Cardiff Castle

There is a medieval maintain at its center, however it has the additions to Cardiff Castle that capture the imagination. In ancient times, features that were lush were grafted on this relic, including a banqueting hall and a clock tower. Some but not all with this gaudy dream world may be accessed with frequent castle entry; the rest can be seen as part of a (recommended) guided excursion. Search for that trebuchet (medieval siege engine) and falcons on the causes.

National Museum Cardiff

Devoted mainly to art and history, this neoclassical construction is the centrepiece of the seven institutions dotted across the nation that together form the Welsh National Museum. It’s just one of the finest museums of Britain; you may need three or more hours to complete justice to it, however it could consume the portion of a rainy day. Onsite parking, behind the museum, is 6.50.

St Fagans National History Museum

Historical buildings from all around the country have been dismantled and re-erected in the surrounds of St Fagans village, 5 miles west. More than 40 buildings have been including barns farm houses, a watermill, a school, an 18th century Unitarian chapel and shops. Buses 32, 32A and 320 (#1.80, 26 moments ) head from Cardiff. By car it’s reached from the continuation of Cathedral Rd..

Bute Park

Flanked by the castle and the River Taff, Bute Park was Given to the city along with the castle in 1947. Together with Sophia Gardens, Pontcanna Fields and Llandaff Fields, it creates a green corridor that extends northwest to 1.5 miles to Llandaff. All were part of this Butes’ holdings.

Principality Stadium

Also known as Millennium Stadium (‘Principality’ may be the current naming rights sponsor), this glorious place Exercises such as a stranded space ship on the River Taff’s east shore. Seating 74,500 and assembled at a cost of 168 million, this retractable-roofed arena was completed in time to host the 1999 Rugby World Cup. If you can not get tickets to a match, it’s well worth having a tour — book on the internet or at the on-site WRU Store.

Wales Millennium Centre

The centrepiece and logo of Cardiff Bay’s regeneration may be that the # 106-million Wales Millennium Centre, an architectural masterpiece of piled Welsh slate green in shades of purple and grey topped having an interlocking bronzed steel shell. Designed by Welsh architect Jonathan Adams, it started in 2004 as Wales’ premier arts complex, home leading cultural organisations like the Welsh National Opera, National Dance Company, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Literature Wales, HiJinx Theatre and also Tŷ Cerdd (Music Centre Wales).

Castell Coch

Cardiff Castle’s fanciful small brother stays perched beneath a thickly wooded crag on the northern fringes of Cardiff. It was the summer retreat of the marquess of Bute and, in flashy design, has been designed by architect William Burges that is odd-ball like Cardiff Castle. Located on the ruins of Gilbert de Clare’s 13th century Castell Coch (Red Castle), the Butes’ Disneyesque holiday home is just a monument to high camp. An audio guide is contained in the entrance price.

Llandaff Cathedral

This palace is put to the site of a monastery. The building was begun in 11 20, nonetheless it crumbled through the entire old, and during the Reformation and Civil War it was used as then an animal refuge and an alehouse. Derelict by the 18th century, this had been largely reconstructed in the 19th century, then mended again after having a bombing raid in 1941.

Roath Park

Long, narrow Roath Park competitions Bute Park as Cardiff’s favourite green space. The marquess of Bute talented the property when the marsh at its northern end was dammed to produce the Roath Park Lake, the central feature of the park. The others was set out from the Victorian manner, with increased gardens, coastal trails, yards and crazy nooks. There was A lighthouse added in 1915 as a novelty to explorer Robert Scott.

Yr Hen Lyfrgell

Croeso (welcome) to a bastion of the Welsh language in the overwhelmingly English-speaking capital. Cardiff’s amazing Old Library was converted in to a showcase for all things Cymraeg, by having an exceptional gift-shop , a cafe plus Welsh-language lessons. Everyone’s welcome, even though the only Welsh it is possible to muster is really a timid bore da (hello ). While you are here, check out the magnificent Victorian tiles lining the library’s unique entry and call into the Cardiff Story museum.

Senedd

Produced by Lord Richard Rogers (the architect behind London’s Lloyd’s building and Millennium Dome and Paris’ Pompidou Centre), the house of the National Assembly for Wales’ Siambr (debating chamber) is a striking structure of concrete, slate, glass and steel, using an undulating canopy roof lined with red cedar. It’s won awards for its green style, which includes a huge rotating cowl in the roof to get power-free ventilation and also a gutter system which collects rainwater for flushing the toilets.

Pierhead

One of the few plantations of the waterfront, Pierhead can be French confection and also actually just a redbrick, built having Bute family money to impress the maritime traffic. Its elaborate clocktower made it the nickname’Wales’ Big Ben’. It is now a museum telling the story of Cardiff since the 1800s through visuals, interactive screens and artefacts once the intersection of Cardiff Railway. An exhibition space holds seeing shows.

Norwegian Church Arts Centre

Looking as though it’s popped out of those pages of a narrative novel, this white-slatted wooden building with a black witch’s-fur hat spire was modelled to a village church that was Norwegian. It was built to Norwegian sailors to minister and remained a place of worship until 1974. It has been reincarnated being an arts center hosting arts courses and displays, concerts, markets , with a gallery upstairs and also a terraced cafe over looking the bay and vent area downstairs.

St John the Baptist Church

A graceful tower rises from this church, its delicate stone work. This is among the remnants of Cardiff: a church has stood here since at least 1180. Inside you can find regimental flags, a tomb and elegant arches. No cost halfhour concerts on the initial Victorian organ including seeing (sometimes international) organists are kept here at 1.15pm on the 2nd Friday of monthly.

Ianto’s Shrine

For more than 10 years Cardiff has been the filming location for famous television series Doctor Who’s and its own spin-off,” Torchwood. In ’09 one among the chief personalities of Torchwood — Ianto Jones — was murdered off. Since that time, a shrine devoted to the personality and maintained with fans has now existed what has been the Tourist Information Office about the boardwalk of Mermaid Quay of Ianto.

Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve

Between the Bristol Channel and Mermaid Quay establishes a 20-acre conservation area on dockland. Walls of reeds attract warblers, bunting, kingfishers and chaffinch, grebes, as the freshwater ponds house swans, coots, moorhens and ducks. In what is really a industrial area for a nature-filled stroll, walk the board walk that is zigzagging into the midst of the lake.

Cardiff Story

This little museum employs totally free audio guides, interactive displays, video and regular items to tell the narrative of Cardiff’s transformation into the world’s biggest coal port and then into the capital city of today. Downstairs is your town Lab, with kids’ activities and exhibits on the history of protest in Cardiff.

Cardiff Bay Barrage

Completed at a price of 220 million in 1999, that huge dam sailed the gap between Penarth and Porth Teigr, including the seas flowing out from the mouths of the Rivers Taff and Ely, and transforming stinky Cardiff Bay. It has sluice gates to control a bass pass that enables migrating salmon and sea trout pass between the rivers and the Bristol Channel, three lock gates allowing passing and also the water flow.

Animal Wall

This area of wall about Bute Park’s southern edge is filled with stone figures of lions, seals, bears and other animals. From the 1930s they were the topic of a paper cartoon strip and lots of Cardiff kids grew up believing the creatures came alive at night.

Techniquest

With the aim of introducing children to science, Techniquest is jam-packed with hands-on exhibits that are enjoyable for under-fives and curious adults. The planetarium stages science shows and celebrity tours.