A mini guide to Cardiff

Just a short stretch across the water from Bristol, Cardiff is a city closer than many might think. It’s great for a cheap getaway where you can breathe in the coastal air and travel through history. Here’s how to make the most of your time in the city.

 

With 122 rooms and highly esteemed Marco Pierre White restaurant, Hotel Indigo Cardiff is easily one of the finest in the city.

Choose between themed rooms in the categories of Music, Welsh Industry or Made in Wales—all three are whimsically furnished without descending too far into novelty.

Right in the midst of bustling Queen Street, you can enjoy close proximity to shops and eateries, or relax in the 24-hour fitness suite. Best of all, it won’t break the bank—shop around for deals starting at just £64 per night.

See also: The Royal Hotel, Jolyon’s Boutique Hotel

 

Championing seasonal food from Wales’s best providers, be sure to book yourself a table at Bully’s.

Menus are regularly updated to reflect the best of produce, but with previous entrees along the lines of juniper smoked salmon, aged Carmarthenshire beef and curried butternut squash, you’ll be sure to be in for a treat.

If quirky puddings are more your idea of fun, Science Cream is a must-see. Wales’ first and only liquid nitrogen ice cream bar, play with decadent flavours of macadamia crunch and dulche de leche as well as more inventive offerings—a scoop of bacon and egg anyone?

See also: The Clink Restaurant, The Early Bird

 

While Cardiff more than holds it’s own in terms of a chock-full high street, its independents are what truly give it it’s own personality. Troutmark Books is stuff of bookworm fantasy—tomes piled up far above headheight, with knowledgeable staff happy to assist your requests.

For those looking for new music recommendations, Outpost is fast becoming a popular hotspot—sip one of their signature coffees as you flip through their vinyl collection, or nip to neighbouring stores to admire comic books, art galleries and clothing, all part of the Castle Emporium on Womanby Street.

See also: Home By Kirsty, Nest Vintage Living

 

If there is one thing Cardiff and Wales has, it is an abundance of lush, wide-open spaces. St Fagans Gardens is a perfect destination for a summer’s day out, home to a museum which ties together the rosary, sprawling lawns and a recently restored Italian Garden with raised pond.

For those who like to sit beside the seaside, Cardiff Bay is proving quite the up-and-comer in terms of restaurants and cafes to people watch from, while Barry Island Pleasure Park offers up old-time waltzers, dodgems and rides that will take you right back to childhood.

See also: Roath Park, Bute Park

 

For an evening’s entertainment, it doesn’t get much better than the Millennium Centre. An instantly recognizable landmark, the centre plays host to a huge roster of opera, ballet, dance, theatre and music, truly beautiful in its architecture.

Nearby is the Roald Dahl Plass, named for the esteemed author and home to various events of it’s own. Regular viewers of BBC’s Torchwood will recognize the water tower which conceals the headquarters.

With an estimated 61 per cent of Cardiff residents regularly participating in sport, you’ll find yourself in good company at the Rugby—head to the Millennium stadium for a match, or take in a more sedate round of Golf at Castell Coch or St Mellons.  

See also: The Glee Club, Bay Island Voyages