Cardiff is the small but vibrant capital of Wales. Visit Cardiff city for its historic castle, fabulous shopping areas and trendy Cardiff Bay area. It is most certainly worth a weekend visit, so below are 5 great ideas for you to start discovering the city.
Visit Cardiff Castle
Seated in the heart of Cardiff is its castle. You can spend 2 or 3 hours walking the walls, exploring the castle apartments as well as venturing through the wartime bunkers. Additionally, enjoy amazing views of the city from the Norman keep! Entry to the public square, gift shop and café are free. Opening times and ticket prices are available here.
Not far from the Castle you find the civic centre, which houses the National Museum. Here you will find Wales’s national art, geology and natural history collections. In addition there are a number of touring and temporary exhibitions. Entrance to the museum is free and more details can be found here.
Explore Cardiff Bay
As Europe’s largest waterfront development, Cardiff Bay stands out as a must-visit destination. It is home to the iconic Welsh Senedd (Welsh Parliament) and the renowned Wales Millennium Centre, the National Arts Centre for Wales.
Visit Cardiff bay to take a boat trips from or around the bay. One of these transports you to and from Cardiff city centre. For those who enjoy science, a visit to Techniquest science discovery centre is also a must. A scenic walk around the wetlands of the Cardiff Bay barrage will interest both walkers and nature lovers.
Visit Cardiff Bay by night and it is a hotspot for evening entertainment. Enjoy a show in the Millennium centre, watch a movie in the Cinema or dine in one of the restaurants. Find full information on Cardiff Bay here.
Visit Cardiff’s Parks
Located just outside Cardiff’s city centre, Roath Park offers a stunning open space perfect for visitors of all ages. This picturesque park features recreational grounds, greenhouses, playgrounds, a scenic lake, and even a charming lighthouse. A leisurely walk around the lake takes about 30 minutes. After that, relax in the cosy cafés or alternatively further explore the expansive parkland.
Behind Cardiff Castle you find Bute park with its acres of green open space and variety of large and small events. These range from Christmas light walks in the winter to various festivals in the summer. It has a range of cafes, certainly making the park the perfect place for an afternoon stroll or picnic.
Discover the arcades, markets and the shopping centres
Visit Cardiff for one of the best shopping experiences in the UK. It has 2 shopping centres, 6 Victorian arcades, one central market, and a whole area dedicated to restaurants, cafes and takeaways. The shopping centres feature big name stores along with the local alternatives. The arcades are full of vintage stores, craft shops and coffee shops, with the outside highstreets being mainly pedestrianized areas, making them easy and enjoyable to browse around.
If you are visit Cardiff during Christmas time, shopping in the heart of the city is worth a visit just for the Christmas market, which showcases many local Welsh arts and crafts.
Go to a Welsh rugby game!
Heading into to town on a match day, whether you’re going to the match or not is a whole new experience. With people wearing face paint, waving flags, and generally just having a sense of camaraderie, the match atmosphere around town is on another level.
Pubs, bars and outdoor public spaces often stream the games on large screens, meaning even if you can’t be in the stadium you still experience the game and its atmosphere.
Ticket prices for the games vary depending on who’s playing the Welsh team, however, if you are lucky you can get tickets for as little as £20.
If you want to know anymore about Cardiff then please contact us.
[booking_product_helper shortname=”generalbanner”]