Cardiff (Welsh: Caerdydd) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It used to be an industrial city, but is now a lively and modern capital city and a tourism hot spot. The city is friendly to pedestrians, and summer is by far the best time to visit, with large festivals, and outdoor dining and drinking. The city centre has been intensely developed in the 21st century, and is now considered to be one of the top ten shopping destinations in the United Kingdom.
Cardiff is on the south coast of the South Wales plain, with a shoreline on the Bristol Channel. It lies at the mouth of three rivers: the Taff, the Ely and the Rhymney, with the Taff flowing through the city centre and all three reaching the sea at Cardiff Bay. Cardiff is quite a flat city, a characteristic that helped it become one of the world's leading ports for the transport of coal from the rugged south Wales Valleys. Around 12% of the residents of Cardiff speak some Welsh, and all public signs in the city are in both Welsh and English. However, as elsewhere in Wales, English is universally understood. Visit Cardiff, Cardiff Castle, Castle St.
Cardiff is a large city with two reasonably compact central areas - the city centre and Cardiff Bay. The walk between Cardiff Central Library in the city centre and the Bay is approximately one mile along flat, roadside pavements. Llandaff Cathedral and Cardiff Metropolitan University are further out - approximately two miles from Cardiff Castle in the centre, and approximately 3.5 miles from the Bay. Attractions in the city centre are signposted. Some of the main shopping areas, including parts of St Mary's Street, The Hayes and Queen Street are pedestrianised. These wide boulevards have no access to vehicular traffic. Attractions in Cardiff Bay are also signposted.
1 Cardiff Castle (Welsh: Castell Caerdydd), ☏ +44 29 2087-8100, fax: +44 29 2023-1417. Mar–Oct: M-F 10AM-6PM, Sa Su 9AM-6PM; Nov–Feb: M-F 10AM-5PM, Sa Su 9AM-5PM. Last entry one hour before closing time. Castle St. Cardiff Castle is a large castle whose foundations are based upon a Roman fort. In the 19th century, it was one of the homes of the Marquis of Bute. The Norman fort in the centre, the Welsh regimental museum and excavated Roman ruins are open, and tours of the Bute household are available. The Bute part of the castle is quite amazing. The interior was all done in the early 1900s in a very idiosyncratic and interesting style.
Relax in Bute Park or in the grounds of the castle, for a break from the hustle of the city centre. Visit Cardiff Bay a truly cosmopolitan experience full of restaurants, bars and cafes. A good place for a 'passeggiata' on a Sunday afternoon. Boat rides in the Bay (permanently water-filled since the barrage was built), a few shops, and a children's playground at the far end (near the historic Norwegian church) along with beautiful views across to Penarth. Take a speed boat ride as it makes 360-degree turns in the water at 70 mph. Walk along the bay from Mermaid quay to the barrage (near Penarth) to see for yourself how the water comes into the harbour from the sea.
It can be very difficult to book a table in the better restaurants on a Friday or Saturday evening. As a rule of thumb Mermaid Quay and the city centre are jam packed full with a varied contrast of eateries allowing you to experience many different tastes within a small area. Vegetarian options are easy to find, and vegan options reasonably so. In the centre see Cafe Minuet (Marcello's) in Castle Arcade, The Potted Pig on High Street. In Riverside try Madhav's for unusual vegetarian Indian food. In the Bay avoid all the chains at Mermaid Quay and look at Mr G's Soul Kitchen for Caribbean. In Canton try La Cuina (Catalan food) on Kings Road.
Cardiff is one of top nights out in Britain having the most pubs per square foot than anywhere else in the country. It has many late night pubs, bars, clubs and restaurants. In the city centre, St Mary's Street, Greyfriars Road and Mill Lane are especially lively and offer a variety of establishments to suit all tastes. Mermaid Quay is a lively, albeit smaller option to spend a warm summer night. Cardiff is a place to drink, favoured by stag and hen parties from all over the UK. St Mary St contains many pubs and shops and becomes wild and exciting on Friday and Saturday nights. There are numerous clubs only a block short walk from Central Station that are bumping into the wee hours.
Cardiff is quite a safe city, and certainly safer than most other major cities in the UK, with the centre having less overall crime than much smaller cities like Gloucester, Northampton and Derby, and far less than in the centre of London, Birmingham, Liverpool or Leeds. However, Cardiff has a relatively high rate of car theft crime rates. Make sure you remove all valuables from your vehicle, especially from show; and don't park at night in badly-lit streets in inner-city neighbourhoods such as Adamsdown, Splott, Riverside or Butetown. If you do need to leave a car overnight, several of the city-centre car parks offer cheap rates for all-night parking and are completely safe.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
Top-rated tours and tickets from €20 — book ahead for the popular ones.
Tours and tickets provided by Viator (a Tripadvisor company). Some links earn Stayonomy a commission.
Cheapest destinations travellers searched recently — refreshed daily.
Flight prices are real fares travellers found in the last 48 hours, refreshed daily — the booking site confirms the final price. Train, bus and ferry fares are shown on the operators' booking sites. Weather data by Open-Meteo; exchange rates: ECB reference. Data updated 2026-08-27. Some links earn Stayonomy a commission at no cost to you.
stayonomy