Cardiff Highlights - Local Tourist Attractions
See the Best of Cardiff during the 2012 Olympic Soccer Matches
Nov 12, 2009
The name Cardiff means "fort on the Taff" and Cardiff Castle is an unmissable presence in the heart of the city.
The castle’s extravagant Victorian Gothic interiors were funded by the 3rd Marquess of Bute’s mind-boggling coal mining wealth. There’s a moated Norman keep that kids will enjoy clambering around, as well as sections of the original Roman fortress wall.
The Welsh Regimental museum has fascinating military historical interest at any time of year, and during summer events might include jousting tournaments and outdoor performances of Shakespeare.
The castle is surrounded by Bute Park, which is said to be the richest urban park for trees, probably in the world, according to the Royal Horticultural Society tree register.
Take the train, bus or walk out to Cardiff Bay. The revamped harbour features in scenes from the latest incarnation of BBC’s timelord Doctor Who and the home-grown sci-fi series Torchwood. Fans of Torchwood can have fun tracking down sights around town that feature as film locations in the series - including the whole of the Bay area, the National Assembly building, the Millenium Centre and Roald Dahl Plass above Torchwood’s underground HQ.
The centrepiece of the redeveloped docklands is a large freshwater lake for sailing and water sports, with the unmissable landmark St David's hotel and spa designed to ressemble a ship’s sails, and Mermaid Quay - a restaurant hotspot with everything from Italian to Japanese cuisine.
The Millennium Centre - not to be confused with the Millennium Stadium – was designed by architect Jonathan Adams and is Cardiff’s showpiece arts venue for theatre, concerts and performances by the Welsh National Opera. Culture vultures should check out the programme and try to fit something more cerebral into the sporting mayhem.
The National Museum is a must-see for art fans. Two wealthy Welsh sisters, Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, bequeathed their phenomenal art collection to the museum and gallery, neatly handing to Cardiff one of the largest collections of Impressionist paintings outside of Paris, with works by Renoir, Monet and Cezanne. Check the website for current exhibitions
The Old Brewery Quarter is worth a look in the centre. The site of the old Brains Brewery has been transformed into a lively plaza, with tapas, Indian and Thai restaurants, a branch of the Hard Rock Café, and the Yard pub for sampling Cardiff's local brew - Brain's beer.
Don’t expect a quiet time in the city centre at weekends. Cardiff has a large population of students who all like their Friday and Saturday nights on the town – together with the stags and hens who are also out in force – so city centre pubs can be pretty raucous.
Shopaholics will be pleased to learn that Cardiff’s retail therapy lies within a compact, walkable centre. The glorious Victorian arcades - precursors to the modern shopping mall - offer perfect cover so you can shop whatever the weather throws your way. Wander round the clothes and gift shops in Castle Arcade, St Mary Street, Royal Arcade, and The Hayes. The usual high street chains are to be found along Queen Street and St Mary Street.
Cardiff facts
Cardiff's fish market once occupied the building on the Hayes now occupied by Habitat. The arches which are now filled in with windows were once open to the top to allow waggons delivering fish to get in and out.
If the kids fancy a game of ten-pin bowling or want to catch the latest Hollywood blockbuster, both are on offer at the Atlantic Wharf Leisure Village in Cardiff Bay. This futuristic glass-walled centre houses Cardiff's largest cinema along with a bowling alley and restaurants.
Captain Scott set sail from Cardiff on his second Antarctic expedition. Go for a stroll in Roath park and look for his lighthouse memorial by the boating lake
The Nazi propagandist William Joyce, reviled during the Second World War as Lord Haw Haw, lived in Colum Road during the 1930s. He was hanged as a traitor in 1946.
Author Roald Dahl was born in Cardiff to Norwegian parents - the Oval Basin in the bay has been renamed Roald Dahl Plass in his honour.
The first British news film ever recorded was of the Prince and Princess of Wales visiting the Cardiff exhibition of 1896.
Celebs that hail from Cardiff include: Catatonia singer Cerys Matthews, Charlotte Church, Griff Rhys-Jones and of course top diva Dame Shirley Bassey
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