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| Cardiff
Sightseeing |
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The old favourites
- Llandaff Cathedral, Cardiff Castle and the museums - are still
popular and as worthy of a visit as ever but they must now compete
with the newer attractions, most of which are concentrated on the
waterfront. For this reason, one could consider Cardiff Bay as one
huge tourist attraction and approach individual sights as components
within it.
The Millennium Stadium and Cardiff Castle are in the city centre,
the National Museum and Gallery is a short distance away, at Cathays
Park, while the Museum of Welsh Life is in St Fagans, on the western
outskirts. The cathedral is located in what is called 'the City
of Llandaff', three kilometres or two miles from the city centre.
Tourist Information
Cardiff Visitor Centre (Canolfan Croeso Caerdydd)
16 Wood Street
Telephone: (029) 2022 7281. Fax: (029) 2063 9162.
Email: enquiries@cardifftic.co.uk
Web site: www.cardiff.gov.uk
Opening hours: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday 09:00-17:00 hrs, Tuesday
10:00-17:00 hrs, Sunday 10:00-14:00 hrs ( later during school holidays).
Passes
There are no tourist passes available in Cardiff.
Key
Attractions
Cardiff Castle (Castell Caerdydd)
Founded in Roman times and developed into a stronghold by the Normans,
the ruins of the Norman still remain. However, the present castle
owes its charm to the Victorian eccentricities of the third Marquis
of Bute (1848-1900). Under his direction, architect William Burges
(1827-1881) added neo-Gothic towers, ornate interiors with murals,
stained glass windows and decorative carvings. The castle also has
two military museums incorporated into Bute Park.
Castle Street
Telephone: (029) 2087 8100. Fax: (029) 2023 1417.
Email: cardiffcastle@cardiff.gov.uk
Transport: Bus 19, 21, 23, 24 or 25.
Opening hours: Daily 09:30-18:00 hrs (March-October); daily 09:30-16:30
hrs (November-February); last tour departs an hour prior to closing
time.
Admission: £5.50 (grounds and 50-minute tour of interior);
£2.75 (grounds only); concessions available.
Millennium
Stadium (Stadiwm y Milleniwm)
On the hallowed turf of the former Cardiff Arms Park, the 72,500-capacity
Millennium Stadium is one of the most modern venues in Europe. Plans
include a Rugby Hall of Fame, a Welsh Rugby Union Museum and a riverside
walkway accessible by boat. Guided tours are available.
Westgate Street
Telephone: (029) 2082 2228.
Web site: www.millenniumstadium.co.uk
Transport: Five-minute walk from Cardiff Central station.
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 10:00-17:00 hrs, Sunday 10:00-16:30
(excluding match days).
Admission:£5 (concessions available).
Llandaff
Cathedral (Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf)
Three kilometres or two miles from the city centre, in a conservation
area, Llandaff Cathedral was founded by St Teilo, in the sixth century,
although construction began on the present building in 1107. The
full name is The Cathedral and Parish Church of Saints Peter and
Paul, Dyfrig, Teilo and Euddogwy. In 1734, the first of several
restorations began, the last of which was just after World War II,
after the German bombing badly damaging the nave. The cathedral
is a mix of styles from all these periods. In the sanctuary is St
Teilo's Tomb who made the church one of the most important pilgrimage
destinations in Wales.
Cardiff Road, Llandaff.
Telephone: (029) 2056 4554.
Email: office@llandaffcathedral.org.uk
Web site: www.llandaffcathedral.org.uk
Transport: Bus 33, 53 or 63; free car park.
Opening hours: Saturday-Thursday 07:30-18:45 hrs, Friday 07"00-18:45
Admission: Free.
Cathays Park (Parc Cathays)
These impressive white Portland stone buildings reflects the wealth
coal and steel industries brought to the city in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. Highlights include the Law Courts, City Hall,
Cardiff University, Alexandra Gardens and the National Museum and
Gallery. This museum and gallery houses an extensive collection
of art and archaeology, including a fine collection of Impressionist
period, Bronze Age treasures and Celtic artefacts. The Evolution
of Wales exhibition traces the history of Wales over 4600 million
years.
City Centre
Telephone: (029) 2068 4000 (Cardiff County Council Highways and
Parks)
Transport: A ten-minute walk from the city centre; bus 8, 9, 34,
35 or 47; train to Cathays station; parking available.
Opening hours: Dawn-dusk.
Free Admission.
National Museum and Gallery (Amgueddfa
ac Oriel Genedlaethol)
Telephone: (029) 2039 7951. Fax: (029) 2037 3219.
Email: post@nmgw.ac.uk
Web site: www.nmgw.ac.uk/nmgc
Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-17:00 hrs; open on bank holiday
Mondays.
Admission: Free (excluding some temporary exhibitions).
Cardiff Bay (Bae Caerdydd)
The Cardiff Bay Barrage (telephone: (029) 2087 7900), open to the
public since June 2001, created a new freshwater lake and 12km or
7.5 miles of waterfront with entertainment complexes, parks, shops,
bars and restaurants. Some of the completed schemes include the
St David's Hotel & Spa, Mermaid Quay leisure centre and the
Atlantic Wharf leisure complex. Boat tours around the Bay and to
the Barrage are available, operated by Cardiff Cats (telephone:
(029) 2048 8842).
Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru
Watching over the changes are some interesting buildings from the
heyday in the last century, including the redbrick Pierhead Building,
with an exhibition about the Welsh National Assembly, and the Norwegian
Church Arts Centre, where author Roald Dahl was christened. Nearby
is Techniquest, the UK's largest interactive science centre. An
unusual and interesting attraction, run by the Churches of Wales,
is the Goleulong 2000 Lightship, the centre for the Bay Chaplaincy
and incorporates a chapel. The public is invited to tour the ship,
visit the café or to come in and pray.
Another must is the Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre - locals call it
the 'Tube', as it resembles a giant futuristic telescope. The glass
end of the tube offers a panoramic view across the bay.
Cardiff Bay
Telephone: (029) 2046 3833. Fax: (029) 2048 6650 (Visitor Centre)
Web site: www.cardiffbay.co.uk
Transport: Bus 7, 7A, 7B, 8, 8A, 8B, CB1 or X22; train to Cardiff
Bay station via Queen Street station; a 20-minute walk from the
city centre.
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 09:30-19:00, Sat, Sun and public holidays
10:30-18:30 (May-Sep); Mon-Fri 09:30-17:00, Sat and Sun 10:30-17:00
(Oct-Apr).
Admission: Free.
Norwegian Church Arts Centre
Harbour Drive
Telephone: (029) 2045 4899 or (0870) 013 1812 (box office). Fax:
(029) 2049 5122.
Email: norweigan.church@talk21.com
Opening hours: Daily 10:00-16:00 hrs; evening performances 19:30
hrs or 20:00 hrs.
Admission: Free; event prices vary.
Techniquest
Stuart Street
Telephone: (029) 2047 5475. Fax: (029) 2048 2517
Web site: www.tquest.org.uk
Opening hours: Monday-Friday 09:30-16:30 hrs, Saturday, Sunday and
public holidays 10:30-17:00 hrs; last admission 45 minutes before
closing.
Admission: £6.30.
Goleulong 2000 Lightship
Harbour Drive
Telephone: (029) 2048 7609.
Web site: www.lightship2000.org.uk
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 11:00-17:00, Sunday 14:00-17:00.
Admission: Free.
Museum of Welsh Life (Amgueddfa Werin
Cymru)
This museum is set in 42 hectares or 104 acres of parkland, in the
village of St Fagans, west of the city. It has sufficient sites
to keep visitors occupied for a full day and there is no charge
for admission. The Elizabethan mansion, St Fagans Castle, is furbished
in the style of a late-Victorian Welsh mansion. A large collection
of historic Welsh buildings, including a 19th-century farmyard,
pottery, tannery and a Victorian schoolroom, have been brought from
all over Wales and rebuilt on the grounds. There is also a recreated
Iron-age Celtic village one can visit.
St Fagans Castle
Telephone: (029) 2057 3500. Fax: (029) 2057 3490.
Web site: www.nmgw.ac.uk/mwl
Transport: Bus 32, 32A, 32B or 56; free parking is available.
Opening hours: Daily 10:00-17:00 hrs.
Admission: Free.
Further Distractions
Green Spaces
Roath Park is one of the most attractive parks, with its rose gardens,
a boating lake and a memorial to Captain Scott, who sailed from
Cardiff on his Antarctic expedition. Bute Park, formerly the grounds
of the castle, is also a nice place to stroll. Few cities have such
a green route directly into its heart as the Taff Trail, a cycle
route that winds its from Brecon through Cardiff city centre to
Cardiff Bay.
Telephone: (029) 2068 4000 (Cardiff County Council Highways and
Parks Service Area)
Roath Park
Approximately two kilometres or one mile northeast of the city centre
Transport: Bus 28 or 29.
Opening hours: Dawn-dusk
Free admission
Bute Park
Castle Street
Transport: Bus 19, 21, 23, 24 or 25.
Opening hours: Dawn-dusk
Free admission. |
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