Cardiff Castle and other Cardiff, United Kingdom Things to Do Tips

Cardiff castle occupies a huge 8 acre site in the centre of the city and has been fortified since the Romans arrived in the 1st century. Although they left, their legacy has remained in the classic square shape of the site and some of the original walls are clearly visible on the south side at street level.

Also to the right of the entrance there is a flight of stairs leading down to a passage that follows the south wall clearly showing the wall excavated in 1889, on the other side of the passageway is an amazing mural at least 100' long created in 1983 that depicts Celtic life before, during and after the arrival of the Romans. The gate in the north wall is an accurate reconstruction of a typical roman gate in a fort.

After the Romans, the site was used by the Normans who built a Motte and Bailey style Keep in the middle of the Castle grounds.

Successive noble families made their mark by adding and destroying features of the castle and at one point Capability Brown was employed to landscape the grounds.

In 1766 the castle came into possession of the future Marquess of Bute and it was the 2nd Marquess (see general tips) that was responsible for the monumental building programme in conjunction with William Burgess to create the Victorian Gothic masterpiece that we see today...

You can either pay for access to the grounds or you can pay for a guided tour giving you access to the main building – which you would be foolish to miss as it delves into the history of the building and the fine artwork on display!

Living in Cardiff I was able to take advantage of the Cardiff Castle Pass scheme which, for £5, gives you access to the grounds for 5 years and half price off tours and special events.

Once you’ve conquered Cardiff Castle, why not check out Castell Coch next – you can see it from the Keep! :-)

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Phone: +44 (0)29 20 878100
Address: Castle Street, Cardiff, CF10 2RB
Directions: Next to the Civic Centre and Shopping Arcades

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Website: http://www.cardiffcastle.com/

Opened in 1927, the National Museum and Gallery is part of one of the finest collections of civic buildings in Europe. Its contents are unique amongst British Museums in its range of art and science displays, and while it is a long way from London, you would be wrong to think that its collection was in any way minor. These treasures mirror the cosmopolitan character of Cardiff from a time when the city was one of the world's richest cities, combining strong Welsh and international themes.

For me the two most interesting parts of the museum are the impressive Evolution of Wales gallery that tells a global tale of creation and change from the perspective of Wales since the beginning of the Earth, and the spectacular gallery of Impressionist and Post Impressionist paintings by some of the most famous painters of the time...

The Evolution of Wales gallery starts by setting the scene of how our planet works, the gallery shows the processes that have driven our planet throughout its 4600 million years of history. The Gallery charts the movement of the landmass that makes up Wales, starting in the Cambrian era over 500 million years ago when Wales was situated just 6 degrees from the South Pole, working right through the geological periods plotting Wales' progress across the Earth to where it is now.

Many works of art by some of the world's pre-eminent painters hang in this gallery. These include works of art such as 'A Calm' by Van Chappelle, 'La Parisienne' by Renoir and 'Rain: Auvers' by Van Gogh. There are no less than six (!) paintings by Monet, as well as paintings by Cezanne, Pisarro, Manet, Sisley, Rubens, Bacon, Lowry, to name a fraction. The gallery is also well appointed with sculptures, most notably several by Rodin (including 'The Kiss') and one by Epstein.

Other important exhibits include galleries on Ceramics, Minerals, Welsh Natural History, Man and the Environment, Archaeology and Numismatics.

There is plenty to see here, and best of all - all of Wales' national museums are FREE!

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Phone: +44 (0)29 2039 7951
Address: Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NP
Directions: Part of the Civic Centre

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Website: http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/nmgc/

Situated in St Fagans only four miles to the West of Cardiff is one of Wales' premier attractions...

Opened in 1948, to walk around this huge 100 acre open air museum is to walk around Wales - from Celtic times to the present day!

It is Wales' most popular heritage attraction and unlike the many theme parks in the World geared to a particular time or period, it covers the lives, work and leisure of Welsh people over the last five hundred years.

The Museum stands in the grounds of St Fagans Castle, a late 16th century manor house donated to the people of Wales by the Earl of Plymouth (he of Plymouth Arms fame!) and is made up of almost 50 different buildings and attractions that have been transported and rebuilt brick by brick from all across Wales.

The site is simply massive and although I had over three hours, I felt I was rushing to see just over half of what was on show!!!

Favourite parts of the visit included the Castle itself, the house of the future, making friends with the mill cat and watching the school kids taking turns to throw their own pots at the pottery for £2.95 a time!

Check out the website for more info on the best museum of its type that I have even been to!

Don't just take my word for it, check out Carmela71's page as well! :-)

>>>Fun Fact!

At 100 acres, the Museum of Welsh Life is almost a quarter of the size of the entire Principality of Monaco!

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Phone: +44 (0)29 2057 3387
Address: St. Fagans, Cardiff, CF5 6XB
Directions: St Fagans village, 4 miles west of Cardiff. Take the 32 or 320 buses from the Central Bus station - £2.60 return.

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Website: http://www.nmgw.ac.uk/mwl/

The 74,500 seat Millennium Stadium opened in time for the new millennium and is Wales' flagship sporting venue situated right in the heart of Cardiff.

Built on time and under budget for £150 million, the stadium has suffered none of the problems that have mired the new Wembley Stadium development and has actually benefitted from Wembley's ongoing delays by being the venue for all six of the English Football League's major games including the prestigious FA Cup.

It is also the home of Welsh Rugby as it has risen phoenix-like on the former site of the talismanic Cardiff Arms Park, and I was honoured to be able to see Wales Vs Scotland's opening match of the 2004 Six Nations campaign which Wales won convincingly 23-10.

The atmosphere was fantastic, especially when the famous singing voices of the Welsh crowd lifted the roof with a rousing rendition of 'Bread of Heaven'.

Quite how I came to be there I'll never know - just one of those flukey strokes of luck as I was only in town to soak up the atmosphere minding my own business when someone asked me if I wanted their spare ticket...

I said no, that I couldn't afford it but he was so eager to sell it that he offered me a price I couldn't refuse! Before I knew it I was in the Millennium Stadium watching the game!!!

Lucky I had my camera with me! :-)

The best way to appreciate my experience is to check out my panorama picture - just awesome!

As well as sporting events, the stadium is also a concert venue and even a New Year's Party venue by closing its retractable roof (largest in the World, apparently!) and providing the longest bar in Britain for 7,500 partygoers!

The stadium does a guided tour so even if there is no event on when you visit, you can still soak up the atmosphere!

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Phone: +44 0870 013 8600
Address: 101 St Mary Street, Cardiff, CF10 1GE
Directions: Cardiff City Centre by the River Taff - it is so bloody big you can see it from almost anywhere in town!

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Website: http://www.cardiff-stadium.co.uk/

Otherwise known as 'The Cathedral Church of SS Peter & Paul, Dyfrig, Teilo and Euddogwy', but let's just keep it at Llandaff Cathedral... ;-)

Situated in a small hollow in the ground and founded in the 6th C., Llandaff is one of the oldest Christian sites in Britain. It is a fairly small cathedral, not much larger than a big church, but it is its setting by the wooded banks of the River Taff and the history of the place that makes it so impressive.

Given its age and the many changed that have occurred over the ages, including being heavily damaged by bombing in WWII, the cathedral is a mix of styles ranging from Norman to Modern. Indeed, one of the centrepieces of the cathedral is also one of its most controversial - the reinforced concrete arch surmounted by Sir Jacob Epstein’s aluminium statue of Christ in Majesty added in the 60's as a striking contrast between new and old...

Personally I think it is one of the best features of the cathedral, because it is so different - but purists may beg to differ... ;-)

The other great piece of art housed in the cathedral is Rosetti's triptych of the Seed of David in the St Illtyd Chapel.

The Cathedral is also home to the Welsh Regiment Chapel which commemorates actions around the World since the regiment was formed.

Admission is free and there are plenty of services if you're that way inclined, including ones in Welsh if you want to hear this ancient language...

For me, the best way to come up here if you have the time is to walk up the Taff Trail along the banks of the River Taff, which you can do through park and woodland right from the city centre.

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Phone: +44 (0)29 2056 4554
Address: Llandaff, Cardiff CF5 2YF
Directions: About 2 miles NW of City Centre by the River Taff. MAP

Buses 25, 33, 33A & 62 from Cardiff Central Railway/Bus Station
Website: http://www.llandaffcathedral.org.uk/

This exhibition at the Red Dragon Centre, was launched in December as a temporary exhibit due to run only until February - but such has been its popularity that it has been extended through to the summer.

As part of this extension there will be new displays featuring exhibits of props, costumes and monsters from the new series. Another part of the exhibit focuses on Doctor Who?s production involvement in and around Cardiff as it was mostly in Cardiff that the filming took place.

Indeed if it were not for the massive Welsh influence involved, I doubt Doctor Who would have been revived as it has, considering that the writer and director Russell T Davies is Welsh or the fact that almost all of the filming of Doctor Who is done in Cardiff or Wales, including at least one episode actually set in Cardiff (Boom Town).

Furthermore if it were not for famous Cardiffian, Terry Nation, we would be without the Daleks and how could we have Doctor Who without them!?

So, next time you're watching Doctor Who - think of Cardiff!

I managed to work as an extra/driver for an episode in 2004 (Father's Day). I am a passenger in a brown rover V8 behind Billie Piper's green escort panel van, and I also was responsible for looking after the escort and moving it around locations for the shoot. :-)

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Phone: +44 (0) 7818 083843
Address: Red Dragon Centre
Directions: Opposite the Wales Millenium Centre.

Adults ?3.00, Children & concessions ?2.00 Family 2+2, ?8.00 Free entry to the extensive Doctor Who Up Close Shop.
Website: http://www.doctorwhoexhibition.com/cardiff/about.html
Other Contact: 11am to 8pm seven days a week

The beautiful Bute Park is the heart and lungs of Cardiff with greenery at the very centre of the city.

Bequeathed by the Marquess of Bute on the understanding that it would not be built upon, this huge park that cuts a swathe through NW Cardiff offers a huge array of activities.

Straddling the River Taff, the main part of the park is a large and pleasantly wooded area great for a leisurely stroll or picnic. Other features of the park include an arboretum, flower gardens, recreation grounds and even some standing stones and ruined priory.

Also within the park's grounds is the Glamorgan County Cricket Club (the only county level Cricket club in Wales), Sophia Gardens, the Welsh Institute of Sport and a riding school. The park backs onto a music and drama college and is especially busy at weekends.

For avid mountain bikers, the Taff Trail follows the course of the river Taff through the park on its spectacular 52 mile route from the Brecon Beacons all the way down to Cardiff Bay. Taff Trail Cycle Hire operates from the Cardiff Caravan Park on the edge of the park (029 2039 8362)

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Phone: +44 (0)29 2044 5900
Address: Western Avenue, CF10
Directions: Right next to the Castle, straddling the river Taff

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Nestled between the Castle, the Civic Centre and the Hilton Hotel, this is a small piece of tranquility surrounded by the main through road of the city.

It is a great place to stop off with a drink and a sandwich and relax between attractions when visiting Cardiff.

The thing I like best here is sitting amongst the lovely aroma of the hedges, and keeping the Marquess of Bute company...

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Address: Kingsway
Directions: Nestled between the Castle, the Civic Centre and the Hilton Hotel

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Pronounced 'Gor-seth'

Cardiff is blessed with a fantastic array of parks and this one is a particularly charming park is a great place to relax during the day and is well situated, as it faces the Cardiff Civic Centre buildings of City Hall, the Law Courts and the National Museum of Wales.

It is split into two distinct but complimentary parts, with the main part outside the City Hall being a large open lawn with a suitably statesmanlike fountain and flagpoles flying the Welsh, Union Jack and EU flags. This part of the park is also used for special events such as the ‘Winter Wonderland’, Wales Rally GB and the Cardiff Food Festival to name a few.

The other part of the park is very attractive with a stone circle as the main feature and some of the most wonderfully smelling flower beds I have smelled in a long time (not sure what they were though)! There are some great seating areas here and some real history including a number of statues including one of Lloyd George.

This park is one of the best places to take pictures of the Civic Centre, especially at night when City Hall is particularly well lit. A subway joins the park to the town centre by passing beneath the Boulevard de Nantes.

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Directions: Facing the Civic Centre

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Situated on a promontory overlooking Cardiff Bay next to the Cardiff Bay Information Centre, with fantastic views across the water out towards the barrage and back to Mermaid Quay and the northern shore.

The Church was first built in 1868 on a different site in Cardiff Bay to where it is now (for a time it was 'put in storage'!), as part of a worldwide organisation founded in order to provide religious and social care to the rapidly expanding Norwegian Merchant Navy Fleet during the 19th Century.

In its heydey up to 75,000 sailors would visit the church in a year and the famous children's writer Roald Dahl was christened here after being born in Cardiff on the 13th of September 1916. In fact you can read about a lot of his childhood in his autobiographical novel 'Boy'.

Nowadays as well as still carrying out its consecrated duties, the church also has a very cozy wood paneled coffee and tea room which is great for escaping the elements.

There is also a souvenir shop upstairs that doubles up as an art gallery for local artists, which sells some pretty neat stuff including historical photos of 'Tiger Bay' and books about the history of the area...

Check out the wonderful weblink below for a full in-depth history about this fascinating church - it amazes me just how much there is to find out about such a quaint little place!

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Phone: +44 (0)29 20 454 899
Address: Harbour Drive, Cardiff Bay, CF10 5PA
Directions: Next to the Cardiff Bay Tourist Information Centre

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Website: http://members.lycos.co.uk/NorwegianChurch2/Cardiff.html