Cardiff

🗺️ Where to Stay

Cardiff is a small city with good transport links so you can easily explore wherever you stay. Here are some top recommendations:

• Cardiff Centre – The best place to be for the hustle and bustle of the heart of the city.
• Cardiff Bay – A great central location with iconic buildings and the bonus of sea views.
• Pontcanna – Recommended for a quieter stay in a trendy, leafy neighbourhood with nice eateries.

🛎️ Best Hotels

Cardiff has a good range of hotels which offer budget accommodation to five-star luxury. Check out these popular hotels:

• voco St. David’s Cardiff – A five-star luxury waterfront hotel with spa facilities and sweeping bay views. 
• The Coal Exchange Hotel – A luxury hotel in a gorgeous, historical building in Cardiff Bay.
• Sleeperz Hotel Cardiff – A central hotel offering good-value accommodation including family rooms.

🍽️ Best Restaurants

You can sample traditional Welsh food and produce in Cardiff, as well as cuisines from around the world! These are some favourites:

• The Welsh House – This central restaurant is a perfect place to sample Welsh food and drink .
• The Potted Pig – A well-renowned restaurant in a former bank vault offering mouth-watering food. 
• Tir a Môr – Meaning ‘land and sea’ in Welsh, this waterfront restaurant celebrates Wales’ produce.
• Purple Poppadom – The place to go for award-winning Indian dishes with a modern twist. 
• Mina Restaurant – A Lebanese restaurant with delicious freshly cooked dishes and a laid back atmosphere.

🚗 Best Day Trips

• Barry Island – A popular seaside destination with a sandy beach and an amusement park.
• St. Fagan’s National Museum of History – Explore over 40 historical buildings across acres of parkland.
• Caerphilly Castle – The biggest of over 600 castles in Wales complete with a moat.
• Big Pit National Coal Museum – A former working coal mine turned museum where you can go 90m underground.
• Tenby – A charming town and popular holiday destination in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. 

🏘️ Best Neighbourhoods

• Roath – A leafy residential area, home to Cardiff’s most popular park and some vibrant streets.
• Cathays – A lively area favoured by students and full of cool restaurants, pubs and bars.
• Canton and Riverside – This popular area has great eateries and markets as well as a rich diversity of cultures.
• Pontcanna – A trendy and upmarket area with award-winning restaurants and cute cafes.
• Whitchurch – A village-like neighbourhood with a busy high street and open green spaces.

🍸 Best Bars

• Lab 22 – An unsuspecting cocktail bar with the accolade of having ‘The Best Cocktail Menu in the world.’ 
• Nighthawks – This exciting new and unpretentious wine bar looks right out to Cardiff Castle.
• The Golden Cross – Wales’ oldest LGBT+ venue hosts regular entertainment from cabaret to quizzes.
• Penny Royal – This friendly place is ranked as one of the top 50 cocktail bars in the UK .
• Tiny Rebel – A colourful bar serving tasty (and quirky) beers brewed less than 20 miles away.

 🌳 Best Parks

• Bute Park – A green oasis in the heart of the city situated behind Cardiff Castle.
• Roath Park – This large leisure park is a popular destination and even has a boating lake.
• Victoria Park – A busy family park with historic features and a modern play area and splash pad.
• Cathays Park – This Grade I listed historic and characterful park is Cardiff’s civic centre.
• Hamadryad Park – A green space with playing fields that flows into the Cardiff Bay Wetland Reserve. 

🛍️ Best Shopping

• Arcades – Explore shops, eateries and bars in Cardiff’s famous Victorian and Edwardian arcades.
• St David’s Shopping Centre – Cardiff’s biggest shopping centre with over 150 shops, restaurants and cafes. 
• Cardiff Central Market – A beautiful indoor market with traders selling fresh produce, and lots more!
• Corp Market – A small independent market and community hub in Canton with a friendly bar and cafe.
• City Road – A diverse, bustling street with shops selling goods from all over the world.

🎭 Theatres and Arts Venues

• The Millennium Centre – A spectacular building housing the national arts centre for Wales. 
• The New Theatre – Entertaining Cardiff with drama, musicals, pantomimes and dance since 1906.
• Chapter Arts – This multi-artform venue is described as the heartbeat of creativity in Cardiff. 
• St David’s Hall – The National Concert Hall and Conference Centre of Wales is well known for its acoustics.
• Sherman Theatre – A theatre and production house offering a diverse range of shows written by local writers.

🏖️ Nearby Beaches

• Penarth Seafront – Home to an art deco Pier and Pavilion, within walking distance from Cardiff Bay. 
• Ogmore-by-sea – Hunt for fossils on this geologically important beach along the Glamorgan Heritage Coast.
• Barry Island Beach – A much-loved sandy beach with colourful beach huts and nearby amusement park.
• Rest Bay – Hit the waves on this Blue Flag beach in the seaside resort of Porthcawl 
• Rhossili Bay Beach – On the Gower Peninsula, this beach often features in Wales’ top 10.

👉 Tips & Things to Know

• 💬 – Language – Welsh (Cymraeg) is an official language in Wales and things are often in Welsh and English.
• 📅 – Keep Plans Flexible – You might want to change plans last minute depending on the unpredictable weather.
• 🏟️ – Events – Traffic, crowds and prices rise when Cardiff hosts big events, so check dates in advance.
• 🚌 – Bus travel – Buses are a great way to travel around Cardiff. Download the Cardiff Bus App!
• 🛬 – Flights – Cardiff airport is small but international visitors could fly to London, Birmingham or Bristol and travel to Cardiff.

🧳 What to Pack

• 🧥 – Raincoat – It rains a lot in Cardiff! Come prepared with a decent raincoat that’ll keep you dry in wet and windy weather.
• 😎 – Suncream – Even if it isn’t super hot on a sunny day, the UV rating can be high so remember to protect your skin.
• 👖 – Layers – The weather is unpredictable and can change in any season. Bring layers so you can easily adapt. 
• 💳 – Cash and card – Bring cash (GBP) and a card – some places only accept one or the other!
• 🔌 – Plug adapter – If you’re an international visitor, remember that the UK uses plug type G, with three rectangular pins.

🤓 Facts & Info

• Census Population (2021) – 362,400 (Cardiff)
• Time Zone – Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and British Summer Time (BST) (UTC/UTC+1 during daylight savings)
• Area Codes – +44
• Airports – Cardiff (CWL)
• Nickname – The ‘Diff, City of Arcades 
• Demonynm – Cardiffian
• County – Cardiff
• Country – Wales, United Kingdom

💵 Costs & Budgeting

• 3 Star Hotel Room – £65/night
• 1 Bedroom Apartment Rental – £100/night
• Rental Car – £85/day
• Public Transport Ticket – £2 (£8 to airport from centre)
• Taxi from City Centre to Airport – £30-£45
• Take Out Meal for Two – £25-£45
• Sit Down Dinner for Two – £30-£60
• Draft Beer – £4-£6 / pint