Cardiff Castle
Learn about hundreds of years of history in the heart of the City. The Castle has been on this site since the days of William the Conqueror and has played a key part in Welsh history, being involved in the rebellion of Owain Glyndwr, the English Civil War and the War of the Roses. Visitors can walk through the grounds and into the park free of charge but everything else is ticketed – at very reasonable prices. The standard ticket gets you into the house, Castle Keep and WWII tunnels as well as the Firing Line Museum which tells the story of the military history of Wales. In addition to the standard entry ticket visitors have the choice of several different themed tours which allow access to restricted areas of the house. Each tour tells a different story of life at the Castle during a particular era. Tours have to be booked on the day of your visit. Some are limited such as Clock Tower access which is only on weekends and bank holidays.
Read our blog to find out more about visiting and our tour of Castle House
Bute Park & Roath Park
Bute park is in the grounds of Cardiff Castle and was gifed to the people of Cardiff by the Bute family in 1949. It is a Grade I listed park and is home to a large number of champion trees – the most in the UK. The champion trees trail allows you to see each specimen and learn more about it. There are also nature trails and the chance to stroll alongside the River Taff, where you can catch the water taxi to Cardiff Bay. There is plenty to see and do for all the family with opportunities for refreshments or just a tranquil place to sit and people watch for a while.
Roath Pleasure Gardens is on the opposite side of town beyond the University area of Cathays – around a 25 minute walk from Cardiff Queen Street Station. Opened in 1894 the park is also Grade I listed. Its a great place for running, walking and cycling. It also has a boating lake where you can hire a boat, you may recognise the iconic Scott Memorial Lighthouse on the edge of the lake. The nearest train stations to the boating lake are Heath High Level and Heath Low Level with around a 20 minute walk from each. The park is a hub for sports with tennis, rugby, basketball and more on offer. There is and adventure playground to entertain younger visitors. The botanic gardens contain stunning plant and flower displays.
Museum of Cardiff Life
Really interesting museum in the heart of the city in what was once the library. When we were there we were lucky enough to be shown a part of the original building. Tells the story of Welsh life through the ages and how people would have lived and worked hundreds of years ago. Cardiff and its docks have been an important trading post throughout history. The museum is free to enter.
National Museum of Cardiff
Located in Cathays near the university buildings. The museum is free to enter but charges may apply for additional/limited exhibitions. Showcases the best of Wales’ art and natural history. The art galleries include works dating back to the 16th Century from both Welsh and European artists. There is a large collection of impressionist works here. There is a car park which charges £6.50 for the day or if using public transport the nearest train station is Cathays.
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay has been developed over recent years to be a real entertainment hub with the Millennium Centre and the annual Bay Series of concerts which take place at Alexandra Head. By 2027 there will also be a new 15,000 capacity arena in the area. On the waterfront itself you will find an array of restaurants and bars (see my page on UK chains for those which have good gluten free options). My favourite building in Cardiff is the Grade I listed Pierhead building – a part of the Senedd estate, home to the Welsh Parliament. The Pierhead building is instantly recognisable with its distinctive red brick finish and clock tower, known as ‘little big ben’. Discover the Roald Dahl Path and Ianto’s Shrine which for all you Torchwood fans needs no explanation. The Techniquest museum is a science museum with over 100 exhibits and puzzles, great for all ages and some fun interactive elements that children will enjoy. You can get here from Cardiff Queen Street Station in 4 minutes or take an approx 40 minute walk from the City Centre. A picture of Cardiff Bay could be seen in Taylor Swift’s Era’s tour cleaning cart making its iconic buildings known to people all over the world!
Welsh Cakes
A traditional Welsh biscuit/scone cooked on a griddle or hotplate rather than in the oven. Welsh cakes became popular with 19th Century mining communities as they were handy to carry as a snack down the mines. There is a shop just opposite the castle and another in the Bay where the cakes are freshly made in front of you. Both shops also have pre-packaged gluten free versions where you can choose from several flavours. These absolutely melt in your mouth and I buy a pack on every visit without fail.
The Arcades
Cardiff boasts the largest number of Victorian and Edwardian shopping arcades in the UK. Most were built between 1858 and 1921 and include Central Market which houses 2 floors of food stands and other independent shops. The older arcades are categorised as Grade II listed buildings. Today the arcades offer a mix of quirky independent shops as well as bars cafes and restaurants. They are well worth a visit to admire the architecture.
Escape Rooms
There are a few Escape Room venues in Cardiff, but we have mainly used Escape Rooms Cardiff and had a great experience. We have escaped form The Cardiff Castle and The 13th Floor and tried but fauied to escape Z, the zombie themed room. What we like about these rooms is that they don’t use live actors so we can do the horror themed rooms without fear. There is a really efficient system for signing up where you scan a QR code for the terms and conditions which speeds things up. Really good theming, probably some of the best we have seen anywhere. If you play more than one game here you get 15% off your meal at nearby Franco Manca (on Church Street) which is a nice bonus.
A bit further afield
Barry/Barry Island
Best known for Gavin and Stacey. About 40 minutes by train from Cardiff Queen Street or a 30 minute drive. If you want to see the houses where the tv show was filmed then get off the train at Barry Station rather than Barry Island. The houses are on Trinity Street which is extremely steep – it was challenging for us who are reasonably fit with no mobility issues. You are looking for number 47 which is about halfway, and easy to spot as there are photos and messages in the window. Back down the hill it takes about half an hour to walk to Barry Island which is home to the pleasure beach. It has a nice promenade to walk on with a couple of nice viewpoints from which you can see Weston-Super- Mare on a clear day. We had fish and chips and an ice cream in the area where Nessa’s arcade is and while we were sat on the famous wall eating our ice creams we were lucky enough to see Joanna Page as she was there filming her latest project!
St Fagans Museum
Outdoor Welsh living museum, telling the story of Welsh life through its buildings. The museum was started after the WWII and is continually added to. Each building existed in some form in Wales and was painstaking deconstructed and then reconstructed at St Fagan’s with as much of the original features as possible preserved. Buildings range from agricultural to commercial and residential. A highlight for me was the row of small terraced houses decorated to represent different eras. There is also a working public house, The Vulcan Hotel with opens and serves drinks for a short time most days.
Read more about St Fagan’s in my blog about our visit
Penarth
Under 15 minutes on the train from Cardiff Central or a walk from Cardiff Bay. Penarth has a pebble beach and a pier. The pier has a stand which serves gelato and whip style ice cream in a tub or a gluten free sugar cone. We ate lunch at Beachcliff Fish bar which has a full gluten free menu and completely separate fryers meaning all of the chips-served here are gluten free. We have fish chips and mushy peas/curry sauce. Freshly cooked, very large portions and we could sit indoors or outdoors. Outdoor is always a risk due to the seagulls but there didn’t seem to be too many around when we visited. A lovely little town to explore.
Big Pit National Coal Museum, Torfaen
Located on the now closed Blaenavon Industrial area this living museum tells the story of the coal mining industry and community in Wales when the pit was in operation between 1880 and 1980. The site is approximately 50 minutes by car from Cardiff. It is also accessible by catching the bus or train from Cardiff to Cwmbran from there the number 30 bus which stops right outside the museum. This place does get busy especially in school holidays so it is advisable to book a ticket in advance for the underground tour to avoid the queues. An £8 ticket booked in advance guarantees you a time slot, or you can pay £5 on the day and be allocated whatever time slots are remaining. Access to the museum, colliery buildings and the rest of the site is free. Tunnel tours are led by real miners who can tell you first hand what they experienced below ground.
Caerphilly Castle
A short train ride away (around 20 minutes from Cardiff Queen Street). Tickets are around £12 per adult and you can get a family ticket for £40 that admits 2 adults and up to 3 children. Its about a twenty minute walk from the train station. On the way you will find a statue of legendary comedian and entertainer Tommy Cooper, who was born in the town.
Just off the main road to the left there is a nice area of independent shops and access to Dafydd Williams Park. This is a great spot to take photos of the castle which can be seen across the water. Caerphilly is the largest castle in Wales, with work commencing in 1268 by Gilbert De Clare. The most famous feature of Caerphilly Castle is its ‘leaning’ South East Tower, a feature though to be the result of subsidence. The Great Hall is due to re-open this year after a couple of years of extensive refurbishment. Opposite the castle entrance is the Consortia Lounge – branch of Loungers chain which as always has a large gluten free menu. We had hot sandwiches and crips there after our visit to the castle.
Castell Coch
Take the train to Taff Wells and walk around 1.5km to the Castell of if you want a longer and just as scenic walk take the train to Llandaff and walk around 5km to the Castle. It is located on the Cambrian Way, a walking path covering up to 170 miles from North to South Wales. Castell Coch translates as ‘Red Castle and it is like something from a fairytale with its coloured turrets. The building was designed by William Burgess for the 3rd Marquess of Bute – the same duo responsible for the mansion house at Cardiff Castle. It is located in the Fforest Fawr and was once used as a hunting lodge. It was built on the site of an existing castle in the 13th Century. It is certainly one of the region’s most opulent and extravagant buildings with its rich interior design.
Llandaff Cathedral
There is a regular train that runs from Cardiff Queen Street Station that will get you to Llandaff in under 15 minutes and from there the Cathedral is an approximately 25 minute walk. The current stunning architecture dates from around the early 12th Century. There has been a Christian place of worship on this site since the 6th century. It has been refurbished several times but remains largely the original building. It was unfortunately a casualty of world War II and in 1940 lost its roof. This was not able to be restored after the war ended in 1945 and eventually took almost 20 years to complete. The building is an active place of worship and community hub.
Waterfall Country/Pen y Fan
This area is a designates Site of Specific Scientific Interest and is not easily accessible by public transport but if you have a car there is plenty of parking available both paid and free of charge. Availability at each one is dependent on when you visit as the area does get very busy.
The most popular route is the Four waterfalls Walk which begins at Ystradfellte and takes 3-4 hours. Parking can be found at Cwm Porth or Gwen Hepste.
Read more here about my experience of the Four Waterfalls Walk
The Gunpowder Trail is a 1.5km walk that takes you to the remains of the Glyn-Neath Gunpowder Works. This trail is accompanied with an audio tour that gives a taste of what life was like for those who worked in the gunpowder trade. From the same car park (Dinas Rock) you can also take the very short walk to the Sgydau Sychryd Cascades.
The Brecon Beacons website has lots of information about further walking and cycling routes and towns and villages of interest in the area, so you can plan your day to suit your time and budget.
Pen Y Fan is the highest peak in South Wales. It is most accessible from the Pont ar Daf car park and from there you can climb the peak and back in around 2-3 hours (the round trip is approx 4 miles. Throughout your walk you will be treated to unrivalled views of the rolling hills and rugged cliffs. The incline is do-able for most levels of fitness and also suitable for children to attempt. Take all the water and snacks you need as there is no where to top up. In my experience a morning visit is best if you want to avoid crowds, particularly during school holidays.
compass and coaster 