Cardiff: Discover the capital of the country

Cardiff Castle, the Fairytale Palace at the City’s Soul

Perched rather incongruously in Cardiff’s commercial centre, rising from above the brand-name high street shops and glistening glass-and-steel government buildings, Cardiff Castle certainly has an effect of incongruity. Maybe some of that lies in its architectural mish-mash of a facade for which it had been accused of disingenuity, the Victorian-era renovations, most notably its magnificent clock tower, making it seem something of an ersatz castle, the folly of some nineteenth-century medievalist with too much money to burn. Although there may be some truth in this (slightly harsh) assumption, the fact still stands that the motte-and-bailey castle structure was originally built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders who themselves used the remains of a Roman fort that existed on the site as early as 55 AD. The misconception is due to the vast works enacted on the ancient castle by John Chrichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, and his architectural partner-in-crime William Burges in the late-nineteenth century. Bute inherited the castle from his late coal-monopolist father upon the latter’s death in 1848 and, along with it, a treasure trove of assets that reportedly made him the richest man in the world at the time. Bute had a disaffect for the industrial grime of Victorian Britain and yearned for the grandeur and simplicity of the nation’s mythic medieval past, a philosophy he shared with Burges, an illustrious English architect whose Gothic Revival wonders evoked his same utopic Britain of yesteryear. With Bute’s money and Burges’ expertise, Cardiff Castle was transformed into a fairytale playhouse, both inside and out.

The castle’s interiors thus became an eccentric tapestry of influences and desires. As well as erecting the grand Clock Tower whose inside is decorated with artwork and decor telling the stories of Time, astrology, and alchemy (a reference to the mineral origins of his family’s wealth), Butes commissioned, to name just a few of the Castle’s internal: a nursery decorated with painted tiles depicting Aesop’s Fables and other children’s stories, the Islamic decadence of the Moorish Arab Room, and a colossal library flanked by whimsical carvings. The result is, in the words of historian Megan Aldrich, a decor that was “rarely equalled” in the culturescape of Victorian England and a labyrinth of rooms that feel like “three dimensional passports to fairy kingdoms and realms of gold”, according to J. Mourdant Crook, the “[entryway to] a land of dreams”.

Today, you too can enter into this land of dreams for a small admission fee, thereby gaining access into what is undoubtedly one of the Seven Wonders of the Victorian World. A ticket will also let you visit the castle’s subterranean Roman ruins, the military museum, the surrounding battlements for a history-steeped stroll, and the air-raid shelters that were installed in the castle walls during the Second World War. A gift shop and cafe are also available onsite, while access to the Castle’s gardens is completely free.

The National Museum Cardiff is Wales’ biggest and most varied museum, featuring collections on Welsh natural history, geology, botany, prehistory, and national art, as well as an extensive collection of European art.

The first floor of the museum is dedicated to Wales’ national art collections that span 500 years of art history and every medium from painting to sculpture to drawing to ceramic. The spotlight is firmly placed on Welsh art, with notable names including the pioneering eighteenth-century landscape painter Richard Wilson and his convention-bending pupil Thomas Jones; neoclassical sculptor and favourite of Queen Victoria John Gibson; acclaimed twentieth-century surrealist printmaker Ceri Richards; enigmatic portraitist Gwen John; and Sir Kyffin Williams, often hailed as the most important Welsh artist of the last century. The collection also features one of the largest collections of Impressionist art in Europe. International masters whose works have found a home in the gallery halls include Rembrant, Poussin, Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Kokoschka, Francis Bacon, and Picasso.

Elsewhere in the museum is the natural history collections. The ‘Evolution of Wales’ permanent exhibition traces the 4,600 million-year story of Wales’ formation through meteorites, moon rock, fossils, and woolly-mammoth replicas to help contextualise how Wales’ arresting natural landscapes came to be. Meanwhile, the permanent Natural History collection allows guests to discover the richness and diversity of the Welsh wild, from the basking shark to the puffin to the humpback whale to the world’s largest leatherback turtle, who washed up on a North Welsh shores in 1988 and now has an entire display in the gallery dedicated to him. There is also a Diversity of Life gallery for a more global outlook. Here, visitors will encounter everything from pitcher plants to snow leopards to a 1.2m long giant earthworm! Tickets to the National Museum Cardiff are free, so a visit is not to be missed.

Rugby at the Millennium Stadium, the Sport that Birthed a Nation

“There’s nowhere on Earth like Cardiff on international rugby day. Yes, there are things which come close. We get pretty excited when our national football team is in town, or a boxing world title is at stake. It’s thrilling when Beyoncé or the Rolling Stones are rocking the city. But for a unique global cultural experience, it has to be rugby, it has to be the [Millennium] Stadium, and it has to be Cardiff.”

• Charles Williams, Welsh writer and broadcaster.

Rugby is more than just Wales’ national sport, it is Wales’ national identity. Arriving in Wales through the English public schools system in the late-nineteenth century, the gruelling, physical sport soon became an obsession of the Welsh working class and spread through the nation with the onset of industrialisation, with games already beginning to attract crowds of 30,000 or 40,000 by the 1890s. A Triple Crown victory against England, Scotland, and Ireland in 1893 gave way to the first ‘Golden Age’ of Welsh rugby at the start of the new century, when Wales won six Triple Crowns in just eleven years before beating New Zealand’s legendary All Blacks in 1905, making the sport an indelible part of the country’s national tapestry and giving tiny Wales a fleeting chance to be King of the United Kingdom and even King of the World.

The Millennium Stadium is the behemothic shrine to this national obsession, built to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup from 56,000 tonnes of concrete and steel. Capable of holding almost 74,000 fans at maximum game-day capacity, it is considered one of the best rugby stadiums in the world in terms of both atmosphere and design and keeps a carnival feel throughout match day. Typically, only four or five international rugby games are played at the Millennium Stadium every year, normally during the Six Nations, the biggest annual rugby competition in the world. However, even for those who are unfamiliar with the sport, attending an international rugby match at the Millennium Stadium is a once-in-a-lifetime experience during which one will see a country at its proudest and celebrations that rivals some of the biggest parties in the world. If you want to see Wales then sure, you can visit its castles or wilderness or museums, but if you want to experience Wales, then you need to go to the rugby.

Running from Cardiff city centre to neighbouring Penarth, a small seaside resort town known as Britain’s “Garden by the Sea”, Cardiff Bay is the largest waterfront development in Europe and both one of the most successful and one of the most radical urban regeneration projects that the UK has ever seen. Once a derelict wasteland of abandoned docks and mudflats after the post-war collapse of the British coal industry, it was reborn in the early 2000s when the Cardiff Bay Barrage turned the bay into a gigantic non-tidal, high-water lake decorated with dazzling modern developments such as the Senedd Building (the seat of the Welsh government) and the Wales Millennium Centre, both of which have received critical praise and numerous architectural awards. The integration of these contemporary architectural masterpieces into the historic docklands has created a mosaic of past and present along the shoreline and a testament to the diversity of Cardiff as a whole. A prime example of this is the Norwegian Church, a rebuilt Lutheran church originally erected in 1868 as a place of worship for the large numbers of Scandinavian sailors who passed through the city’s port. Today, it serves as an art centre that celebrates the life and work of legendary Welsh children’s writer Roald Dahl, who was born in Cardiff to Norwegian parents and was baptised in the church as a child. The iconic Pierhead Building can also be found along the Bay, one of Cardiff’s handful of Grade I-listed buildings.

Now, Cardiff Bay is colossal, and touring it in its entirety is an ambitious yet well worth-it task. For those willing to take on the challenge, there’s a 10km (6.2mile) circular trail encompassing the bay via a 140-metre overwater bridge that connects Penarth to Cardiff’s International Sports Village. You can choose to tackle the route in sections over the course of your visit to take the time to amble through all the weird and wonderful attractions that litter the path, from the ‘Beastie Benches’ inspired by the mythical monsters from Dylan Thomas’ poem The Ballad of the Long-Legged Bait to the eight-hectare Wetlands Reserve located at the mouth of the River Taff. Or, you can squeeze the entire bay into a single day by renting a bike and taking on the epic circular for a bit of exercise and crisp coastal air. There’s truly no better way to see the city!

Cardiff Market

Once the site of the Cardiff gaol, the Cardiff Market, which has existed in some form since the 1700s, was erected in the 1890s in a classically Victorian style, glass roof and all. Today, the market offers a myriad of stalls across its two floors. Here you will find a variety of fresh local goods and Welsh delicacies, as well as artisan coffee, contemporary street food, second-hand clothes and records, and even a psychic medium!

The market offers cuisine ranging from Mediterranean to Indian to Thai, however it is most notably home to Cardiff Bakestones, the place to go in the city if you want to try authentic homemade Welsh Cakes. Named ‘Bakestones’ as the Welsh Cakes here are still cooked on a traditional Welsh bakestone, guests can watch their cakes being made right before their eyes. A range of flavours, from plain to coconut to Nutella to lemon curd, are offered, while gluten-free and vegan options are also available upon request.

Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay’s chic, cosmopolitan heart, is home to over thirty restaurants, cafes, and bars, all with a breathtaking waterfront location for the ideal dining experience capable of catering to all tastes. Alongside can’t-go-wrong, chain favourites like Wagamamas, Las Iguanas, and Cote Brasserie, Mermaid Quay offers a range of independent eateries that have become staples of the Cardiff culinary scene. Demiro’s has been serving the quay delicious Italian food for over fifteen years and maintains a perennially lively atmosphere with its singing waiters. Signor Valentino, meanwhile, is unique for its al fresco dining terrace from which guests can enjoy oven-baked pizzas and a delightful range of cocktails. Come to Mermaid Bay and take your pick, you’re sure not to be disappointed!

By Car

Cardiff can easily be reached via the M4 motorway, which runs through the north of the city. London is only three miles away by car, while those coming from the Midlands, the North of England and Scotland will enjoy a straightforward drive via the M6, M5 and M50/M4. From the South and South West of England, use the M5 and M4. Access from West Wales is via the M4.

By Train

Cardiff is serviced by three main train stations: Cardiff Central, Cardiff Queen Street, and Cardiff Bay. The city is less than two hours from London by train, with services every 30 minutes. Cardiff also has direct services to Bristol, Bath, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham and other major cities. Consult the Trainlines website to plan a rail journey.

By Air

Cardiff Airport offers direct flights to and from cities such as Edinburgh, Belfast, Dublin, Paris, and Amsterdam. The airport is located in the Vale of Glamorgan, 13 miles west of Cardiff. Those flying into Cardiff can easily travel to and from the airport by public transport which runs regularly, reliably, and frequently.