Cardiff

From MaxTravelz

Cardiff (Welsh, Caerdydd) is the capital of Wales and is located in the south of the country. Though it had a reputation of being a rough, industrial city, Cardiff has changed dramatically in recent years. It is now a lively and modern capital city (population c. 310,000), gaining popularity with tourists interested in its history and culture. Summer is by far the best time to visit, as many of the attractions are outdoors.

Contents 1 Get in 1.1 By plane 1.2 By train 1.3 By car 2 Get around 3 See 4 Do 5 Buy 6 Eat 6.1 Top End 6.2 Middle 6.3 Low End 6.4 Cafe's 7 Drink 8 Sleep 9 Get out

Get in

By plane

The main airport is Cardiff International Airport, located nine miles south of the city. This is the only major airport in Wales, and is served by the following airlines.

• Air Wales operates services to Aberdeen, Dublin, Liverpool, Newcastle, Norwich, and Plymouth
• bmibaby operates domestic services to Edinburgh, Glasgow (Prestwick Airport), Jersey and international services to Alicante, Cork, Faro, Malaga, Mallorca, Paris and Prague.
• KLM operates a daily service to Amsterdam
• Ryanair operates a daily service to Dublin
• Zoom operates a seasonal summer service to Toronto.

Hourly trains between Cardiff and Bridgend serve Rhoose Cardiff International Airport station, where a free shuttle bus connects the station and airport. There are also regular bus services from the centre to the airport.

By train

Cardiff Central station is two hours from London Paddington by train. Trains depart hourly during the day and are operated by First Great Western.

Arriva Trains Wales provide local service around the city, along with longer distance services to other parts of Wales and North West England. An hourly Wessex Trains express links Cardiff with Bristol, Bath, Salisbury, Southampton and Portsmouth.

By car

From London, Cardiff is most swiftly reached by taking the M4 motorway west across the Severn Bridge and into south Wales. Don't forget the bridge charges a toll to cross (cash only)!

Get around

See

• The Millennium Stadium
• Cardiff Castle , Castle Street. ph 029 2087 8100. fax 029 2023 1417. Cardiff Castle is a large castle whose foundations are based upon a Roman fort. In the nineteenth century it was the one of the homes of the Marquis of Bute. The Norman fort in the centre, the Welsh regimental museum and and excavated Roman ruins are open, and tours of the Bute household are available. Admission is £3 for adults, £1.90 for children and seniors and £2.45 for students. Admission with a tour is £6 for adults, £3.70 for children and seniors, and £4.85 for students. There are family group discounts.
• The Museum of Welsh Life at St Fagans , free admission. Great for kids. Also features one of the most beautiful gardens in Wales.
• National Museum & Gallery of Wales , free admission. An excellent collection of paintings from all periods (strong on Impressionists), plus archaeological and geological exhibits, cafes and shops. Buy parking vouchers here if needed.
• The Wales Millennium Centre Stylish new arts venue in Cardiff Bay, with cafes and shops.
• Cardiff Bay Mostly restaurants, bars and cafes, but a good place for a 'passeggiata' on a Sunday afternoon. Boat rides in the Bay (permanently water-filled since the barrage was built), a few shops, and a children's playground at the far end (near the historic Norwegian church). Beautiful views across to Penarth.
• Techniquest - great for kids. Regular toddler days.

Do

• Cardiff is excellent for shopping, especially clothes. The Victorian arcades are worth a visit in themselves. Up-market homestores include Melin Tregynt (blankets, cushions and trinkets), and Banana Custard (for kids).
• At near-by Penarth, cruise the Bristol channel during summer months to the likes of North Devon, Gower Peninsula and even occassionally Pembrokeshire on the paddle steamers Balmoral and Waverly. Penarth to Ilfracombe is particularly spectacular, taking in the massive cliffs of North Devon.

Buy

Eat

Things are getting better in Cardiff for eating and it can be very difficult to book a table in the better restaurants on a Friday or Saturday evening. A useful guide to Cardiff Restaurants can be found at Cardiff Eating.

Top End

Castell Restaurant in the Angel Hotel

The Armless Dragon

Benedictos

Le Gallois - Roughly translated from French it means "The Welsh". This is a fantastic gourmet restaurant specialising in bringing Gallic flair to traditional Welsh food such as cockles and lavabread. Expect to pay somewhere around £40 per head.

Middle

Cibo Italian Café on Pontcanna Street (at the non-city-centre end of Cathedral Road). Great little café-restaurant with superb food. Can get busy - booking strongly recommended. Expect to spend about 8-12 UKP for a main course.

Brazz (Cardiff Bay) serves good food, and is a stylish place to sit.

Low End

Cafe's

Café Mao is worth seeking out on Whitchurch road. Very good quality sandwiches for similar prices elsewhere.

City Canteen on Mount Stuart Sq is also worth a look

Drink

Cardiff is a place to drink, favoured by Stag and Hen Parties from all over the UK. St Mary St contains many pubs and clubs and becomes wild, exciting and sometimes dangerous on Friday and Saturday nights. For a quieter drink seek out Floyds above the clothing store.

Sleep

• Wedal Road Youth Hostel: for £19 (adult without YHA membership) it's the cheapest place to stay and – for a Youth Hostel – really quite funky: no curfew, modern, clean, friendly personnel, and a sumptuous English breakfast is included; the only setback is that it's situated a 45-minute schlepp away from the city centre

Get out

The Vale of Glamorgan to the southwest of Cardiff contains the Victorian seaside towns of Penarth and Barry. Cowbridge is a picturesque town to the west. The Brecon Beacons and the town of Brecon are to the north. The Taff Trail cyclepath runs from Cardiff to Brecon. There's a good beach at Southerndown, around 30 minutes' drive to the West.

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