Sygun Copper Mine
Just a mile east of the village, Sygun Copper Mine plunges you into the dripping, glittering underworld of Victorian industry. Winding tunnels open into vast chambers laced with stalactites and copper ore veins that still carry traces of gold and silver.
Underground Adventure
Self-guided audio-visual tours lead you through the old workings entirely on foot, with atmospheric lighting and sound effects recreating the daily grind of 19th-century miners. The chambers are genuinely dramatic — not a sanitised theme-park experience but a real, preserved mine with rough-hewn walls and mineral formations in vivid greens and blues.
The mine closed in 1903 and was reopened as an attraction in 1986. It has since won the Prince of Wales Award for Tourism, and the mountainside surrounding it was famously used as a film set for the 1958 Ingrid Bergman movie The Inn of the Sixth Happiness.
Above Ground & Family Fun
Once you emerge, the exit point sits high on the hillside with sweeping views across the Glaslyn valley and the Snowdonia peaks — a genuinely rewarding payoff after the underground tour. A museum, café, gift shop and adventure playground fill out a half-day visit.
Younger visitors can try gold panning for gemstones and fool's gold, making Sygun one of the most hands-on family attractions in North Wales.
Sygun Copper Mine on video
More of Beddgelert
Discover where to stay, what to do and the best deals for your trip.
Explore Beddgelert →
