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Cardiff City Guide
United Kingdom>Cardiff
The Welsh capital of Cardiff (known as Caerdydd in the Welsh
language). A busy commercial and university city, the Welsh
capital doesn't usually appear near the top of visitors' must-see
lists. A survey of world travelers once voted it the least
popular capital in Europe.
However, those who linger will discover its striking city-centre
castle, important national museum and art gallery, redeveloped
docks area and pockets of beautiful architecture. It's a
good place to base yourself because it's surrounded by interesting
sites and transport links are good.
Cardiff Castle, located in the city center of Cardiff.
On the site of a Roman building, the modern castle dates
from the 19thC. The Bute family built it using the money
they earned from their massive coal, shipping and property
earnings. Worth a visit inside if you like lots of gilt
and glitter.
A relaxing spot, Cardiff Bay is slowly becoming the place
to go in Cardiff. It remains to be seen whether the Cardiff
Bay barrage will create a thing of wonder, or a stinking,
radioactive pool.
Worth a visit to see the most profitable Harry Ramsdens
restaurant in the world, the Norwegian Church, the site
of the new Welsh Assembly and Techniquest which is brilliant
to kill half a day with the kids, also worth a visit if
you haven't got kids!
Beaupre Castle (pronounced locally as Bewper Castle) -
this is a derelict castle on the road between Cowbridge
and St Athan. The castle is a good example of a country
squires house though is slowly falling down at present.
Located on the hallowed turf of the former Cardiff Arms
Park, the Millennium Stadium, the largest covered venue
in Europe, has been chosen for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.
Plans for the complex include a Rugby Hall of Fame, a Welsh
Rugby Union Museum.
Getaway from the hustle of city, Roath Park is one of the
city's most attractive parks, with rose gardens, a boating
lake and a memorial to Captain Scott. Or, Bute Park, which
grew out of the grounds of the castle, is also a delightful
place to stroll.
To enjoy a passion of art, this stunning new center, located
in the former Old Library building, offers a hands-on approach
to the visual arts. It is the largest art venue in Wales
and displays local and international art within two floors
of exhibition space.
For the avid shoppers. In city center, major department
stores can be found in Queen Street, the main pedestrian
thoroughfare and in the shopping malls: Capitol Centre,
Queen's Arcade, St David's Centre and others will surely
cater to your needs.
Getting There and Moving Around
By air
The international airport at Cardiff is mainly used for
holiday charter flights, although there are some scheduled
flights to Aberdeen, Amsterdam, Belfast, Brussels, the Channel
Islands, Dublin, Edinbugh, Glasgow, the Isle of Man, Manchester
and Paris. There are no internal flights here.
By sea
There are ferries which link Ireland to Holyhead, Pembroke,
Fishguard and Swansea.
By rail
A train will take less than two hours to get you from London
to Cardiff. Most of Wales' big cities are linked to England
by rail. The Channel Tunnel means you can travel by train
from Cardiff to Continental Europe, via London of course.
It takes about three hours to drive from London to Cardiff.
By road
Long-distance buses are the cheapest method of getting
to Wales, with several services running between English
and Welsh cities.
Moving Around
The availability of various transport mode in this city
is a convenience of visitors moving around Cardiff.
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