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Castle
Cardiff Castle (Castell Caerdydd)
Roman walls, a Norman keep and Victorian interiors in the city center; the castle site describes 2,000 years of history.
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A mini guide to
Cardiff (Caerdydd) & the Bay
A compact capital: a castle in the city center, free museums and a redeveloped bay
Photos
1 / 9Welcome to the area
A compact capital: a castle in the city center, free museums and a redeveloped bay
Cardiff (Caerdydd) is the capital of Wales. Visit Cardiff describes it as compact and largely pedestrianized, with many main attractions within about a 15-minute walk of each other. Cardiff Castle, with Roman walls and Victorian interiors, stands in the city center beside Bute Park, and the Principality Stadium and the covered market are close by.
Cardiff Bay, the redeveloped former docklands, is a short walk or waterbus ride from the center. The Senedd, the Pierhead Building, Wales Millennium Centre, Techniquest and the Norwegian Church Arts Centre all face the water. Further out are St Fagans National Museum of History, Llandaff Cathedral and Castell Coch.
Highlights
Start here
If you only have a few hours, these are good places to begin.
Stadium
Principality Stadium (Stadiwm Principality)
National stadium of Wales, with a retractable roof and a usual capacity of 73,931, a short walk from Cardiff Central.
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Arts center
Wales Millennium Centre (Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru)
National arts center for Wales in Cardiff Bay, on a site of 7.5 acres (3 hectares).
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Parliament
Senedd
Home of the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), the elected body that makes laws for Wales, on the Cardiff Bay waterfront.
Historic building
Pierhead Building (Adeilad y Pierhead)
Grade I listed building of 1897 in Cardiff Bay, built as the headquarters of the Bute Dock Company.
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Museum
National Museum Cardiff (Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd)
Free museum and art gallery, with exhibitions from contemporary art to dinosaurs, part of Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales.
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Find your way
On the map
The map shows Cardiff (Caerdydd) & the Bay and the streets around it. The Getting there page lists nearby stops and stations.
Insider tips
Before you go
1
Walk between the main sights
Visit Cardiff says many main attractions are no more than about a 15-minute walk apart, and that the center is flat.
2
Take the waterbus to the Bay
A waterbus runs between the city center (stop in Bute Park) and Cardiff Bay (in front of Mermaid Quay and the Pierhead Building). Check the operator for the current schedule.
3
Use the free museums
National Museum Cardiff, St Fagans National Museum of History and the Museum of Cardiff all say entry is free; special exhibitions may be charged.
4
Follow the Taff Trail
Visit Cardiff recommends the Taff Trail for traffic-free walking and cycling, and says it runs about 60 miles from Brecon back to Cardiff Bay.
Tips from the Britlens editors
Explore this guide
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Open the mini guide →Photo credits
- Cardiff (Caerdydd) & the Bay (area photo): Tevfik Teker, CC BY 3.0, source
- Cardiff Castle (Castell Caerdydd): Tevfik Teker, CC BY 3.0, source
- Principality Stadium (Stadiwm Principality): Clint Budd from About 15 miles North of Swansea, Wales, CC BY 2.0, source
- Wales Millennium Centre (Canolfan Mileniwm Cymru): y.naomi from São Paulo, Brazil, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Senedd: User: (WT-shared) Cardiff at wts wikivoyage, Public domain, source
- Pierhead Building (Adeilad y Pierhead): Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK, CC BY 2.0, source
- National Museum Cardiff (Amgueddfa Genedlaethol Caerdydd): Ham II, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cardiff Market (Marchnad Caerdydd): Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bute Park (Parc Bute): Athena's Pix (Back, but give me time!) profile at Flickr website, CC BY 2.0, source
- Llandaff Cathedral (Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf): Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- St Fagans National Museum of History (Sain Ffagan): Sionk, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Castell Coch: Hchc2009, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Techniquest: Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Norwegian Church Arts Centre: Michael Gwyther-Jones from UK, CC BY 2.0, source
- Museum of Cardiff (Amgueddfa Caerdydd): Seth Whales, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Roath Park (Parc y Rhath): Gail Franklin, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Eryri (Snowdonia): Julian Herzog (Website), CC BY 4.0, source
- Conwy, Llandudno & the North Coast Castles: Source: Llywelyn2000Derivative: User:MathKnight, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Pembrokeshire Coast (St Davids & Tenby): Ввласенко, CC BY 4.0, source
- Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons): Dave.Dunford at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Gower & Swansea (Abertawe): Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits