Cardiff’s central sights are wedged between the main shopping streets and the university campus. Here stands the extraordinary castle, an amalgam of Roman remains, Norman keep and Victorian Gothic revival fantasy. If the weather’s nice, take a stroll in the castle’s former garden, Bute Park, named after the third Marquess of Bute, whose family built the 19th-century pile around its Norman predecessor. Not far from the castle is the superb National Museum, sporting an extensive collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art donated to the nation by coal-money heiresses the Davies sisters in the 1950s.
Rugby-mad nation
South from Bute Park, along the banks of the River Taff, stands the city’s magnificent Principality Stadium, which hosts live music and sporting events but is, most importantly, the home of Welsh Rugby Union. Rugby is so much more than just the national sport here, it’s very much a religion in Wales. Attending an international match here is an unforgettable experience, especially during the national anthems when 75,000 Welsh fans sing in spine-tingling harmony.
Bay Watch
A few kilometres south of the centre is Cardiff Bay, the city’s former dock area, which has been redeveloped over the past 20 years into an attractive waterside space. Here, you’ll find the wonderful, armadillo-shaped Wales Millennium Centre, a vibrant venue for theatre and music events topped with a graceful bronze-tinted stainless-steel shell that soars over the surrounding rooftops. Next door is the Richard Rogers-designed Senedd, the home of the National Assembly. Continuing along the waterfront, the Norwegian Church and Arts Centre is where Cardiff-born children’s author Roald Dahl was baptised.
Seaside sights
An hour’s drive west of the capital, just beyond the town of Swansea, is the old-fashioned resort of Mumbles, gateway to the magnificent Gower (Gŵyr) peninsula, an area fringed by sweeping bays of flawless yellow sand and a series of inlets and cliffs, all just waiting to explored. The more adventurous can follow the 8km-long path that stretches all the way to the peninsula’s glorious westernmost point, Worms Head.
Mountain highs
An hour north of Cardiff is the lovely little town of Abergavenny, famous for its annual food festival held in September. The town is nestled below the Black Mountains, which form part of the spectacular Brecon Beacons National Park, a vast area spread over 1300 square km and a popular destination for walkers.
The glories of the Brecons can be explored with car rental in Cardiff, and you could also head from Abergavenny to the nearby former iron and coal town of Blaenafon (or Blaenavon) and visit the 18th century ironworks, one of the largest in Britain until it closed in 1900. Also here is the evocative Big Pit National Mining Museum, where you’ll be kitted out with lamp, helmet and battery pack before being lowered 300ft into the labyrinth of shafts and coalfaces.
A 40-minute drive South East from Abergavenny is the once-mighty Tintern Abbey, founded in 1131 by Cistercian monks from Normandy, with its magnificent Gothic church. A short way south from here are the imposing remains of Chepstow Castle. This ancient Norman castle, built in the 11th century, stands defiantly high above the River Wye and is one last, final testament to Cardiff’s historical importance.
