Feature

Welsh town named among ‘world’s most beautiful’

10 Oct 2026 4 minute read

‘The Honest Bookshop’ in Hay on Wye. People who want to buy something are left to deposit their money in a cashbox (50p for a hardback, or 30p for a paperback). Picture by Nexxo (Public Domain).

Nation Cymru staff

A Welsh town has been named among ‘the world’s most beautiful towns’ in a global ranking – coming in higher than previous winner Tenby.

Hay-on-Wye, or simply Hay (Welsh: Y Gelli Gandryll or simply Y Gelli), is a market town and community in Powys.

With over twenty bookshops, it is often described as a “town of books”; it is both the National Book Town of Wales and the site of the annual Hay Festival. The community had a population of 1,675 at the 2021 census.

And now the small town has reached even greater worldwide acclaim, after being named one of the most beautiful small towns in the world.

According to Love Exploring, from ancient citadels to snowy ski spots, the world is brimming with gorgeous small towns alive with culture, colour and quirk.

They’ve selected our favourites from across the globe and, while they accept that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, ranked them on their attractiveness.

Coming in at number one is Alberobello, Italy, followed closely behind by Göreme, Türkiye, Rye, England, UK, Colmar, France and Gokayama Historic Village, Japan rounding out the top five.

Hay on Wye comes in at a respectable number 48. The Love Exploring team write: “Home of the Hay Festival, which usually runs in late May and early June, Hay-on-Wye is famous for its vast array of bookshops, making it a must visit for bibliophiles.

“The charming town, which straddles the border between England and Wales, also has a number of intriguing antique shops and a Thursday morning market where you’ll find a tempting selection of edible goodies as well as artisan crafts.”

The only other Welsh location to get a mention in the global hot 100 is, perhaps unsurprisingly, Tenby in Pembrokeshire which nabbed position 65.

Tenby. Image: Beata Mitrega via Unsplash

They write: “Tenby’s glorious beaches and fine Victorian houses painted in an array of pastel shades, together with its welcoming atmosphere, have made it one of the most popular seaside towns in Wales. Boasting no less than four sandy beaches, it’s an ideal summer destination for sun worshippers.

“Known as Dinbych-y-Pysgod (Little Fortress of the Fish) in Welsh it’s also a prime fishing spot. If you fancy catching some mackerel for a home-cooked fish supper, there are a number of boat operators who can take you out to sea from Tenby Harbour.”

Book Town

The latest rankings mirror a recent Which? survey which suggested that Hay, or Y Gelli is a hotspot for ‘creative types’ who are drawn in by the dramatic scenery of the Black Mountains and the beauty of the River Wye.

It describes the town as having been a sleepy place until bookseller Richard Booth transformed it into the world’s first Book Town, when he opened numerous shops and declared himself ‘King of Hay’.

Hay-on-Wye is a destination for bibliophiles in the United Kingdom, with two dozen bookshops, many selling specialist and second-hand books, although the number has declined sharply in recent years, many becoming general antique shops and similar.

Hay-on-Wye in Powys. Image: Hay-on-Wye Town Council

Hay-on-Wye was already well known for its many bookshops before the festival was launched. Richard Booth opened his first shop there, called The Old Fire Station, in 1962, and by the 1970s Hay had gained the nickname “The Town of Books” – although prior to the swinging sixties its character was much like any other small Welsh market town.

Through the last week of May and the beginning of June, Hay’s population of around 2000 grows to 10,000 as book lovers pile in for the literary festival.

The town also hosts How the Light Gets In Festival which this year runs from 2-5 June and features music, debates with the ‘world’s leading thinkers’, comedy, cabaret, and film.

Along with plenty of bookshops, there are farm and food shops, cafés and pubs, and a regular market takes place every Thursday on the attractive streets of the riverbank town.

Lion Street, Hay-on-Wye by interbeat CC BY 2.0.

The town is twinned with Redu, a village in the Belgian municipality of Libin, and with Timbuktu, Mali, West Africa.

Hay-on-Wye is often named as one of the best places to live in Wales and has been named as one of the UK’s best Christmas destinations.

View the full rundown here.

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