Cardiff

Introduction

Cardiff is the capital and largest city of Wales, sitting in the southeast of the country within the Cardiff Capital Region. It is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan, and it belongs to the Eurocities network of the largest European cities.

A small town until the early 19th century, Cardiff grew as a port for coal once mining began in the region. It was ranked as a city in 1905 and proclaimed capital of Wales in 1955. The wider Cardiff urban area reaches beyond the county boundary to take in towns such as Dinas Powys and Penarth.

Before you go

Cardiff sits on the south coast of the South Wales plain, at the mouth of the Taff, Ely and Rhymney rivers, with the Taff running through the city centre and all three reaching the sea at Cardiff Bay. The city is notably flat, a quirk of geography that helped it grow into one of the world's leading coal ports. Around 12% of residents speak some Welsh and all public signs are bilingual, but English is universally understood, so you won't struggle to get by.

Late spring to early autumn is the best time to visit, when warm weather lets you make the most of the city's parks and waterfront. Mild weather is the norm year-round, though like much of Wales you should expect substantial rainfall, particularly in winter; the coastal position means Cardiff dodges much of the snowfall that hits other parts of the country. Cardiff is a safe city, safer than most major UK cities, but car theft is a concern, so remove valuables from your vehicle and avoid parking overnight on badly-lit streets in Adamsdown, Splott, Riverside or Butetown. If you need to leave a car overnight, use a city-centre car park instead.

Getting there

Cardiff Airport (CWL) is the city's only airport, lying just west of Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, with airlines including KLM, Ryanair and TUI flying direct from cities across the UK and Europe such as Amsterdam, Dublin and Edinburgh. From there, the Adventure Travel 304 bus runs direct to Cardiff International Sports Village and Cardiff Bay, or you can take the Rail Link 905 bus to Rhoose Cardiff International Airport railway station and continue by Transport for Wales train to Cardiff Central or Cardiff Queen Street. Avis, Enterprise and Europcar all offer car hire at the airport. Larger alternatives lie in England: Bristol Airport is served by easyJet, Jet2.com, Ryanair and TUI, with the National Express 216 coach running direct into Cardiff city centre or the Bristol Airport Flyer bus connecting to Bristol Temple Meads for a Great Western Railway train to Cardiff Central. From London Heathrow, you can take a Megabus or National Express 201/202 coach direct into the city centre, or the Elizabeth line into London Paddington and then a GWR train to Cardiff Central.

By rail, Cardiff has two main stations, Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street, both with ticket barriers and part of the National Rail network. Great Western Railway runs roughly half-hourly services from London Paddington, calling at Reading, Swindon, Bristol Parkway and Newport, as well as trains from Bristol Parkway, Bristol Temple Meads and local routes from Portsmouth, Southampton, Salisbury, Bath, Taunton and Weston-super-Mare. CrossCountry connects the city with Midlands cities including Nottingham, Derby, Birmingham and Gloucester, while Transport for Wales runs most trains from elsewhere in Wales — Holyhead, Bangor, Llandudno Junction, Chester, Wrexham General, Cwmbran, Carmarthen, Llanelli, Swansea, Neath, Port Talbot Parkway and Bridgend — plus long-distance services from Manchester Piccadilly, Crewe, Shrewsbury and Hereford, and local trains from suburbs and towns such as Barry, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, Penarth and Pontypridd. Other Cardiff stations include Cathays for Cardiff University, Cardiff Bay, Heath High Level and Heath Low Level for Roath Park, and Ninian Park and Grangetown for Cardiff City Stadium.

Getting around

Cardiff has two compact central areas, the city centre and Cardiff Bay, and the walk between them is about a mile along flat, roadside pavements. Attractions in both are signposted, and parts of St Mary's Street, The Hayes and Queen Street are pedestrianised, so you can wander these wide boulevards without traffic. Llandaff Cathedral and Cardiff Metropolitan University sit further out, roughly two miles from Cardiff Castle and about three and a half miles from the Bay. In the Bay, the Wales Coast Path is signposted too, running west to east past Penarth, the Barrage, the Norwegian Church, The Senedd, the Wales Millennium Centre, Atlantic Wharf, Splott, Tremorfa and the Wentlooge Levels.

The city is flat and has a network of signposted cycling routes, many segregated from other traffic, plus two formal river trails. The Taff Trail, National Cycle Network Route 8, follows the River Taff past Roald Dahl Plas, the Principality Stadium, Bute Park, Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Metropolitan University and Llandaff North before continuing to Taff's Well, Pontypridd, Merthyr Tydfil, Pontsticill and Brecon. The Ely Trail follows the River Ely past the Cardiff International Sports Village, Sanatorium Park, Ely, and St Fagans with its national museum. Bike parking is plentiful in the city centre, though you'll need your own lock, and there are on-street bike lockers run by operators such as Spokesafe and Bikedok, or you can store your bike at The Bike Lock cafe. Note that cycling is prohibited on a select number of paths and subways, including Queen Street, and the charity PedalPower runs training sessions, weekly rides and bike hire in Pontcanna and Cardiff Bay.

Cardiff Bus runs the largest bus network in the capital, and you can tap on and tap off with a contactless card, Apple Pay or Android Pay. Visitor-friendly routes include the City Circle 1 and 2 loops via Cardiff Bay, Grangetown, Canton, Llandaff, University Hospital Wales and Splott; the Baycar 6 shuttle between Canal Street in the city centre and the Millennium Centre; and services to Ninian Park, Leckwith, Grangetown, Penarth, Cathays and Roath. A summer-only open-top service links Penarth, Cardiff Bay and the city centre. Adventure Travel also covers the city, including a route to St Fagans National Museum of History, and other operators include First Cymru and Stagecoach. A Hop On-Hop Off tour is available, and several operators accept Network Rider tickets covering South East Wales.

Transport for Wales runs local trains as part of the National Rail network, with tickets available at stations or online, and a Pay as you go system for the Cardiff and Valleys area that calculates the best fare. Rovers and rangers include the Explore Wales Pass, Explore the Capital, Explore Cardiff and the Valleys, and the Valleys Night Rider, and National Railcards are accepted. All rail routes pass through Cardiff Central or Cardiff Queen Street; change at Cardiff Central for long-distance services to London Paddington, Birmingham, Bristol Temple Meads, Bristol Parkway, Manchester Piccadilly, Southampton Central and Swansea. Local routes run at least half hourly, including the Cardiff Queen Street to Cardiff Bay shuttle, and lines out to Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil, Treherbert, Bridgend, Penarth, Rhymney and Coryton. Taxis can be flagged down or booked in advance, with Uber operating widely alongside local companies, and licensed taxis carry a yellow plate on the rear bumper. By water, Aquabus runs all year between Mermaid Quay in the Bay and Castle Grounds in the city centre, with wheelchair, pushchair and cycle access, plus a less regular Penarth to Cardiff Bay service and a Bay Cruise.

Where to stay

Availability in Cardiff swings sharply around events at the Millennium Stadium, particularly when Wales play rugby or football. Rooms become scarce and expensive on those dates, so either plan your trip around the fixture list or book well ahead to keep costs down.

• Cardiff Caravan Park sits at Pontcanna Fields, on the opposite bank of the Taff from Bute Park, and puts a wide choice of food and drink within walking distance; bike hire is available on site.
• For mid-range stays, the Cardiff Marriott Hotel is a block from the train station and across from a cluster of clubs, while the River House Backpackers in Riverside faces the Millennium Stadium and includes breakfast and wifi. Elsewhere in the centre you'll find the Park Inn Hotel, the Holiday Inn Cardiff Central near most city-centre attractions, and the Clayton Hotel on St Mary Street. In Cardiff Bay, the Express By Holiday Inn is a clean option about a 15-minute walk from the centre. Traditional converted townhouses include the Lincoln House Hotel on Cathedral Road and Austins Guesthouse, a small B&B overlooking the River Taff a short walk from the castle. Further out, the New House Country Hotel occupies a Georgian manor in the hills above the city and welcomes dogs.
• At the upmarket end, the Cardiff Hilton stands in front of the castle with views over the civic centre, and the St David's Hotel and Spa fronts the bay, a few minutes from the bay's restaurants and bars. The Royal Hotel is the oldest of the city's grand hotels, and Gelynis Farm B&B offers a four-star farm stay at Morganstown, north of the centre.

Food & drink

Cardiff makes it easy to eat well without travelling far. Mermaid Quay and the city centre are packed with a varied contrast of eateries, letting you sample many different tastes in a small area, though booking a table at the better restaurants on a Friday or Saturday evening can be difficult. Vegetarian options are easy to find, and vegan options reasonably so. In the centre, look for Cafe Minuet in Castle Arcade and The Potted Pig on High Street; in Riverside, Madhav's serves unusual vegetarian Indian food; in the Bay, skip the chains at Mermaid Quay and head to Mr G's Soul Kitchen for Caribbean; in Canton, try La Cuina for Catalan food; and City Road offers a massive variety of world cuisines.

For something quick and cheap, small eateries serve plentiful takes on the Full English breakfast, sandwiches and fish and chips, while the Brewery Quarter holds a few well-known and different restaurants and the Indoor Market has small cafes offering everything from toast to full roast dinners. Pubs are another option: the Blue Bell on High Street has Welsh dishes and good vegetarian and vegan choices, while the Rummer Tavern on Duke Street is a friendly pub with tasty food and drink at reasonable prices. You can also find entirely vegetarian and vegan menus at the Vegetarian Food Studio in Grangetown and Crumbs Kitchen in Morgan Arcade, and Japanese, Indian, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish kitchens are scattered across the centre and the neighbourhoods.

What to see and do

Cardiff's landmarks cluster in the centre and around the bay. Cardiff Castle sits on Castle Street, its foundations built over a Roman fort and its interior transformed in the early 1900s for the Marquis of Bute into an idiosyncratically ornate series of rooms; the Norman fort, the Welsh regimental museum and excavated Roman ruins are all open to view. Nearby are the civic buildings of Cathays Park, a pronounced "kut-AYS", where white Portland stone buildings in classical styles surround Alexandra Gardens and its national war memorial, and City Hall, whose domed, dragon-topped roof is a city landmark and whose marble hall is lined with statues of Welsh heroes. Behind the castle, Bute Park stretches to the city's edge, an arboretum and former private grounds of the Bute family. In the north west, Llandaff Cathedral dates from 1107 and holds Jacob Epstein's huge Christ in Majesty, while the surrounding village includes Insole Court, a coal magnate's house open to visitors. On the city's outskirts, Castell Coch, the "Red Castle", is a fairytale reconstruction for the 3rd Marquis of Bute whose interiors echo Cardiff Castle on a more intimate scale.

Cardiff Bay is a cosmopolitan quarter of restaurants, bars and cafes, good for a Sunday stroll, with boat rides on the permanently water-filled harbour, a children's playground near the historic Norwegian Church, and views across to Penarth. You can take a speed boat ride that makes 360-degree turns, or walk the two kilometres from Mermaid Quay to the barrage, hiring a bicycle or riding the road train if you prefer. The bay also holds the Wales Millennium Centre, a piece of modern architecture hosting opera, dance and West End musicals, with free live performances in its foyer at lunchtimes and before evening shows; the Senedd, home of Wales' national government, built of Welsh materials and open for free tours and public debates; the Pierhead building, covered in dragons and heraldry and used for exhibitions on Cardiff's development; and Techniquest, with its many science and technology exhibits and a planetarium. Among the museums, St Fagans National History Museum is an open-air collection of vernacular buildings from across Wales rebuilt stone by stone in the grounds of an Elizabethan manor house, with beautiful 19th-century castle gardens and indoor exhibitions on Welsh social and cultural history. National Museum Cardiff in Cathays Park pairs natural history with an internationally important art collection noted for 19th-century French works, and The Cardiff Story tells the city's history from the Old Library building on The Hayes.

When to go

Cardiff has mild weather all year, so no season is off limits. The best window runs from late spring to early autumn, when warm conditions make it easier to enjoy the city's sites and areas to the full. This is the most comfortable stretch of the year for getting out and about.

Winter is the wettest part of the year, bringing substantial rainfall. Thanks to its mild climate and coastal position, the city escapes much of the snowfall that hits other parts of the country, so snow is less of a concern here.

Festivals & events

Cardiff marks St David's Day with a parade in March, a fitting moment to be in the city if you want to see Welsh national pride on full display. In July, the Welsh Proms bring a season of classical concerts to the city.

Three days in Cardiff

Day one: Start in the centre of Cardiff before wandering out to the neighbourhoods around it. Adamsdown and Splott sit to the east, while Riverside and Butetown each have their own character within the city. The Taff and the Ely and Rhymney rivers shape the lie of the land, and the Welsh and English languages sit side by side as you go.

Day two: Head for Cardiff Bay, where the city meets the water. From there you can carry on to Penarth and Barry in the Vale, or take in Dinas Powys and the wider Cardiff Capital Region. Cardiff International Sports Village is another option if you want to stay closer to the bay.

Day three: If you are flying out, Cardiff Airport (CWL) is the local gateway, with KLM, Ryanair and TUI among the carriers connecting it to Europe, Amsterdam, Dublin and Edinburgh. Adventure Travel can help with getting around. Late in the day, the weather is often mild, so a last walk through the city is easy to fit in before you leave.