It’s not often you can say a city is renowned for its peaceful living. But St Davids is not just any city.

It’s unique in that it’s the smallest in the UK, with a population closer to that of a village than a city. In fact, there are many villages in the country with populations far bigger. 

But St Davids has a lot more going for it than its cutesy size. It is surrounded by a national park, has one of the country’s most beautiful cathedrals, punches above its weight for places to stay and eat and has some of the most beautiful beaches you could imagine on its doorstep.  

I’ve visited many times over the years, though I’d go back far more often if I could. Pembrokeshire is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

It usually feels as though time is standing still there, and all the worries of work and (bigger) city life simply melt away into the Irish Sea air. 

St Davids is where the most westerly A-road in Wales ends. Any further west and you’re travelling on narrow roads to the tiny villages and beautiful beaches that surround it. In fact, there isn’t really a town of any notable size within half an hour’s drive, with Haverfordwest and Fishguard being the nearest. 

But that doesn’t mean you’ll struggle to fill your time. Spending your days in this part of the world is among the most relaxing, invigorating things you could possibly do.

If you want action and adventure, you can kayak and coasteer around the rugged cliffs of west Wales, or you can relax in its cafes, restaurants, shops and hotels or stretch out on its many golden beaches in summer. 

St Davids Cathedral

Built on the site of an earlier sixth-century monastery built by St David, the patron saint of Wales, St Davids Cathedral has been a site of pilgrimage and worship for more than 800 years. Looking down on it from the fringes of the city, you can only imagine what it would have been like to gaze on it centuries ago as the weather barrelled in from the wild Irish Sea. 

It must have been awe-inspiring, just as it still is in the 21st century. But there were times when it would have been terrifying. Around 1,000 years ago, the church, as it then was, was subjected to repeated Viking attacks, 11 in all between 907 and 1091.

The site’s significance is underlined further by the ruins of the Bishop’s Palace right next door. Whenever I visit, I find it remarkable that a site this remote was the spot for two such substantial and magnificent buildings.

The Blue Lagoon

A few miles up the coast from St Davids you’ll find the Blue Lagoon, a popular spot for kayaking and coasteering, when people on guided tours will often leap from the cliffs into the deep blue water below (please don’t do this unless you know what you’re doing or have an expert guide with you). This was formerly the main slate quarry of the St Brides Slate Company and was active up until 1910. It’s the slate that gives a brilliant aqua-blue colour to the water.

Porthgain

St Davids might be small for a city, but Porthgain is small even for a hamlet. Sitting on a tiny harbour, there is one (narrow) road in and one road out. Once a small commercial harbour used for exporting stone from the nearby quarry (the historic red brick buildings are very much evident as they look over the water), Porthgain may be small but is now a very popular tourist centre that still manages to be home to a great pub, The Sloop, a superb seafood restaurant, The Shed, and more than one art gallery. It can also be your starting point for a clifftop walk along the coast. 

Solva

Solva is another beautiful harbour village punching above its weight in terms of things to see and do. The village is split into two separate areas, Upper Solva (which you’ll find on the hillside above the water) and Lower Solva, which is built around the harbour at the end of a narrow river valley. There are three pubs, two cafés, two restaurants, artists’ galleries and shops in this tiny area alone. 

Beaches

Unless you’ve been living in a cave somewhere for a while, you’ll know that Pembrokeshire is home to several outstandingly beautiful beaches. Whitesands is the closest big beach to St Davids, in a wide open harbour on the very western tip of Wales. Caerfai, to the south of the city, is much smaller and more enclosed. 

Pembrokeshire Coast Path and National Park 

Wales has a walkable coastal path around its entire coast, and the Pembrokeshire section could certainly make the case for being the most spectacular. One day, I will walk the whole thing. The Pembrokeshire Coast National Park covers both the coast and the county’s equally beautiful interior.

Ancient landmarks

As well as the cathedral in St Davids itself, Pembrokeshire is full of important landmarks going back hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of years. Just outside St Davids, you’ll find St Non’s Chapel and Well (Non was St David’s mother, and this is said to be the site of his birth in the sixth century). The small, rectangular chapel may be plain and simple, but its setting overlooking rocky St Non’s Bay is breathtaking. On the path leading up to the chapel, you’ll pass a holy well believed to possess curative powers, another popular stop for visiting pilgrims.

To the northeast of St Davids, you’ll find the Pentre Ifan burial chamber. This chamber dates back to the New Stone Age when our ancestors buried their dead in tombs like this. The giant capstone is believed to have been in place for 5,000 years. 

Ramsey Island

Ramsey Island’s dramatic cliffs rise up to 120 metres, making it perfect for the many breeding seabirds that call it home. It is looked after by the RSPB, and you can get a ferry here twice a day to enjoy perfect solitude and spectacular views of the Irish Sea.

The standard of places to eat and stay in St Davids is seriously good while still being relaxed and laid-back. The Really Wild Emporium serves up Welsh dishes like sweet chestnut lavercake with capers, beetroot-cured salmon and local cod. Grain is a pizza and craft beer place where Italian toppings are given a Welsh touch. A little fancier, Blas (it means “taste” in Welsh) serves starters like Solva crab with chicken skin and mains like Welsh lamb, just in case you were in any doubt about where you were. 

Twr y Felin is probably the most luxurious hotel you can stay in while in St Davids, with rooms adorned with original artworks inspired by the Pembrokeshire landscape. There are also plenty of B&Bs and Airbnbs in this area.

Best place to spend 48 hours

In 2024, St Davids was named among the destinations perfect for a weekend break, according to holidaycottages.co.uk.