Hotels in Cardiff

An ancient castle and an uber-modern waterfront vie for attention in this stunning Welsh capital. Located on the Bristol Channel coast, near the River Severn estuary, Cardiff serves as a great base for discovering and exploring the broader surrounding region of South Wales. The city's excellent road connections make day trips manageable and very easy. Cardiff nestles on the River Taff and ranks as the eleventh-largest city in the UK. The town boasts numerous historical and cultural attractions, plenty of great shopping and lively entertainment venues.

The city welcomes 20 million visitors every year, so there is plenty of holiday accommodation. You’ll find cheap hotels in Cardiff in the city centre and the suburbs.

Neighbourhoods of Cardiff

Some of the most popular areas to visit in Cardiff include:

• City Centre: Bordered by the river, university, central railway station and Cooper’s Field park, this is the compact centre of the city. It features a pleasing mix of narrow lanes, wide streets and a range of significant attractions, including the castle, museum, shops, restaurants and clubs.
• Pontcanna: With Kings Road Yard as its beating heart, this area lies west of and across the river from the city's centre. Even though it's opposite the centre, this riverside area managed to turn itself into Cardiff's main foodie centre, offering a range of craft breweries and local produce stores.
• Butetown: Rejuvenation turned this once grimy industrial trade area into a cool neighbourhood, with interesting history and many major attractions, including the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Bay Water Activity Centre and the Pierhead Building.
• The Waterfront: Just a short walk to the city centre, this area splits into smaller subdivisions, such as the Atlantic Wharf, Waterfront Park and Mermaid Quay. Each area is a hub for socialising and family-friendly entertainment. The neighbourhoods sit amid buildings with architecture that reflects the city’s maritime past.

What to see and do in Cardiff

For young, old and young at heart, must-visit local attractions include:

• Cardiff Castle: This is a medieval keep with Victorian and gothic additions. It's best to view it via a guided tour, as the castle is one of the best attractions to experience the town's rich and detailed history.
• National Museum of Wales: It's ranked as one of the UK's best museums and housed in a magnificent neo-classical building.
• Llandaff Cathedral: The contents of this large church contain works and features by luminaries, such as William Morris, Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones and Sir Jacob Epstein.
• Bute Park: The park sits between the castle and the river. It contains Gorsedd stones and a footprint of the 13th-century Blackfriar's Friery monastery ruins.
• Taff Trail: This is a stunning 56-kilometre walking and cycling trail. It starts at the Atlantic Wharf and finishes in the mountainous national park of Brecon Beacons.
• Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve: This wildlife conservation area was formerly a 20-acre patch of dockland before transforming into a natural haven.

What to eat in Cardiff

International eateries are plentiful, but the best dishes to seek out in this city are the iconic local Welsh foods, including:

• Cawl: Since the 11th century, cawl has been a favourite in meaty lamb stews with vegetables.
• Glamorgan Sausage: The perfect vegetarian sausage that meat-eaters love, too. It combines caerphilly cheese, leeks and breadcrumbs.
• Welsh Rarebit: This pimped-up cheese on toast is great for breakfast, lunch or supper.
• Laverbread and Cockles: It is eaten with cockles, sometimes with bacon, and is a historical breakfast dish.
• Welsh Cakes: These flat, round cakes contain dried fruit and are similar to fat biscuits. The locals use griddles for cooking these small, tasty treats.

Typical events and festivals in Cardiff

The city has several sporting arenas, entertainment venues, large parks and a stunning seafront. All are perfect for hosting a spectacular and diverse range of festivals and local celebrations, including:

• Cardiff Carnival: It has its roots in ethnic communities, but nowadays, the carnival embraces all ethnicities and cultures throughout the region. It takes place over the bank's holiday weekend in August.
• International Food and Drink Festival: For three days in July, you can enjoy a unique combination of local and international food producers together with independent crafters, artisans and local performers.
• Welsh Proms: A week-long series of concerts in July, occurring yearly at St. David's Hall.
• Tafwyl: The annual celebration of the Welsh language finishes up with a two-day open-air festival in May at the castle.

How to move around in Cardiff

It is easy to navigate around the city's centre on foot. It's also just a short walk to reach the waterfront from the town's centre. The buses connect all of the city's major areas, and it also services routes outside of Cardiff. The Aquabus has an hourly bus service operating between the castle grounds and Mermaid Quay. The area also has an international airport and mainline train system, so you can quickly travel directly to London and most of the other major UK destinations.

The climate in Cardiff

Summers in the city are warm and sunny, averaging a daily temperature of around 22° C. Summer is the best time to visit this holiday destination. The spring and autumn seasons are similar when it comes to weather, but the winters in Cardiff are undoubtedly wet. During these months, temperatures rarely fall below the average low of 2° C.