Cardiff
CARDIFF, the city and county at the mouth of the River Taff, is Wales’s lively capital – a role it’s held since 1955. What began as a modest Roman outpost and later a coal-exporting powerhouse has reinvented itself as a modern, walkable city with a waterfront buzz and a deep-rooted cultural spirit.
At the heart of the city rises Cardiff Castle, a time-capsule of Welsh history. Within one set of walls you can wander from Roman remains to a Norman keep and into the fantastical Victorian interiors created for the Marquesses of Bute – 2,000 years of story in one address. Step outside and you’re straight into Bute Park, an arboretum-rich green swathe that locals call the city’s “green heart”, perfect for riverside strolls and picnics within minutes of the main shopping streets.
Rugby is a civic heartbeat here, and nowhere does it thump louder than at Principality Stadium. Opened in 1999 with a pioneering fully retractable roof, the national stadium sits right in the city centre, drawing fans for world-class sport and stadium-filling concerts alike – an atmosphere that spills into the pubs and arcades long after the final whistle.
Cardiff’s transformation is most visible at Cardiff Bay. Once the world’s great coal port, the area was remade by the Cardiff Bay Barrage, which impounded the bay and catalysed the waterfront regeneration you see today. Now cafés, public art and water sports share the stage with standout public architecture: the slate-and-steel Wales Millennium Centre and the transparent, democratic Senedd building (Welsh Parliament) both anchor the promenade and welcome visitors inside.
Culture lovers can easily fill a weekend. National Museum Cardiff pairs dinosaurs and a humpback whale with one of Britain’s best collections of Impressionist art – Monet to Cezanne – while St Fagans National Museum of History, a short hop west of the centre, is an open-air treasure where historic buildings from across the country have been lovingly re-erected to tell everyday Welsh stories (and entry is free). In the Bay, Techniquest hands you the controls with family-friendly, hands-on science.
Shoppers should make for the Victorian and Edwardian arcades that lace the compact centre. Cardiff is known as the ‘City of Arcades’, with seven elegant glass-roofed passages sheltering independent boutiques, coffee bars and the world’s oldest record shop, Spillers – ideal for a lazy afternoon of browsing between sights.
For fresh air, Cardiff over-delivers. Bute Park’s riverside trails are steps from the castle; Roath Park offers a classic Victorian boating lake and conservatory; and cyclists can pick up the Taff Trail towards the Brecon Beacons. Down in the Sports Village, Cardiff International White Water provides on-demand rafting, paddleboarding and indoor wave sessions – adrenaline with a skyline view.
Food and drink mirror the city’s mix of heritage and invention. Expect market grazing and indie coffee in the arcades by day, and a spread of Welsh-produce restaurants, lively wine bars and cocktail dens by night – especially around the Castle Quarter, High Street and the Bay. When match day rolls around, join the locals for a pint and a sing-along; it’s part of the Cardiff welcome.
Practicalities? Cardiff is blissfully compact: most headline sights sit within a 15 to 20-minute stroll. Two central rail hubs make day-tripping easy, and the Bay is a pleasant walk (or boat ride) from the centre. The city is proudly bilingual – Croeso/Welcome banners are everywhere – and its calendar hums with gigs, festivals and rugby fixtures that keep weekends busy year-round.
Why visitors love it
- One city, many eras: Roman fort, medieval keep and neo-Gothic fantasy in one castle; Victorian arcades next to cutting-edge civic buildings.
- Waterfront vibe: The Barrage turned docklands into a people-friendly bay of culture, dining and easy strolls.
- Big-ticket venues: Principality Stadium’s roof-closed roar; Wales Millennium Centre’s blockbuster stage; the Senedd’s open galleries.
- Museums with personality: Free, world-class art and natural history, living Welsh heritage at St Fagans, and hands-on science at Techniquest.
Whether you come for rugby and revelry, waterfront sunsets, or a deep dive into Welsh culture, Cardiff wraps it all into a friendly, walkable package – small in footprint, generous in experiences.
