If you're looking to make the trip to the Yr Wyddfa summit, but don't want to walk, the Snowdon Mountain Railway is the answer.

More than 600,000 people make their way up the most famous mountain in Wales - Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon) every year.

There are several picturesque walking trails up to the Snowdon summit.

One - the Miners' and Pyg track circular route - was even named the most popular walking trail in the UK in 2023 by AllTrails - one of the most trusted and used outdoor platforms/apps in the world and recently named Apple's iPhone App of the Year.

But if sitting down and letting a train do all the work for you is more your speed, the Snowdon Mountain Railway is for you.

@snowdonmountainrailway We’re now taking bookings for 2024! Book online at www.snowdonrailway.co.uk #snowdonmountainrailway #snowdon #snowdonia #snowdonianationalpark #snowdoniagram #northwalestagram #discovercymru #discoversnowdonia #thisismywales #wanderlustwales #visitwales #thewalescollective #discovercymru #thisiscymru #beautiflwales #imagesofwales #welshwonders #ukscenery #mountainrailway #welshwonder #cymru #yrwyddfa #railwayengineering #mysnowdonia #llanberis #exploresnowdonia #lovesnowdonia #lovenorthwales #unlimitedwales #heritagerailway #mountainadventure ♬ original sound - Snowdon Mountain Railway

The train service, which begins at Llanberis Station, has been running for 128 years 

Describing the journey, the Snowdon Mountain Railway says: "As the train travels up the mountain, you’ll experience awe-inspiring views and uncover the mountain’s hidden secrets, from viaducts, waterfalls and gorges to the remnants of abandoned farms, chapels and medieval settlements."

If you are looking to book a trip up Snowdon on the railway service, here's a guide with all you need to know.

Snowdon Mountain Railway tickets

Ticket prices for the Snowdon Mountain Railway vary from £55 to £16 depending on the length of your trip and which service you are catching.

Tickets prices for the Heritage Steam Experience, which is available from June 10 to September 12, are:

  • Adult (return) - £55.00
  • Child (return) - £45.00
@snowdonmountainrailway The first steam train of the season! 🤩🚂 #snowdonmountainrailway #snowdon #snowdonia #snowdonianationalpark #snowdoniagram #northwalestagram #mountainlife #discoversnowdonia #thisismywales #wanderlustwales #visitwales #thewalescollective #discovercymru #thisiscymru #beautiflwales #imagesofwales #welshwonders #ukscenery #mountainrailway #welshwonder #cymru #yrwyddfa #railwayengineering #mysnowdonia #llanberis #exploresnowdonia #steamtrain #lovenorthwales #hafoderyri #snowdonsummit @Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @Snowdonia360 @North Wales @Wales on Rails @North Walestagram @Fly 2 Wales @gonorthwales ♬ original sound - Snowdon Mountain Railway

If you are looking to catch the Traditional Diesel Service, which operates from March 27 to October 29, ticket prices are as follows:

  • Adult (return) - £36.00 (Clogwyn)/£42.00 (summit)
  • Adult (single) - £26.00/£32.00
  • Child (return) - £26.00/£32.00
  • Child (single) - £16.00/£22.00
  • Early Bird Adult - £30.00/£36.00
  • Early Bird Child - £20.00/£26.00

Snowdon Mountain Railway timetable

The Snowdon Mountain Railway runs frequently each day from mid-March until October 27, with travel to the summit from May 15 (weather permitting).

You can book your tickets via the Snowdon Mountain Railway website, at which time you will be able to select a time to travel.

Journey times

The journey to the Snowdon summit begins at Llanberis Station.

If you are travelling to the Snowdon summit, a round trip on the train will take approximately two and a half hours, which includes a 30-minute stopover at the UK's highest visitor centre -Hafod Eryri.

Clogwyn Station - which is around three quarters of the way up Snowdon - offers an unsheltered viewing platform to take in the "spectacular" views of the valleys below.

A round trip to this station will take around two hours, which includes a 30-minute stop over.

Please note there are no facilities at Clogwyn Station or onboard the trains.

The trains

Heritage Steam Experience (June 10 to September 12)

There are two heritage trains part of this service (both seating 34 passengers):

  • The Snowdon Lily
  • The Snowdon Mountain Goat

Both are accurate reconstructions of the Snowdon Mountain Tramroad & Hotels Co Ltd. observation carriages, which were "built on the original chassis and bogies from 1896 and pushed by original Swiss steam locomotives", the Snowdon Mountain Railway explains.

This experience is for those passengers "who prefer a little more room", but only run on weekdays.

RECOMMENED READING:

Traditional Diesel Service (March 27 to October 29)

"Travel in style in one of our contemporary carriages, pushed by a traditional diesel locomotive from 1985," the Snowdon Mountain Railway reads. 

The carriages on this service seat eight people per compartment.

For more information or to pre-book your ticket visit the Snowdon Mountain Railway website (a link to which can be found above).