Cardiff

Best things to do in Cardiff

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   1. Principality Stadium

   • 2 to 3 hours for a match or event
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Adults
   • No car needed

   The national stadium of Wales, in the middle of Cardiff, with a retractable roof and a usual capacity of 73,931. It is home to the Wales rugby union team and also hosts concerts and other big events.

   Visits are built around match and event days; check the stadium's own site for what is on before you plan around it.

   20,782 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Millennium Stadium

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   2. Cardiff Castle

   • 2 to 3 hours
   • Tickets needed
   • Families
   • Couples
   • No car needed
   • Rainy day

   A medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion in the city centre. The first castle was built in the late 11th century by the Normans on top of a 3rd-century Roman fort.

   Opening times change by season and the castle closes early on summer concert days; check the official opening times page before you go.

   5,310 readers a month

   Sources

   • Cardiff Castle, opening times
   • Wikipedia, Cardiff Castle
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   3. Caerphilly Castle

   • 2 to 3 hours
   • Tickets needed
   • Families
   • Couples
   • Active

   A 13th-century castle in Caerphilly, north of Cardiff. At about 30 acres it is the largest castle in Wales, ringed by artificial lakes and famed for its concentric defences and large gatehouses.

   Run by Cadw. Hours vary by season, the highest points can close in poor weather, and Cadw advises checking its social media for short-notice closures.

   4,683 readers a month

   Sources

   • Cadw, Caerphilly Castle
   • Wikipedia, Caerphilly Castle

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   4. Barry Island

   • Half a day
   • No booking needed
   • Best in summer
   • Families
   • No car needed

   A seaside resort peninsula in the Vale of Glamorgan on the Bristol Channel, part of the town of Barry. The coast here has a tidal range of 15 metres, the world's second highest.

   3,242 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Barry Island

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   5. Castell Coch

   • 1 to 2 hours
   • Tickets needed
   • Families
   • Couples
   • Active

   A 19th-century Gothic Revival castle above the village of Tongwynlais, on the northern edge of Cardiff. A Norman castle stood here first, and the stone fortification of the 1260s and 1270s was rebuilt in the Victorian era.

   Run by Cadw, which also sells a joint ticket with Caerphilly Castle. Check opening times before you go.

   3,200 readers a month

   Sources

   • Cadw, Caerphilly Castle (joint ticket and opening notes)
   • Wikipedia, Castell Coch

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   6. Cardiff Bay

   • Half a day
   • No booking needed
   • Couples
   • Families
   • No car needed

   A former tidal bay and estuary turned into a 500-acre freshwater lake when the Cardiff Bay Barrage dammed the rivers Taff and Ely in 1999. It is the centrepiece of the area's 1990s regeneration, with the Pierhead Building on the waterfront.

   2,679 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Cardiff Bay
   • Wikipedia, Cardiff Bay Barrage
   • Wikipedia, Pierhead Building

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   7. Wales Millennium Centre

   • 1 to 3 hours, or an evening
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • Adults
   • Rainy day
   • No car needed

   Wales's national arts centre in Cardiff Bay. The first phase opened in November 2004 and the second in January 2009.

   Shows are ticketed individually; check the programme on the centre's site.

   1,752 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Wales Millennium Centre

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   8. Llandaff Cathedral

   • About an hour
   • Check entry rules before you go
   • Couples
   • Rainy day

   The seat of the Bishop of Llandaff, a Church in Wales cathedral in Llandaff, Cardiff. It is dedicated to Saint Peter and Saint Paul and to three Welsh saints, and is one of two cathedrals in the city.

   We have not confirmed visiting hours; check with the cathedral first.

   1,680 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Llandaff Cathedral

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   9. Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog)

   • A full day
   • No booking needed
   • Active
   • Couples
   • Families

   A national park in Wales, officially Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, centred on the mountain range of the same name. Its highest peak, Pen y Fan, is the highest mountain in South Wales at 886 metres.

   Mountain weather changes fast; prepare for hill conditions before setting out.

   1,679 readers a month

   Sources

   • Wikipedia, Brecon Beacons National Park

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    10. National Museum Cardiff

    • 2 to 3 hours
    • Check entry rules before you go
    • Families
    • Couples
    • Rainy day
    • No car needed

    A museum and art gallery in Cardiff, part of Amgueddfa Cymru, Museum Wales. Entry is free thanks to a Welsh Government grant.

    Museum Wales asks visitors to book a free admission ticket. A temporary closure was announced in February 2025, so confirm it is open before you go.

    1,318 readers a month

    Sources

    • Museum Wales, National Museum Cardiff
    • Wikipedia, National Museum Cardiff

Just missed the list: St Fagans National Museum of History (11th by readers; an open-air museum of Welsh history); Tredegar House (12th by readers; a historic house in Newport)