The centre is compact: the castle, the museum, the arcades and the stadium are all within about 15 minutes’ walk. Cardiff Bay is about 2 km south, reached on foot, by bus or by the short train from Queen Street.
1 Cardiff Castle
Roman walls, a twelfth-century Norman keep on its mound and, inside the house, the astonishing Victorian rooms created for the Marquess of Bute by the architect William Burges: painted ceilings, carved animals, a roof garden and a gilded Arab Room. The wartime tunnels in the walls are a sobering contrast.
Practical: Ticketed; house tours are an extra. Allow 2–3 hours.
2 Cardiff Bay and the Senedd
The former coal docks are now a freshwater bay held in by a barrage. The Senedd, the debating chamber of the Welsh Parliament, has a public gallery and an open, timber-roofed interior. Nearby are the red-brick Pierhead Building and the Norwegian Church, where Roald Dahl was christened.
Practical: Free to walk. Check Senedd opening times and security on arrival.
3 Wales Millennium Centre
The bronze-clad arts centre is the landmark of the Bay, its façade carved with lines in Welsh and English by the poet Gwyneth Lewis. It hosts opera, musicals and dance, and its foyer is open to wander.
Practical: Free to enter the public areas; book shows ahead.
4 The arcades and Cardiff Market
Cardiff has more Victorian and Edwardian shopping arcades than most British cities, filled with independent cafés, record shops and boutiques. The covered Central Market sells Welsh cakes, laverbread and local cheeses.
Practical: Free. Most shops open daily; the market closes on Sundays.
5 St Fagans National Museum of History
More than forty buildings from all over Wales have been moved here and rebuilt in the grounds of an Elizabethan manor: farmhouses, a chapel, a school, a row of ironworkers’ cottages and working craft shops. It is one of the best places to understand everyday Welsh life.
Practical: Free entry; parking is paid. Allow half a day. About 20–30 minutes by bus from the centre.
6 Castell Coch
A fairy-tale castle on a wooded hillside, rebuilt in the 1870s and 1880s by Burges and Lord Bute on medieval foundations. The interiors are as richly decorated as those of Cardiff Castle, at a smaller scale.
Practical: Cadw site; ticketed. Allow 1–2 hours. About 25 minutes by car north of the centre.
7 Caerphilly Castle
One of the largest castles in Britain, built from 1268 by Gilbert de Clare with water defences and concentric walls. One tower leans dramatically, more than the Tower of Pisa by some accounts.
Practical: Cadw site; ticketed. Allow 1–2 hours. Trains from Cardiff take about 20 minutes.
