Cardiff in 2-3 days

Rugby is an institution in Wales so why not time your visit with a big game in Cardiff, at the mighty Millennium Stadium.

By day you can shop it up in Queen Street and the St David’s Centre. Then by night, absorb the party atmosphere of Cardiff, also a thriving university town. Have a drink at the waterfront of Cardiff Bay, where you can watch Cardiff’s beautiful people at the many waterside bars. Catch a band at the many music venues, such as Barfly. Or go clubbing at Creation.

Cardiff Castle is well worth the visit with its Roman wall, and various towers and buildings built throughout the ages. Explore Cathays Park and the civic centre, which dates back to the 12th century with its Edwardian buildings and greenery, and the stunning domed City Hall nearby. Check out the National Museum and Gallery with impressive natural history exhibitions on the evolution of Wales, and art collections including impressionism, sculpture and 18th centruy paintings.

In one week

Cardiff is a good place to set off and discover the beautiful countryside of South Wales.

Industrial history

The valleys are the true heartland of South
Wales, although the industries they propped up are now long gone. The
pits alone once employed over a quarter of a million people and their
villages and towns still cling to the perilously steep hillsides. There
are museums and memorials everywhere, but none are more informative
than Blaenavon’s Big Pit Mining Museum, and none more heartwrenching
than the memorial arches at Aberfan.

Dylan Thomas

As enigmatic as the country he came from, Dylan Thomas was
Wales personified: spirited, passionate, sensitive, patriotic, talented
and artistic. He started life in Swansea, “an ugly, lovely town” that
still associates itself with the great man at every opportunity; and
lived out his later years further west, in a small village called
Laugharne, where there’s a museum dedicated to him and his work.

The Brecon Beacons National Park

Overshadowed by the mighty mountains
of Snowdonia in the north of Wales, it would be easy to miss the Brecon Beacons, but if time
is tight, it’s a lot easier to get in and out of here than the
mountains further north. Pen y Fan is the highest ground in southern
Britain and a challenging walk for anybody, yet it’s barely a few hours
by car or train from London. The ‘waterfall country’ in the south of
the park is spectacular beyond words, and the lakes are tranquil and
pretty, even if they aren’t as impressive as those of the Elan Valley.