Things to Do in Cardiff
Prices, opening hours, best times to visit and the stuff nobody tells you, everything you need for a first trip to Cardiff, Wales, plus one pigeon's opinions on all of it.
Cardiff has a castle built inside the walls of an actual Roman fort, a retractable-roof stadium plonked right in the middle of the city, and a capital's worth of history packed into a place you can walk across in half an hour. This is the proper guide to things to do in Cardiff, what things actually cost, when to go, and which bits deserve your time. Six main stops below, plus a quiz at the bottom to see if you were paying attention.
Cardiff Castle
I asked about this in the quiz: the castle sits inside the walls of an original Roman fort, built nearly 2,000 years ago, long before the Normans arrived and built their own motte-and-bailey keep on top of the Roman remains. What you see today is mostly the work of the 3rd Marquess of Bute and his architect William Burges in the 19th century, who rebuilt the apartments into some of the most lavishly over-the-top Gothic Revival interiors in Britain, gilded ceilings, murals, the lot.
Your standard ticket covers the grounds, the Norman Keep, the wartime shelters (used as air-raid shelters during WWII), and the Firing Line military museum. The Castle Apartments themselves, the really extravagant Burges interiors, need a separate guided House Tour, running hourly and well worth the extra time.
Hours Generally 9am-5pm in winter, 9am-6pm in summer, last entry an hour before close
Address Castle Street, Cardiff CF10 3RB
Official site cardiffcastle.com
Cymru & the Welsh language
I asked in the quiz for the Welsh name for Wales, and it's Cymru, the root of Cymry, which is what Welsh people call themselves. You'll see it everywhere in Cardiff, on road signs, on rugby shirts, on the front of the Senedd, alongside the English. It's not just decorative, Wales has notably strong bilingual signage laws, and Cardiff, despite being the most Anglicised part of Wales historically, has seen a real resurgence in Welsh-medium education and everyday use over the past few decades.
The National Museum Cardiff, free to enter and right in the city centre, has good exhibits on Welsh language and identity alongside its art and natural history collections if you want the fuller picture.
Principality Stadium
Formerly the Millennium Stadium, and the answer to the third quiz question, this is the one with the fully retractable roof, right in the centre of the city rather than tucked away on the outskirts like most national stadiums. It hosted the FA Cup Final for six years running while Wembley was being rebuilt in the early 2000s, alongside its usual job as the home of Welsh rugby.
Stadium tours run most days, taking you through the players' tunnel, the changing rooms and out onto the pitch itself, a treat even if rugby isn't usually your thing.
Address Westgate Street, Cardiff CF10 1JA
National Museum Cardiff
Fine art, natural history and archaeology all under one roof, free to enter, with one of the best Impressionist collections outside France thanks to the Davies sisters' donation in the early 20th century. The dinosaur and evolution galleries are a reliable hit with children if you're travelling with any.
It sits right in Cathays Park, Cardiff's civic centre, surrounded by grand early-20th-century buildings including City Hall, a pleasant wander even if you skip the museum itself.
Hours Generally Tue-Sun 10am-5pm, closed Mondays
Address Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP
Cardiff Bay
Once the busiest coal-exporting port in the world, now a redeveloped waterfront with the Wales Millennium Centre, the Senedd (the Welsh Parliament building, free to visit and a short, rewarding walk), and a barrage that turned the old tidal mudflats into a permanent freshwater lake. It's about a 20-minute walk from the castle, or a short bus or water-taxi ride.
The Norwegian Church Arts Centre, a small white wooden chapel originally built for Norwegian sailors and where Roald Dahl was baptised, is a nice, easy-to-miss stop right on the waterfront.
Getting there About a 20-minute walk from the city centre, or a short bus ride
The Cardiff Arcades
A network of Victorian and Edwardian covered arcades running through the city centre, independent shops, cafes and record stores rather than chain retail, easily one of the nicer ways to spend an hour between bigger attractions. Castle Arcade and High Street Arcade are two of the most atmospheric.
Combine it with a walk through Bute Park, right behind the castle, one of the largest green spaces in any UK city centre, free and pleasant whatever the weather's doing.
Best time to visit Cardiff
May to September gives the most reliable weather for Cardiff Bay and Bute Park, and it's when the castle keeps its longest opening hours. Rugby internationals, held at Principality Stadium through the autumn and spring Six Nations period, transform the city centre into something else entirely, a real experience if your timing allows, though hotel prices and crowds both spike accordingly.
Getting around Cardiff
Cardiff's city centre is compact and entirely walkable, the Castle, the Arcades, the National Museum and Principality Stadium all sit within about 10 minutes of each other. Cardiff Bay is a further 20-minute walk, or a short bus ride if you'd rather save the legs. Cardiff Central station sits right in the middle of it all.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Cardiff worth visiting?
- Yes, it's a compact capital with a genuinely unusual castle, a free world-class museum, and a redeveloped bay area, all walkable in a single weekend without feeling rushed.
- How many days do you need in Cardiff?
- A day covers the castle and city centre comfortably. Two days lets you add Cardiff Bay and a stadium tour without rushing.
- Is Cardiff expensive?
- Moderate, generally cheaper than London or Edinburgh for a capital city, and several of the best things to do, the National Museum, Bute Park, the Arcades, cost nothing at all.
- What is Cardiff famous for?
- Cardiff Castle, built inside a nearly 2,000-year-old Roman fort; Principality Stadium's retractable roof; and being the capital of Wales.
That's everything I've got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
