Loud, lively and out for a good time, the capital city of Wales doesn’t really do demure. It may have only been the Welsh capital since 1955 (amazingly, Wales didn’t have an official capital before that), but its youth seems to invoke a sense of energised zeal you feel from the moment you set foot in the former dock area, now the waterfront pleasure and leisure complex of Cardiff Bay. The half a dozen Victorian and Edwardian-era shopping arcades, the burgeoning restaurant scene and the BBC Drama studios, which have used city locations to shows including Dr Who and Torchwood, combine to create a thrusting ebullience. This is a city that isn’t shy about showing visitors its many charms.
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What to do
If it has been a few years since your last jaunt to Cardiff, head straight to Cardiff Bay*. This former post-industrial harbour ruin has been transformed into a hub for shopping but one that has been respectful of its history; here you’ll still find the old Pierhead building, once the centre of the coal-exporting trade that put Cardiff on the map) and the whitewashed Norwegian Church, built for passing Nordic sailors and now an art gallery.
Rugby union has long been the leading sport in South Wales, but football is now bordering on becoming its equal. Two world-class stadiums, the Principality and the Cardiff City stadiums, are well worth a visit — especially if the respective international rugby and football teams are in town. Bang in the city centre, Cardiff Castle is a gothic revival mansion these days, but previous castles on this site were the scene of serious action in the English Civil War and the War of the Roses. Before that it was a Roman fort. Take a tour to learn about this most pugnacious of spots and wander the gardens, which were landscaped by Capability Brown.
Further out of the city centre the up-and-coming suburbs of Pontcanna and Canton offer lively restaurant, café and bar scenes. Take a stroll of an evening and choose from wood-fired pizzas, vegan lagers, Welsh cawl (a distinctly local broth) and local cheeses.
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Where to stay
Cardiff’s small but rapidly improving hotel scene is almost entirely located in the city centre. Nearly all are reasonably priced (consider an upgrade). The grande dame of the city is the Royal Hotel* on St Mary Street in the centre of the city in a listed Italianate-style behemoth of a building. The rooms have been updated in light tones with leather furniture. More contemporary all round is the enduringly popular Hotel Indigo*, containing a Marco Pierre White steakhouse and grill and themed rooms dedicated to Welsh industry — think tweed, wood and even a coal scuttle as a nod to the city’s days as a hub for the black stuff. Over in Cardiff Bay, the hotel scene is still nascent — the Voco St David*’s currently leads the way with its cobalt blue atrium, abstract art and floor-to-ceiling windows in the bedrooms overlooking the regenerated bay.
Food and drink
The revamped Cardiff Bay may seem like the obvious draw for restaurants but the best bets for distinctive local flavours are in the city centre where the Potted Pig, Heaneys and others prioritise local ingredients; at the latter you’ll regularly find Wye Valley asparagus and oysters from Porthilly on the menu. The city is getting increasingly cosmopolitan in terms of restaurants that go beyond the usual Italian and American imports. Try the authentic Syrian cuisine in the multicolour-tiled interior of Shaam Nights, while Curado — also in the city centre — specialises in pintxos, a more elaborate version of tapas from the Basque region.
Stout and hearty boozers with history are everywhere in Cardiff; take a trip out to the Roath and Cathays ’burbs for the Albany, a traditional locals’ boozer with Brains on tap and a cute garden. For regional craft ales that change at a dizzying rate head to Cathays Beer House on Cryws Road.
Don’t miss
Open since 1894, Spillers is officially recognised as the oldest record shop on the planet. It’s located in one of the city’s numerous Victorian and Edwardian arcades. The Venetian windows and wooden storefronts are an appropriate setting for this fascinating place, that has moved with the times from shellac to digital but still focuses on vinyl, both vintage and contemporary.
Know before you go
Don’t be too disappointed if you don’t hear much Welsh language spoken on your trip to Cardiff. The roads signs are bilingual but otherwise the capital’s “lingua franca” is definitely English for the overwhelming majority. The currency is the British pound. An extra incentive to visit? If you’re entering Wales by road over the Severn Bridge from England then the tolls have now been removed so driving across won’t cost you a penny.
Take me there
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Inspired to visit Cardiff but yet to book your trip? Here are the best hotels from Booking.com* and Hotels.com*.
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