Cardiff tourist attractions

The city’s premier attraction, Cardiff Castle is an amazing building with a long and fascinating history. The centrepiece of the complex is the castle apartments, which were given a grand makeover by the third Marquess of Bute and decorator William Burges. With their passion for the religious art and symbolism of the Middle Ages, they radically transformed the crumbling interiors in Gothic-Revival style, a riot of vivid colour and intricate design. In all the rooms, fantastically rich trimmings complement the gaudy approach so beloved of the two nineteenth-century eccentrics.

The recent regeneration of Cardiff Bay has resulted in a remarkable transformation of the derelict old docks into a bona fide tourist attraction. In times gone by, when the docks were some of the busiest in the world, the area was better known by its evocative name of Tiger Bay – immortalized by locally born chanteuse Shirley Bassey in her hit Girl from Tiger Bay. The bay is alive with history and definitely worth a visit if you want to learn more about the maritime past of this dynamic city.

Housed in a massive domed Portland-stone building, the exceptional National Museum attempts to tell the story of Wales and reflect the nation’s place in the international sphere. The expertly-curated galleries take you on a journey of discovery through the country’s natural history as well as its historic and contemporary art culture. The museum also has its fair share of artwork by the famous French and European Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.

Dominating the city from all angles is the world-famous Principality Stadium. Shoehorned so tightly into its Taff-side site that the surrounding walkways had to be cantilevered out over the river, this 74,500-seat giant has become a symbol not only of Cardiff, but of Wales as a whole. The location was once occupied by the legendary Cardiff Arms Park, and though the old terraces and the famous name have gone, the turf is still the home of Welsh rugby, and when Wales has a home match – particularly against old enemy England – the stadium and surrounding streets are charged with good-natured, beery fervour.

Dominating Cardiff Bay is the mesmerizing Wales Millennium Centre, a vibrant performance space for theatre and music, and home to many of Wales’ premier arts organizations. Likened by critics to a copper-plated armadillo or aardvark, the WMC soars over the rooftops, its exterior swathed in Welsh building materials, including different slates, wood and stone, topped with a stainless-steel shell tinted with a bronze oxide to resist salty air.

The city centre is good for a splash of shopping or a tour of the beautiful Victorian and Edwardian buildings. St David’s Centre, a gargantuan complex that holds some two hundred shops, dominates one side of the city centre, while the other side is home to an impressive concert venue. The major point of interest in these parts, however, is the Old Library, home to the enlightening Cardiff Story.

The most obvious, and evocative, reminder of the bay’s shipping heritage is the magnificent red-brick Pierhead, which has beckoned vessels into Cardiff port since its construction in 1897. A typically ornate neo-Gothic terracotta pile, the building became the administrative centre for the Port of Cardiff in 1947, and the last shipment of coal left here in 1964. It now houses a surprisingly enjoyable exhibition documenting the rise and fall of the coal-exporting industry hereabouts.