Cardiff (Caerdydd) Tourism And Travel Guide

Popular for its altruistic range of world-class entertainment services, attractions, home to most sporting establishments & natural cultural organizations, Cardiff doubles up as the continent’s National Commercial Centre as well. With a sense of old-world charm, Cardiff blends well into the modern era with its architectural marvels and a plethora of lucid historic tales and exciting facts. As much as the roaring sporting cheers fill the air in the city all year round, so do the ancient structures and sites dot the town’s landscape! With some of the most romantic sites, Cardiff serves as a popular tourist destination for couples, families and solo travelers alike. From a tourism perspective, here’s a travel guide for Cardiff.

By Air:

12 miles from the city with direct access to both domestic & international flights, Cardiff Airport serves over 800 destinations. One of the easiest & fastest ways would be to fly from New Delhi to London Heathrow Airport at an estimated fare of INR 21,000-72,500. But the best way would be to travel to Cardiff Airport via KLM or Qatar Airways and then make the onward journey to Cardiff, Canal Street by Bus on arrival.

By Train:

For travel to Cardiff from different airports in the UK, there are different train stations you’d have to travel through to finally reach Cardiff Central Station. For travel within the city, there are frequent trains from the city’s Queen Street Station to Cardiff Bay and different city stops that include Cathays, Llandaff North and Ninian Park. There are trains from Cardiff Central to Vale of Glamorgan and the Valleys too, in addition, the high-speed links from London & other parts of the country.

By Road:

There are different taxi services available around the city with both the Hackney Carriage and Private Hires. Hackneys can be hailed at the roadside and are easily distinguished by their style and color mark (black with white bonnet).

Getting Around:

Getting around Cardiff is fairly easy and best explored on foot or on a bicycle, what with ample bike tracks around the city’s centre & traffic free tours. Thanks to its compactness, it is really convenient to venture out in Cardiff on foot and enjoy its walk tours as well.

The city’s got an oceanic climate with the usually cool to cold winters and warm to hot summers, with very rare weather changes. On an average, Cardiff’s hottest period is July and coldest is January, wettest being October and driest being June. Snowfall is rare, if at all during winters.

Spring (March-May):

Springtime in Cardiff’s milder with some lovely sunny days in complete blend with cool & wet weather. The average day temperature from March through May varies between 11°C-17°C.

Summer (June-August):

With most days in summer oscillating between mild to warm with a possibility of rare hotter days, summer experiences longer days with some overcast and humid conditions as well. With an average temperature of 22°C, summer’s relatively pleasant to explore Cardiff and surrounding areas.

Fall (September-November):

September through November sees Cardiff’s climate varying from pleasantly moderate to cooler & cold days. It is a beautiful time to be in the city with the average day time temperature being 19°C-11°C and a melee of autumn colors encompassing the entire city.

Winter (December-February):

Winters see shorter days and coolest temperatures with crispy & clear days, with a possibility of snowfall and a number of fairs and Christmas markets making the dull winters one of the most joyous time of the year in Cardiff. The average day time temperature during this time varies between 9°C-8°C.

A melting pot that combines and brings in a healthy blend of different religions and people from all walks of life together, be it in the realm of fashion & clothing or culture, Cardiff is all about unity and cultural diversification. The city is a photographer’s heaven with the photomarathon that’s organized each year with a number of art & photography exhibitions. Further, there are many annual events & festivals that add to the charm.

Challenge Wales – Sailing Experience:

Experience life-changing sailing adventures with Challenge Wales, aboard one of the largest sailing boats in Wales, visiting different ports and enjoy watching adorable dolphins along the way. You don’t need any sailing experience to enjoy this beautiful activity, just a zeal to explore something new and make the most of it!

Tree Top Fun:

As part of an exciting course of Tarzan swings, crossings and rope bridges, take tree top fun and speeding down the zip slides at nearly 120ft above the forest floor with Go Ape. With varying hours of operation, basis the daylight hours, Go Ape’s treetop adventures are open for visitors from February through November.

Nightlife:

Cardiff’s nightlife has always been in the limelight and one of its best features, with a wide selection of venues and nightclubs & events to boast of. When it comes to having fun and painting the town red, Cardiff is the best place to be at! The era of giant super clubs is long gone in the UK, however, they’ve been replaced with clubs and bars on a smaller scale with their own style and personalities, right from partying hard to elegant evenings, much to the delight of all kind of visitors that flock the city. Some of the best names to boast of a bustling nightlife in town include the Dirty Martini with bespoke Interiors and artwork and delicious cocktails, the Ten Mill Lane, that’s been inspired by easy listening bars, the Dead Canary, known for its classic cocktails with exotic ingredients & unusual infusions.

BBC Tour:

If you’ve ever been curious about how your favorite series or radio shows are made, then the BBC tours is your best chance to explore behind the scenes chaos and get an inside scoop on how everything comes together, right from the brainstorming sessions to the mechanics of an entire show, at the BBC Welsh Broadcasting House.

From some of the best Welsh Burgers to Fine Dining in a prison, when eating out in Cardiff, you’ll end up salivating for more! Popular for its mouthwatering delicacies, right from the piping hotcakes to Sunday roasts to award-winning leeks, Cardiff is undoubtedly a hub for modern Welsh cooking as well as culturally rich sites. When it comes to fine dining, the Clink is considered the best, where foodies are treated to some of the best Welsh produce cooked by prisoners, who’ve been training to work in the Service Industry. One of the local favorites where you’d find the perfect blend between the French cuisine and Welsh ingredients is at Bully’s, a cute little joint where you’ll get lip-smacking ensemble of lunch and dinners from Wednesday through Saturday in addition to the Sunday Lunch, with food that’s so picture-perfect that you wouldn’t want to ruin its beauty by eating it!

The Plymouth Arms is a happy joint, a pub that’s ideal for cooling down and gorging on steaks, burgers & pizzas as well as awesome vegan dishes. Then, there’s the Grazing Shed with its assortment of delicious burgers with flavored combinations inspired from across the world but an interesting collection of Welsh bread, meat & other ingredients. Some other places to eat to your heart’s content include the Vivo Latino, Zero Degrees, Purple Poppadom and Milgi.

Cardiff offers 21st-century shopping experience with most of the high street names across 1.4 million sq. ft space that includes some of the best shopping complexes, premium shopping stores and markets in Cardiff, and has the new blending in perfectly with the old. With the Cardiff Market operating under one façade or the other since the 17th century, there are over 6 arcades with an intimate offering for shoppers. Made of the high street arcade, castle arcade & Duke street arcade, the Castle Quarter’s a historic structure filled with vintage clothing stores, cafes and craft shops. From big brands, the Apple Store, Jo Malone, Hollister, Monsoon & Warehouse reign the city, while Debenhams, Marks & Spencer and John Lewis too have their major stores at St. David’s Centre.