"Croeso i Abertawe (Swansea)" Top 5 Page for this destination Swansea by aaaarrgh
Swansea Travel Guide: 108 reviews and 242 photos
"An ugly, lovely town" is how poet Dylan Thomas described his home city. Swansea is not as bad as some people say. It has improved massively over the last 5 years. Only 55 minutes from Cardiff by train and with good motorway links, it is easy to reach.
There are lots of shops, a university, a great art gallery. The newly developed marina looks super and has a beautiful new industrial museum.
Swansea has a tremendous coastline. Not far away are the Mumbles, the Gower peninsula and super beaches. Definitely the place to go on a hot summer day.
My sister went to university here. My grandfather was brought up here. I have fond memories of the place.
One word of warning - it has a reputation of being quite rough on Saturday nights. Fortunately the evening train service is so bad it means i have never spent the night in Swansea bars and clubs. You enter at your own risk ;-)
On 19-21 February 1941 the Nazi Lufftwaffe helped out (uninvited) with Swansea's slum-clearance programme. Swansea was one of Britain's great ports and industrail cities. The bombs levelled all of Swansea's old city centre, houses, shops, market, church.
So the centre of Swansea today is modern and, quite frankly, dreadfully ugly. If you want to see some of what Swansea used to be like, then walk along Wind Street towards the Maritime Quarter. Lots of older, grand and picturesque buildings, many of which are now trendy bars, restaurants and pubs.
Welsh women are definitely no longer short, squat, with frilly hats and beards. Thirteen delightful young ladies danced through Swansea's grotty streets of semi-derelict cut-price shops to celebrate the opening of the Waterfront Museum. They were followed by a carnival parade of hand made banners and flags. Fortunately the weather was splendid for October, otherwise dancing around Swansea in red underpants would have landed them in hospital with pneumonia ;-)
- Pros:More Welsh than Cardiff. Close to beautiful scenery. Dylan Thomas heritage.
- Cons:Can be rough and grotty in places. Luftwaffe bombed the nice bits.
Reviews (8)
St Mary's Church, stained-glass heaven
Things to Do
(7)
St Mary's Church is Swansea's main Anglican place of worship. It is a large, airy, pleasant place, a haven from the... more travel advice
Cathedral of grocery (and other)...
Shopping
(1)
Swansea Indoor Market is VAST!! In fact, the biggest in Wales. A massive arched roof that makes the space feel like a... more travel advice
Dylan Thomas Centre
Things to Do
(7)
The well-known Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas, was born in Swansea in 1914. Easily one of Swansea's most famous people. And... more travel advice
Swansea "Maritime Quarter"
Things to Do
(7)
Some of Swansea's old docks have been converted quite nicely into a Marina, called the Maritime Quarter, with... more travel advice
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Swansea Travel Guide
Member Travel Pages
- "Gateway to the Gower"
- "Swansea - Abertawe"
- "Croeso i Abertawe (Swansea)"
- "Only a few hours there"
- "Abertawe"
- "`Swansea tenyleg nagyon csuf, meg sem alltunk'"
- "SWANSEA"
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Budget Travel
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Historical TravelLatest Swansea hotel reviews
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Comments (9)
I visited Swansea recently for a shopping trip. I haven't enjoyed shopping so much in a long time. Everyone was so helpful and friendly, nothing was too much trouble. Thank you for making my day enjoyable and restoring my faith in the shopping experience
I hope this market really exists:)
Thank you for very good information. The Waterfront Museum seems to be very interesting. I'm looking forward to visiting it.
Hey! Am I not surprise to see that your page on Swansea is highly rated! Thanks for all the wonderful tips in your guides! We'll be heading to Cardiff on 7Sep; Swansea 9Sep; Newport 10Sep, 7 Wonders of Wales for the rest of the week. :D
last time i went to swansea it was shut. might have to reconsider now
Very helpful as we will be spending next fall term here at the uni. Just tell me which areas to avoid!!!
Swansea great city..always watch the welsh! Cheers Jase
I used to live in Gorseinon and have been to all these Swansea places. Have seen countless exhibitons in The Glynn Vivian, my dad took me there since I was small. Pleasant memories for me. Lesley
Been to Swansea a couple of times now - totally agree about Glyn Vivian and looking forward to the opening of the National Maritime Museum!
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