Llandudno Pier is one of the longest and grandest piers in the United Kingdom. From the moment you see the pier for the first time you realise its perfect position in Llandudno's crescent bay. Llandudno Pier consists of two parts with the original opening in 1877 which is over 1200ft in length and resembles a traditional pier in all senses. At the end of the pier is a large pavillion which is to today used as an amusement arcade. The second part of the pier was constructed in 1891 and runs from the original pier opening towards Llandudno's north shore and is built entirely from stone. The second stage also added a landing stage for ships at the end of the pier.

Today Llandudno Pier is one of the towns most popular tourist attractions. The closest part to the shore is home to amusement arcades and also to the Grand Hotel which is one of Llandudno's most popular hotels. Just past the Grand Hotel you'll also find a variety of children's attractions such as fair rides and bouncy castles. The original part of the pier is lined with small tourist stalls and ice cream shops. As you walk out towards the pavillion you begin to take in the majestic views of Llandudno bay and promenade. A little further and you can look back to Llandudno's most recognisble feature, the Great Orme, with wide views of Happy Valley and the Great Orme Cable Car.

Llandudno Pier was originally constructed during the Victorian era, as were many others at seaside towns throughout the United Kingdom, to draw visitors from the Midlands and North West who were taking advantage of the new rail networks that made holidaying at seaside resorts all the rage at the time.

The extension that was built a few years later added a landing stage at the end of the pier enabling passenger ships to dock and take on tourists on trips to the Isle of Man, Liverpool and Ireland.

Along with the landing stage a large theatre was built on the stone section of the pier which soon began to play host to musical shows and entertainment.

As tourism continued to flourish in Llandudno throughout the early part of the 20th century the pier continued to attract hundreds of visitors every day eager to take in the wonderful views or drawn by the amusements.

In later years Llandudno built a new theatre further along the promenade and the pier theatre changed use through a variety of attractions until eventually becoming a dungeon style tourist attraction. This ended in the early 1990's when a massive fire completely destroyed the building and even threatended the Grand Hotel next to it. The building has never been rebuilt due to a variety of legal problems and a lack of necessity.

Many tourists still visit Llandudno and walk along its wonderful pier. It is one of the only piers of its type in North Wales and is the longest pier in Wales. There are two entrances to the pier, the most popular of which is located on the promenade, and the second is the original pier entrance located beyond the Grand Hotel and close to Happy Valley.

From the promenade entrance you pass the Punch and Judy show entertaining children and walk down the stone section of the pier and past the amusement arcade and Grand Hotel. There are many small shops selling a wide variety of tourist memorabilia and some food stalls along the way. You have an excellent view of the north shore beach and the pleasure boats taking visitors on a tour of the bay from the nearby jetties.

As you move further along you pass the children's amusements and bouncy castles before venturing onto the original pier section. From here you can get an excellent view of Llandudno bay and further south the mountains of Snowdonia. The kiosks dotted along the way sell more tourist knick knacks and as you are venturing further out fishermen line the sides waiting for a catch.

You'll get a wonderful view of Happy Valley and the Great Orme cable car from here. Approaching the pier head there is another amusement arcade and the landing platform which is still occasionally used to this day for pleasure cruises during the summer months. You can find more fishermen here especially on the lower landing platform and there's plenty of seats to rest on and take in the view.

Each year on or around the 5th of November Llandudno stages a spectacular fireworks show which uses Llandudno Pier as the launch base. Many visitors and locals gather on the promenade or the hotels lining the bay and watch as the fireworks light up the night sky.

The Llandudno firework spectacular makes extensive use of the original section of the pier and usually starts around 7.30pm and lasts for 20 to 30 minutes. As the huge explosions echo across the bay they light up the entire pier wonderfully and the Great Orme behind it.