Cardiff excels at the art of reinvention. Just as it morphed into the world’s most important coal port in the 19th century, it adapted again to embrace being designated Wales’ capital in 1955, and to becoming one of the world’s most dramatic urban waterfront redevelopments during the 1990s and 2000s. The result? A place of grand Victorian buildings and state-of-the-art design, of exquisite parks and thrumming nightlife. Come expecting anything and everything — Cardiff’s plans always seem to have been that the most far-fetched dreams can and do become reality here. One common theme melds all facets of this ever-changing city’s fabric together, whether it’s the roar of a Welsh rugby crowd at the Principality Stadium or the chink of glasses at one of the incessantly inventive cocktail bars, there is always the energy for more. These are the best things to do in Cardiff.
Become a subscriber and, along with unlimited digital access to The Times and The Sunday Times, you can enjoy a collection of travel offers and competitions curated by our trusted travel partners, especially for Times+ members
This article contains affiliate links, which may earn us revenue
1. Wander past the wonders of Cardiff waterfront
The Pierhead Building on Cardiff waterfront
ALAMY
Cardiff’s waterfront was once one of the world’s busiest ports, and the planet’s number one coal exporter during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A century on and the area has been entirely regenerated as a leisure and nature hub, courtesy of one of the globe’s biggest urban waterfront regeneration projects. Many of the original buildings at Cardiff Bay have been retained and restored, including the red-brick Pierhead, which hosts an exhibition on how coal created the Cardiff we see today — and this is one of the UK’s most iconic city skylines. Board a boat tour from the marina in front of the Pierhead for a one-hour guided spin around the harbour, or cruise along to the city centre at Bute Park.
2. Journey to the future at Techniquest
There aren’t many places in the UK where in the space of ten minutes you can experience an earthquake and feel the strength of a hurricane. Understandably, then, Techniquest, the first science centre in Great Britain, is hugely popular with kids little and large — with plenty of adult-sized thrills to enjoy. Try your hand at launching a rocket, sinking an oil rig or playing a giant keyboard with your feet — or bone up on exploding stars and distant galaxies in the 360-degree planetarium.
3. Hunt the Tardis on a Doctor Who walking tour
The Doctor Who experience: this way
ALAMY
Take one of the many Doctor Who walking tours on offer in Cardiff for your chance to travel with the Time Lord. The BBC studios in the city are where production for the current incarnation of the series is based, and there’s a wealth of locations that have close connections to the Doctor. Join an expert guide who’ll show you the spots where Peter Capaldi and Matt Smith have roamed, including Mermaid Quay and the Coal Exchange Hotel. Don’t be put off if you’re not a hardcore Whovian; the tour still makes for a fascinating alternative exploration of the city.
4. Discover the ancient fortress of Cardiff Castle
A trio of architectural periods packed into one formidable multi-turreted complex form the city’s most prominent attraction: Cardiff Castle. While the site retains some of the layout of the Roman fort that stood on the same spot, the keep dates back to the Norman era. And yet it is the staggeringly opulent neo-Gothic interior of this enormous building, created for the 3rd Marquess of Bute in the 1870s, that is the show-stopper. It’s a maze of rooms with cobalt, maroon and gold furnishings, complete with a clock tower that has stirring views out over the city. Don’t miss the vast banqueting hall, bachelor bedroom and winter and summer smoking rooms.
cardiffcastle.com
5. Stretch your legs in the greenery of Bute Park
Straddling the tree-dotted grounds between the castle and the River Taff, Bute Park is a free-to-visit expanse of lushness: not only Wales’ most impressive city park, but the beginnings of a green corridor that can transport you from the city centre to its periphery almost completely road-free. The park’s ancient arboretum still stands and you can stroll amongst 3,000 different trees, including rare Siberian elm. From here, walk around the Gorsedd Stone Circle, built in 1978 to celebrate Cardiff hosting the Welsh National Eisteddfod festival, before an amble past the huge Cardiff salad garden and resident beehives. Finish things off with a coffee at the Secret Garden Café; it’s not as difficult to find as it sounds.
bute-park.com
6. Get your historical bearings at the National Museum
Bronze sculptures at the Wales National Museum in Cardiff
ALAMY
The population of Wales might only be three million, but the National Museum illustrates just how much the nation has punched above its weight. Come here to see Bronze Age gold jewellery and the fabulous portrait of Dylan Thomas by Augustus John, along with an array of artworks by big-hitters including Rembrandt, Monet and Poussin. The collection of Impressionist painting is one of Europe’s best. Another treat are the Evolution of Wales galleries, transporting you on a compelling time-travelling trip through the nation from the time of the Big Bang through dinosaurs to the last Ice Age.
museum.wales/cardiff
7. Pedal your way along the Taff Trail
A marker on the Taff Trail
ALAMY
Not got the time, or the stamina, to cycle the 55-mile length of the Taff Trail, which trundles along the banks of the River Taff from Cardiff Bay all the way to Brecon? The easier option is to hop on your saddle for the section of the trail running through the capital city itself — it’s manageable in a day and will take you to many of the city’s cultural and historic highlights. Pedal past the Principality Stadium and the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club before hitting the vast verdant expanses of Llandaff Fields edging Llandaff Cathedral. If you’re lucky, you might even spot leaping salmon if you pause on the pedestrian bridge at Blackweir. Continue as far as fairy-tale fortress Castell Coch in the wood-carpeted hills beyond the city. Download routes at sustrans.org.uk.
mytafftrail.co.uk
8. Take a seat at a premier sport stadium
With the Welsh international football team having qualified for some key tournaments in recent years and Cardiff City FC challenging once more for a place in the Premier League, the atmosphere at the Cardiff City Stadium — where both teams play — is a buoyant one. Plump for a behind-the-scenes tour or try to wangle a ticket for match day. For rugby lovers, visiting the Principality Stadium is essential. There’s arguably no collective voice in any sports stadium on Earth that matches the passion of a Welsh rugby crowd, and the stadium also offers tours that dig deep into the proud history of Welsh rugby.
principalitystadium.wales
9. Tuck into the local larder at Cardiff Market
Cardiff Market
GETTY IMAGES
The cavernous Victorian-era market, on the site of the old gaol, is one of the most atmospheric places in the city and hosts stalls piled high with gourmet surprises. Go for a wander and enjoy a picnic selection of net-fresh prawns, wood-fired pizzas and locally made cheeses. This is the prime place to sample a classic Welsh cake; renowned bakery Bakestones concoct them with the traditional filling of currants or more out-there flavours such as lemon curd and chocolate chip. But many other cuisines are also represented: don’t miss the Polish pierogi, Thai papaya salad or Keralan fried chicken with Bombay fries.
visitcardiff.com
10. Savour Welsh ingredients in top restaurants
The reputation of Welsh cuisine is mushrooming, and is an especially big draw in Cardiff, with a slew of top restaurants using locally sourced ingredients to create dazzling, impeccably crafted dishes. Try Potted Pig, where the name is also the most popular starter dish, and prepare for local fare to sparkle across the menu through to the cheeseboard starring the wares from Mid Wales’ Caws Cenarth creamery. A dependable choice for dishes using Welsh ingredients with a whiff of French cooking is Pontcanna neighbourhood’s Thomas: the chef gleans inspiration from Pembrokeshire’s impressive repertoire of ingredients such as the oysters, the lamb and the day boat fish, served with leek fondue and caviar.
thepottedpig.com / thomas-pontcanna.co.uk
11. Dive into the blue at the Cardiff Watersports Centre
This Olympic-standard centre is one of the best places in Europe to take lessons in kayaking, paddleboarding or tubing. It offers the only white-water rafting in South Wales too. The kayaking experience is the real standout — you’ll be whisked out into Cardiff Bay for fantastic views of the city’s slick-looking waterfront — all the more spectacular because, pre-regeneration, this was an area of dilapidated buildings and stagnant, un-navigable marsh.
ciww.com
12. Go underground at Cardiff’s stylish cocktail bars
This city has a thing for wondrous, quirky and just plain weird cocktail bars. Bring something truly special to your night out at long-established The Dead Canary, where mixologists magic together entire themed drinks menus, such as Welsh myths and legends: ring the doorbell to be escorted to seats in the bowels of a building fitted out in glamorous Prohibition-era style. Meanwhile Alcotraz Cell Block Nine-One, part of a five-strong UK mini-chain of prison-themed cocktail bars, requires you to slip your liquor past the ‘warden’ in order to get your drinks made and spend your night enjoying them in the clink with your partners in crime.
thedeadcanary.co.uk / alcotraz.co.uk
13. Meander through Cardiff’s covered arcades
A coffee shop in the Castle Arcade
ALAMY
The coal boom brought untold riches to Cardiff, plenty of which were used to create ornate covered arcades lined with shops and eateries. Explore all seven of them in the city centre, each built between the 1850s and 1920s. The Royal Arcade is, as you might expect, the most palatial, while the High Street Arcade comes out on top for fashion boutiques. Record collectors should tarry in the Morgan Arcade to browse floor-to-ceiling vinyl at Spillers; it opened back in 1894 and is officially the oldest record shop in the world.
thecityofarcades.com
• Best hotels in Cardiff
• Best things to do in Wales
14. Spot Pre-Raphaelite masterpieces at Llandaff Cathedral
Head two miles northwest of the city centre to the quiet village of Llandaff to find a striking cathedral that’s believed to be one of the oldest Christian sites in Europe with roots dating back to the 6th century. The highlights are the windows and decorative panels created by leading pre-Raphaelite artists, including Rossetti and Edward Burne-Jones. Few know that the faces in Rossetti’s incredible triptych, The Seed Of David, in the adjoining chapel are in fact based on Rossetti’s closest friends.
llandaffcathedral.org.uk
15. Experience the bygone elegance of Roath Park
Captain Scott Memorial in Roath Park
GETTY IMAGES
With its glasshouse observatory and 30-acre lake, Roath Park’s generous proportions make it one of the most popular parks in the city — as well as one that has retained its sophisticated, Victorian-era air. While away an afternoon here exploring the riot of flowers in the wild garden and walking the winding paths that lead to the botanical garden, and don’t miss the chance to admire the incongruous-looking mini lighthouse situated in the lake. It’s there in memory of Captain Scott, whose ill-fated trip to the Antarctic departed from Cardiff in 1910.
outdoorcardiff.com
16. Marvel at the design of the Wales Millennium Centre
Cardiff’s Wales Millennium Centre arts complex
ALAMY
The Wales Millennium Centre may sport a lengthy roster of ballets, musicals, concerts and talks, but for first-timers it’s the magnificence of the building itself that will impress the most. Completed in 2009, and with Welsh and English-language poetry inscriptions along the frontage, this is a gargantuan, loaf-shaped behemoth of a structure made from wood, stone, copper and four colours of Welsh slate from four different historic slate quarries. Take a guided backstage tour of the building followed by a glass of fizz in the champagne bar afterwards.
wmc.org.uk
17. Trace Roald Dahl’s roots at the artsy Norwegian Church
The Norwegian Church in Cardiff Bay
ALAMY
The whitewashed, bijou Norwegian Church was built as a place of worship for Nordic sailors who would sail through Cardiff when it was a pivotal port. Nowadays it’s a quirky art gallery with regularly changing exhibitions — all of which overlook the harbour in the heart of Cardiff Bay. This was where arguably the planet’s most popular children’s writer of all time, Roald Dahl, a Norwegian himself, was baptised: the Dahl Gallery, inside the church, is home to his christening bowl.
norwegianchurchcardiff.com
18. Tour through the heart of Welsh power
Cardiff waterfront, with the Senedd to the right
ALAMY
From the 13th century through to 1997, the Welsh had no rights to make laws on a huge array of subjects that affected them. Everything changed in a referendum vote and, today, the Senedd is where Welsh democracy is rolled out and where the Welsh parliament meets. Designed by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, the Cardiff Bay-based building looks like a huge glass-enclosed tree. Take a free guided tour to get into the bowels of the building — you can even sit in on parliamentary debates in action.
senedd.wales
19. Sip a pint in Cardiff’s best brew pubs
Tiny Rebel in Cardiff
ALAMY
Craft ale is booming in Wales — and you can sample a few of the latest creations by local brewers at the Tiny Rebel bar, owned by the brewery of the same name. The outfit was the first and only Welsh brewery to strike gold at CAMRA’s Champion Beer of Britain awards and set the bar for many brew pubs in Cardiff and further afield. Zerodegrees is another great city centre bew pub choice, with six core craft beers, rotating limited-edition brews and made-to-order wood-fired pizza. The Cambrian Tap microbrewery serves up plenty of lesser-known beers, ales, porters and IPAs too; expect as many as 18 different beers on draught at any time of day or evening.
tinyrebel.co.uk
20. Day-trip out to Cardiff’s seaside suburb Penarth
Penarth pier in the Vale of Glamorgan
ALAMY
An hour’s waterside walk via the Cardiff Bay Barrage across the other side of Cardiff Bay in neighbouring Vale of Glamorgan, Penarth is a venerable seaside resort with a delightfully renovated pier. The town once proclaimed itself ‘the Garden by the Sea’ and contains some stunning green spaces to this day: the tiered Victorian Alexandra Gardens connects the town and the attractive seafront, while further west Cosmeston Lakes Country Park is delightful for a short walk. Penarth is best-known in gastronomic circles for sporting the closest Michelin star to Cardiff: gravitate to James Sommerin’s understated but exception Home for this.
homeatpenarth.co.uk
21. Visit the fantastical fortress of Castell Coch
Castell Coch’s coned turrets are one of the most photographed landmarks in Wales — and for good reason. Located in the village of Tongwynlais, just six miles outside of the city centre, this bizarre-looking building is the result of the medieval fantasies of the Third Marquess of Bute who, back in the 1870s, commissioned William Burges to design a fully working castle, complete with a drawbridge and portcullis. Curiosities abound inside; don’t miss the panels in Lady Bute’s bedroom that depict hundreds of playful monkeys. The wooded grounds have several way-marked trails.
cadw.gov.wales
22. Delve into Wales’ past at St Fagans National Museum of History
St Fagans Castle near Cardiff, Wales
ALAMY
Since 1946, buildings from across Wales have been carefully manoeuvred to populate the open-air museum fanning across the bucolic grounds of St Fagans Castle — a country manor raised on the site of a ruined Norman castle. Wander through evocative 19th-century ironworkers’ cottages, originally from Merthyr Tydfil, which have been reconstructed here, as well as a tannery, bakehouse, village store, a schoolhouse from Lampeter, a tollhouse from 1771 that once guarded the entrance to Aberystwyth and many more. You can also check out faithful recreations of structures from a Bronze Age roundhouse to the 13th-century court of powerful Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Iorwerth.
museum.wales
• Best beaches in Wales
• Best hotels in Wales
Take me there
Inspired to visit Cardiff but yet to book your trip? Here are the best places to stay from Booking.com and Hotels.com.
Sign up to the Times Travel newsletter for weekly inspiration, advice and deals here
