Visit Cardiff!

Some time had passed since we decided that we wanted to visit Wales. We had seen pictures and heard it is such a beautiful place, so we grabbed the opportunity to quickly go there in December when we were in London for several days. We used Megabus tickets, as mentioned in previous articles, it is the cheapest transportation company. You can see almost any city in the UK with only 2 pounds per ticket. You have to go online and buy at least 2 months prior the travel. A round-trip ticket is 4 pounds, and the estimated travel time was 3 hours and 40 mins. The seats are comfortable, the toilet is very clean, and it also provides free wifi. The buses are on time most times and there are many options for the time of the travel each day. We reached in a morning with relatively good weather, with sun which is rarely seen in Cardiff, but this did not last for long because an hour later it started to drizzle and it instantly got cold. The bus stop is in the city center, close to The Hayes pedestrian street. This street leads to the old castle of the city, and is full of stores such as Poundland (everything costs 1 pound), coffee shops, pubs, and restaurants for tourists. After we passed a statue of a Welsh politician and a beautiful park, on our left we observed the anchors of support of the famous arena in Cardiff, Millennium Stadium.

 

We wanted to visit it the following day, since it would have been a shame to miss it. We were hosted by YHA Cardiff Central – The description online says the hostel found 15 minutes walking distance from the city center on East Tyndall street. I was actually curious if this description was true and if the positive reviews mirror the reality. YHA Cardiff Central is evaluated at 5 starts by the tourism office of the Welsh government, Visit Wales, and it offers free WiFi access in public areas, as well as free private parking services. The property has a cafe-bar, which serves snacks and drinks, and the restaurant offers breakfast with cooked meals everyday. At breakfast, the attention on the clients is a priority. There is always someone in the breakfast area at the guests’ disposal, from safety reasons as they claimed. I thought this was useful, and I also appreciated the way I was treated by the employees. They also have a private kitchen on first floor where guests can cook whatever they wish at any time. The rooms are very big and clean, elegant, and the mattress does wonders. We slept very well every day after strolling around Cardiff. Overall, the 5 stars have been awarded to the hotel rightfully. The price is also good. We paid 40 pounds per night for a quadruple room, which is very reasonable for Cardiff taking into consideration the position and quality of the hostel.

However, let us tell you what you can do in Cardiff for three days. You have time to visit the important attractions without being in a rush. The first activity we had was a trip with Princess Katharine boat, details about the boat trips can be found on www.cardiffboat.com . The boat leaves from Cardiff Bay and arrives at Bute Park City Center. The price for a one-way ticket is 4 pounds for adults, and 2 pounds for children. The trip was magnificent. We were surrounded by swans and had a feeling as if we were floating on water, since the boat was very low. We were alone on the boat as it was not the peak season.

We were fascinated by the stories we heard about Cardiff.

I cannot remember the name exactly, but we were also searching for another delicious meal called rare bit: toast with a mix of milk, eggs, cheese, and fish with Worcestershire sauce. The favorite desert of Welsh people is bara brith, a bread stuffed with raisins and figs held in tea for some hours, and bread with ginger.

The truth is we looked for rarebit for a long time, until someone suggested us to try it at Seasons Cafe Bar. We paid 6.95 pounds for this traditional meal and 4.5 pounds for local beer. Welsh Cake is also really popular and can be found in many places, one of which is right next to the cafe bar we went to. The cakes are freshly made, warm, and are priced at 3 pounds each. In the market, they are 1 pound each. The marketplace’s schedule is from 9 am to 4 pm. Most likely it’s longer during summer. One place I really wanted to go to, but didn’t end up visiting is St. Fangans, as recommended by the employers at our hotel. It is some sort of village museum from Romania, open from 10 am to 5 pm every day. If you want to visit it, take 32A bus to Westgate Street. From what I understood the trip lasts for 30 minutes and it is worth it. Below are some pictures for you to see.

About Cardiff

We have also been advised to go to Caerphilly Castle, but we did not reach this place. For this, you have to take the train from Cardiff Central and the trip lasts for around 17 minutes. When you get off, you have to walk 10 minutes to get to the castle. This attraction has been categorized as the most complex system of defense running on water from Great Britain. Most probably this is also why it is beautiful: water, walls reflected, the grass…The entrance fee is 7.95 pounds for adults and 5.20 pounds for children. If we ever return to Cardiff, we will take a visit here into serious consideration. If you decide to visit during summer when the weather is warmer, you must visit Bute Park. It is wonderful, a walk in the nature of Wales. The best way to not miss anything in Cardiff is to rake the citysightseeing bus and complete a tour starting from Cardiff Castle, continuing to National Museum of Wales. Fitzalan Palace, Norwegian Church, the beautiful Cardiff Bay, Mermaid Quay, Techniquest, Science Exhibition Center, Craft in the Bay, Lloyd George Avenue, St Mary Street, Principality Stadium, where the entrance ticket is 12.5 pounds and a visit lasts for approximately an hour and a half. You can buy tickets for the stadium online in order to avoid the queue. A trip with Citysightseeing Cardiff costs 14.4 pounds and is available for 24 hours with a hop on-hop off system. It also provides 7 languages for the audio guide. For Doctor Who lovers, the Doctor Who Experience museum is closed sadly, due to reconstructions. Do not be disappointed, however! If you are in Cardiff, you can find many comic book stores with collection items. I know a big fan of the series, who asked me to get him a collection screwdriver, which costed around 20 pounds and I think it was cheaper than other collection items that I have seen. The items can also be ordered online! During the evening you can relax in one of the pubs in the city center. We went to The Live Lounge because we wanted live music and because it has been acknowledged as Cardiff’s most vibrant bar. The entrance is free, and there is a live show ever night until 4 am. The prices are very good as well. For instance, one Carlsberg beer costs only 1 pound, 1 tequila shot is also 1 pounds, Smirnoff Mixer is 2.9 pounds, and a pint of Carling is 2.4 pounds. The atmosphere is really good, we recommend this place. It is in the city center and can be reached very easily from the main pedestrian street. After you pass the store Poundland, you have to take a left at one point. There are signs to follow.

Cardiff was proclaimed as a city late in 1905 by Edward VII. It became the capital of Wales in 1955, an important commercial, cultural, and sports center. It has millions of visitors every year. In 2011, it was declared as 6th most visited touristic attraction in the world. In 2011 and 2014 it was declared as the European city of sport.

The Castle in Cardiff

Most probably the most important attraction of the city. The visit at the Cardiff Castle is mandatory, I enjoyed it very much, especially the explanation on the history of swords. The entrance ticket is 12.5 pounds for adults, and for children between the ages of 5 and 16 it is 9 pounds. Children under 5 years old enter for free. At the end of the visit, you can relax at the coffee shop at the entrance, where you can drink tea, hot chocolate, or why not eat a typical lamb meal, a special Cardiff recipe. Situated in the city center and surrounded by tall walls. If you look at the foundation of the wall, you will see a line. What is below that line is the original wall built by the Romans 2000 years ago.

On that foundation, the castle was built in XI th century. After you pass the walls, you can see two castles: one of them is medieval on a hill and it looks like a citadel. In old times, people would go there and resist the assault. There is not much to visit there besides the walls and the empty rooms.

The second castle is the new castle. It was built in XIX th century by a local nobleman- the third Bute marquis. It is a palace which imitates Paris, London or Madrid castles on a smaller scale. It is elegant and sumptuous, but much smaller.

What we liked the most was the underground museum from the entrance. It is the museum of an army vision and besides the history of this body of the army, we participated in one of the most beautiful presentation of arms ever seen. Enjoy!

Cardiff is a small city with a population of 354.500 people, a city with a special charm. Still, personally, it is not in my top cities, but also not on the least favorites. It is a small city with few tourists, but we still enjoyed it in the 3 days of our stay. Maybe I believe this because we were coming from London, as the tourist number is much bigger there. However, I was surprised many times in Cardiff because of the beauty of the city, the walk in Queens Arcade, the area Cardiff Bay. It is for sure a shame to not visit it if you are around. I think it is enough to stay there for a couple of days. The only difficult factor in our trip was Welsh, language which I find really difficult. I was surprised to see signs in a different language, as English is so spread out. I learned one phrase: Yn croesawu means welcome, while thank you is diolch. If you know any other words or phrases, leave them in the comments. Every country I leave, I want to have memorized words from their language.