Wales Travel Guide: Cardiff & Swansea
- Secil Ural
- Nov 22, 2021
- 7 min read
Updated: Dec 8
Taking advantage of another bank holiday, I’m back with a short “Across England” getaway — this time, the destination: Wales. On my first visit to the country, I explored its two largest cities, Cardiff and Swansea.
Did you know that the symbol of Wales is a red dragon, even featured on its flag? It would be amazing if dragons actually existed, of course, but the real reason goes back centuries: warriors used the dragon as a mascot to symbolize strength and authority during battles.
Where actually is "Wales"?
Wales, one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom (the others being England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland), is located in the southwest of the island of Great Britain. To avoid confusing Great Britain with the United Kingdom, here’s a Venn-diagram-style map (in an unapologetically math-nerd fashion)
Cardiff is the largest city and the capital of Wales, while Swansea is the second-largest city and an important port.
The local language is Welsh, one of the modern Celtic languages. Despite having roots in the Brittonic language family, it has absolutely nothing to do with English. In fact, it’s so different that it sometimes feels like they just slammed their fingers on a keyboard to make words — something like “hfdishfifjdsk” could very well be a real Welsh word.
You might think I’m joking, but Wales actually has a town called:
“Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.”
Slowly but surely, we’re eliminating Welsh from the list of languages you might want to learn.
Apparently, around 30% of the country actually speaks Welsh, so English is more commonly used. Still, every street sign in the city is bilingual: Welsh and English. On top of that, the red dragon of the Welsh national flag flies on nearly every street. Even though Wales is part of the United Kingdom, I interpreted their emphasis on their own language and flag as a desire to preserve their identity (just my observation — reported live from Cardiff by yours truly, Secil).
Cardiff and Swansea were small, happy towns until the 19th century, but with the region’s industrialization and the booming coal trade, they grew rapidly. Cardiff officially became a city in 1905, followed by Swansea in 1955.
Cardiff, which was named one of the world’s top alternative tourist destinations by National Geographic, has a population of around 350,000. There are direct trains from London to both cities, taking approximately two hours.
CARDIFF
There are two main areas to explore in Cardiff: Cardiff Central (the city centre) and Cardiff Bay (the waterfront area).
Let’s start with the city centre. Is there even such a thing as a British city without a castle? I haven’t seen one yet, so of course our first stop was the inevitable: Cardiff Castle.
Built by the Romans in the 1st century (as with nearly every castle in this part of the world), it’s a 2,000-year-old structure. You can enter through the surrounding gate and take a look around without paying an entrance fee — you’ll see the keep perched on a hill, the dragon statue, and the grounds.
Since many areas were under renovation and I wasn’t particularly in a “let’s absorb all the history” mood (top-tier blogger recommendations as always), I took a quick look inside and moved on.
Bute Park, the largest park in the city, is Cardiff’s green lung — as lush and spacious as it gets. If you know me by now, you know my obsession with parks, so I grabbed a coffee and spent quite a bit of time here.
Right across from the park, you’ll find the Welsh Government building and Cardiff University.
After wandering around the buildings, make sure to stop by Cathays Park, which sits right in the middle of the area. It’s not really a “park” — more like a garden, since it’s quite small.
At its centre stands the Welsh National War Memorial, built in memory of the soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War.
A little further ahead, you’ll come across Cardiff City Hall and the National Museum Cardiff. The architecture of City Hall is impressive, but unfortunately, it’s not open to visitors. The good news: entry to the National Museum Cardiff is free.
On the lower floor, you can explore exhibits detailing the history of Wales from ancient times onward, and on the upper floor, you can browse the Welsh modern art galleries — also completely free.
Cardiff has a surprisingly large number of shopping centres. In addition to plenty of shops along the main streets, there are several malls, including St David’s Dewi Sant. Around Queen Street and St Mary Street, you’ll find tons of pubs and restaurants.
One of my favourite parts of the city centre was the arcades — the covered passages filled with boutique shops and cafés. Each one has its own unique and impressive interior design.
If you want to wander the city like a maze and stop by the nicest coffee shops, this is where you should head. (I’ve added the must-visit cafés in parentheses — and make sure to get a Welsh cake with your coffee, yummy!)
Castle Arcade (Barkers Coffee)
High Street Arcade
Wyndham Arcade
Morgan Arcade (The Plan)
Royal Arcade (Uncommon Ground Coffee)
Rugby is a huge deal in the UK — pretty much the equivalent of football for us. Wales is especially serious about rugby, and the massive Principality Stadium in the city makes that very clear.
Right next to the stadium is a riverside walkway called Millennium Walk. I recommend spending part of your day strolling along it, checking out the graffiti on the walls, the river views, and the stadium itself. Ideally, do it not on a day with crazy rain and wind like I did.
Cardiff Bay, located in the south of the city and about a 30-minute walk from the centre, opens out to the Bristol Channel and is the perfect place to go for some fresh ocean air when the weather is nice. As you walk towards the area, the first thing that catches your eye is the striking, monumental presence of the Wales Millennium Center.
The inscription in front of the building is, of course, written in both Welsh and English.
The Welsh part reads: “Creu Gwir Fel Gwydr O Ffwrnais Awen”, which translates to “Creating Truth Like Glass From Inspiration's Furnace.” The English part reads: “In These Stones, Horizons Sing.”
Right in the middle of the bay area stands Pierhead, one of Cardiff’s iconic landmarks. Originally built as the hub for port operations, the building is nicknamed Wales’ Big Ben because of the clock tower on top. Right next to it is the National Assembly of Wales, which immediately catches your eye with its unusually designed steps.
Mermaids Quay is the area right next to the bay, filled with restaurants and cafés. On the wooden bridge, at Cofi Co, I even found Welsh gin — what more could you ask for? 🙂
SWANSEA
After comfortably exploring Cardiff over the course of about two days, I decided to spend my final day in Swansea. Trains depart from Cardiff station every half hour, and in about an hour, you arrive in Swansea while enjoying the lush green scenery of Wales along the way.
After getting off at Swansea train station and walking about 20 minutes, you reach the marina area. If you’re in the mood for a museum, let’s head to the National Waterfront Museum. This museum showcases Welsh history and industrial development, and you can grab a coffee from its charming café and enjoy views of the marina from the balcony on the upper floor.
I admit, the main reason I came to Swansea was to walk along its famous, long beach and to take in that deep, seaweed-scented ocean smell —after all, we don’t get much of that from the Thames in London.
Swansea’s 8 km-long beach is one of the most obvious places to experience the tide (‘medcezir’) in the whole of Britain. When I ran to the shore shouting “Hooray, beach-sun-sea,” it took me about five minutes to actually reach the water. When I got there, I was met with icy-cold water, countless seashells and crabs washed up on the shore, and I muttered to the tide for a while, “Is this justice, world?” Thankfully, I shook it off and continued my walk, the fierce wind—which I had feared might blow me away—brought me back to myself.
Still, I walked along the beach for nearly an hour—the inevitable fate of an İzmir native when they see water.
Of course, the city has a castle (Swansea Castle), although it’s more accurate to call it castle ruins, since there’s nothing to actually go inside—you can only look around the perimeter—which is just my style :)
As we moved from the seaside toward the city center, I noticed that the local houses were colorful and terraced, with a vibe reminiscent of Notting Hill or Bristol. Also, as we walked through the streets, I couldn’t help but notice the abundance of graffiti.
Overall, Swansea reminded me a bit of my hometown, Izmir; with its long beach, harbor town vibe, relaxed people, and the atmosphere on the streets. Cardiff, on the other hand, is the bigger city and, with its more industrial feel, reminded me of Istanbul.
In a parallel universe, it’s like being an Izmir native working in Istanbul is the same as being from Swansea and working in Cardiff. So, if you’ll allow me, I hereby declare myself an honorary Swansea local—after all, Catherine Zeta-Jones is from here too, and I feel this city has a pull on me...
There are so many more places to see in Wales, especially for trekking in the national parks, and countless beaches. But if, like me, you’re thinking, “I’ll grab my backpack, hop on a train, and see the main cities,” you can visit these two beautiful Welsh cities in a short 3-day trip. Even though they speak one of the world’s quirkiest languages, I loved Wales, and I’m sure you will too.
So I want to end my post with a famous Welsh saying…
“Dgjkldsf jjsuidipsnvds sreioruaoidnds bkifkfds.”
Yes, I just typed randomly on the keyboard.
Love,
Seçil
Comments