What to do in Cardiff

[origamiunicorn]

Going to Cardiff this weekend for my birthday with DP and wondering what to do. These are some ideas so far, we have 3 days:

Castell Coch
Cardiff Bay
As well as doing the arcades and Cardiff Castle perhaps?

Does anyone have any good recommendations for food places? We will eat anything 😀 Found this when looking for quirky bars too:
www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/cardiffs-new-rum-fizz-cocktail-15339982

Any ideas at all would be helpful.

TIA

Bumpity Bump 😁

I realise I can just browse the internet but would prefer some trusted opinions.

You could get the waterbus from Butetown Park to the Bay.
Taff Embankment farmer's market on Sunday morning (and the curry van)
Bully's, Potted Pig, Troy, Tenkaichi, Oz Urfa, Grange Pub, Mint and Mustard, Purple Poppadom are all great for food.
Have a great time!

Have a look at the dead canary, great for cocktails... I don't rate castle coch ( and its 20 + minute out of town) .
Bay is good, apothecary does good cocktails, madam fromage is fab for lunch!

Skip Castell Coch and do Cardiff Castle or St Fagan’s instead. There’s much more to see..

St Fagans!!! One of my fav places ever could spend days there...
Shame your not down there on game day (6 nations). Even if you’re not at all into rugby the atmosphere is amazing.
Love my capital city, hope you enjoy

Went to st fagans today and that was lovely. If it’s a fine day and you have young dc then the gruffalo trail at the mountain ranch in Caerphilly is fab, but you’d need a car to get there.

The bay is a good place to eat for lots of chain restaurants but Mary street is starting to regain its status as a nice place to drink, the castle end that is, the other end is still a students dream.

How about the national gallery of Wales? Some really good paintings etc.

Techniquest is great if it rains. The museum has the Tim Peake exhibition at the moment too and although it’s a small exhibition it’s worthwhile

Bar 44 is lively for drinks and tapas.

Castle Coch is out of town. If you have a car, go, otherwise stay in town. Duffryn House and St.Fagans are great too, but ditto needing a car.

Shopping in Cardiff is a bit meh. The arcades have some independent shops. Look out for Wally's Delicatessen and John Ian shoes. There's also a wonderful independent art and stationery shop. St. David's shopping centre is full of the usual shops that every city has.

Have a look at what's on at St.Davids Hall. The WMC or the New Theatre.

It’s been a few years but last time I went to St Fagans there was a direct bus from the centre and if you kept your ticket you could claim the cost back at the cafe, or something like that. Don’t know if they still do that though?

Thank you for all your suggestions!

Oh wow ok, that's a big vote for St Fagans and against Castell Coch. We are driving so no probs getting around - not sure what parking is like and whether it's expensive in town? Maybe train is a better idea!

Loving the water bus idea and Techniquest too, wasn't sure we'd have enough to do but sounds like we will be packing it in.

We were going to come last weekend just gone for the rugby atmosphere but decided against it due to travel and hotels. Maybe next time!

I heard Cardiff was great for shopping but either way we will definitely check out the arcades. I live bear Bournemouth so I imagine there's more in Cardiff to see!

@pinkginxx Thanks, I'll look into this, maybe we will ditch the car after all!

@jesusinthecabbagevan and @fussygalore118

They're great recs thank you!

Techniquest is the last place I would go on a weekend with no kids!

Definitely ditch the car unless your hotel has parking.

If it's an adult weekend honestly I wouldn't bother with techniquest or st fagans... the museum/art gallery has some da Vinci paintings on display atm. Cardiff castle is good for a wander.

I'd look at pettigrew tea room it's right by the castle and if its sunny you can sit outside then get the river taxi to the bay!

Cardiff is ok for shopping, nice arcades loads of decent bars etc... Asdor 22 is great for dinner or lunch. As is the potted pig. I don't rate gin and juice,bit style over substance..

Thank you, lots to think about!

Techniquest may be a no then if it's going to be heaving, we will still keep it in mind though.

Just looked at train, it's £55 each so unless parking is extortionate then I think we will take the car. The hotel has parking so it would be maybe just a good chunk of the day in town which I can't imagine is anywhere near the train price.

where is your hotel? there's cheap all day parking on sunday in one of the shopping centres but you'd have to get there early (before 11). avoid the ncp car parks - there's one on westgate street that's extortionate. Look on parkopedia instead. If your hotel is nearby and has parking then it might even be cheaper to get a bus/taxi rather than driving in.

Cardiff bay is lovely in the sun but a bit meh in the rain - if it is sunny then go on one of the speed boats, it's great fun! then do the walk over the barrage. If you watched torchwood look at the ianto shrine wall - and even if you didn't, look at it anyway - it's very random and hilarious!

get fresh welsh cakes from cardiff market!

agree techniquest with no kids would be hell on earth on a weekend but st fagans is a lot more spread out.

cardiff castle is quite expensive but lots to see (better than castle coch). It's probably worth paying extra for the tour because you go in rooms that aren't otherwise open to the public in addition to being told about the history, etc.

There is a direct bus to St Fagans. It's Easy way bus 32 a. They go from Westgate st and take you to right into St Fagans grounds.
It's a lovely day out if the weather is nice. Train to Penarth and a walk to the pier for icecream is always good. Hope you have a really enjoyable weekend.