end your day with a tasty lunch? Take a seat on the picnic benches that are available on-site and unwrap your delicious homemade sandwiches. The perfect way to end a lovely day in Tintern.

What other Cadw attractions can I visit with the Castles of Wales Pass? 

• Beaumaris Castle, Anglesey
• Blaenavon Ironworks, Torfaen
• Caerleon Roman Baths, Newport
• Caernarfon Castle, Gwynedd
• Caerphilly Castle, Caerphilly
• Carreg Cennen Castle, Carmarthenshire
• Castell Coch, Cardiff
• Chepstow Castle, Monmouthshire
• Cilgerran Castle, Pembrokeshire
• Conwy Castle, Conwy
• Criccieth Castle, Gwynedd
• Denbigh Castle, Denbighshire
• Harlech Castle, Gwynedd
• Kidwelly Castle, Carmarthenshire
• Laugharne Castle, Carmarthenshire
• Oxwich Castle, Swansea
• Plas Mawr Elizabethan Town House, Conwy
• Raglan Castle, Monmouthshire
• Rhuddlan Castle, Denbighshire
• Rug Chapel, Denbighshire
• St Davids Bishop's Palace, Pembrokeshire
• Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire
• Tretower Court and Castle, Powys
• Valle Crucis Abbey, Denbighshire
• Weobley Castle, Swansea