Cardiff & South Wales Tourist Information

Cardiff & Cardiff Bay Holidays

There are two central hubs if you like to Cardiff - central Cardiff revolving around Cardiff Castle, the National Museum & Gallery of Wales, Cardiff University, the Millennium Stadium and superb shopping around the Queens Street area. Move about a mile down Lloyd George Avenue towards the water to find Cardiff's other main hub - the Cardiff Bay area. Historically a thriving and multicultural docklands, the workers lived in the Butetown area in appalling conditions. Today Cardiff Bay has been spruced up into an entertainment hub.

Cardiff is one of the richest cities in the UK for a choice of museums, internally acclaimed art galleries, a booming harbour area at Cardiff Bay with its new opera house come entertainment venue, plus Cardiff central is a superb location for shopping with everything from recognisable high street shopping, to indoor markets and specialist shops. Theatres, cinemas, a dramatic castle and plenty of green space in the centre and along the River Taff which runs through the city all add to Cardiff's edge.

Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre, The Tube, Harbour Drive, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF10 4WZ. Tel: 029 20463833.

Cardiff Tourist Information Centre, The Old Library, The Hayes, Cardiff, CF10 1WE. Wales. Tel: 08701 211258.

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Swansea, Swansea Bay and the Gower Peninsula

The city of Swansea, the second largest in Wales, offers an excellent choice of museums including the Swansea Museum with its focus on local history, and the acclaimed new National Waterfront Museum - a hive of interactive exhibits in both Welsh and English, looking at the industrial revolution in Wales from below and innovation in contemporary Wales.

A university city with great nightlife, Swansea has an excellent art gallery, a castle and move outside the city to the surrounding Mumbles and the Gower Peninsula to discover stunning blue flag beaches (many of which offer excellent surfing), walking and cycling trails (especially good for mountain biking here at the nearby Afan Forest Park), windsurfing and kitesurfing, a superb choice of golf courses including championship golf courses and spectacular coastal cliff scenery perfect for coastal walking. For the best of Welsh food and produce head for Swansea's famous huge indoor market!

The Swansea area has much to offer in terms of a variety of holiday entertainment, both for families and surfing and mountain biking fanatics. Look to the west of Swansea for the stunning Gower Peninsula and some of the UK's best surfing beaches. Look to the east of Swansea for one of the UK's top mountain bike holiday hotspots at Afan Forest. Surfers and families won't be disappointed in the Aberafan seafront and beach. Wales beach Aberafan is renowned amongst experienced surfers for it's consistent high swells. Families will love the Aquadome indoor waterpark at the Afan Lido on the seafront.

Swansea makes an excellent base too for exploring West Wales. The city doesn't experience such a heavy traffic conjestion as Cardiff, so it's easy to get in and out. The Gower Peninsula is just on your doorstep, and both Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire are easily accessed via the A48 and A40.

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The Valleys - Merthyr Tydfil & Welsh History

Nicknamed the worldwide capital of iron in the early days of the industrial revolution, Merthyr Tydfil is certainly the most important town on the Welsh industrial history map. The town and its residents, many of whom worked in the iron and coal industry, have endured considerable suffering and hardship through the 20th century - not without huge revolt in this region as both Chartism in the 1830s/40s and strikes and resistance during the 1980s Miner's Strike was strong indeed.

Unemployment is still well above the national average in the region, and Merthyr and the Valleys, spurred on with UNESCO World Heritage Status at Blaenafon Ironworks, are now reinventing the area focussing on attracting tourism to key industrial revolution sites.

The industrial and social history in Merthyr and the surrounding South Wales Valleys is rich, and if you're on the coal mining and ironworks historical trail then Merthyr Tydfil is a superb base! Merthyr sits at the head of the Taff Valley (take the Taff Trail either cycling or walking to explore the Taff Valley and various industrial sites to the full).

Take a trip on the historic Brecon Mountain Railway which starts at Merthyr Tydfil and heads up into the Brecons national park. Checkout too the superb social history exhibits and art gallery at Cyfarthfa Castle. In residence at the castle was the iron magnate who owned the mammoth Cyfarthfa ironworks which once stood here in Merthyr across the river from the castle.

Chepstow, Monmouth, Newport, The Wye Valley & Monmouthshire

The Wye Valley which stretches across a 72 mile radius from the Wye River was designated an 'Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty' (AONB) in 1971. The Wye Valley actually stretches into both England and Wales, pushing into the regions of Herefordshire, Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire which all border the River Wye at some point. The area is favoured by walkers and canoeing enthusiasts particularly and several superb marked ways and trails, including Offas Dyke and the Wye Valley Walk, the two longest trails.

Around the Wye Valley and Monmouthshire, stunning historical towns and villages abound - you'll discover quite a few Welsh castles in this neck of the woods too, and indeed abbey ruins. Tintern Abbey and Raglan Castle near Monmouth are two of the best sites. A haven for walkers and for canoeing fanatics on the River Wye, the area is perfect for outdoor leisure holidays with a host of sports available including climbing, fishing, horse riding, walking and canoeing and kayaking.

For all things books head to renowned Hay-on-Wye which has, at the last count, no less than 41 bookshops, and it's renowned annual Hay Festival which revolves around literature and books. Pretty Ross-on-Wye is a great base for holidays spent larking about on the River Wye. Plenty of opportunity from Ross to enjoy river cruises, canoeing and kayaking. Not by chance is the River Wye often referred to as the UK's most beautiful river - it remains a natural, unspoilt river crammed with wildlife and plants.

Chepstow makes an excellent base, not just for itself in terms of a fascinating history, the dramatic Chepstow Castle and informative Chepstow museum, but also for easy access to idyllic walking around the Wye Valley. Monmouth has an English flavour, pulling on its links to royals, King Henry V who conquered Normandy at Agincourt in 1415 was born here in Monmouth, in Monmouth Castle. The Monmouthshire area is crammed with ancient castles, abbeys and churches - you're in market town territory here! Newport has much to offer the visitor in terms of attractions including the fascinating Caerleon Roman Fort site, Tredegar Historic House, Newport Castle, a canal network and canal history, a superb local museum and the Newport Wetlands Nature reserve created to replace the lost mudflats of Cardiff Bay.

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Bridgend & the Vale of Glamorgan

Porthcawl, Bridgend and the Glamorgan Heritage coast towards Barry Island offer a host of seaside and inland activities and attractions. Like surfing, love Rest Bay, Llantwit Major, Ogmore and Southerndown. Bridgend is superb for shopping, crammed with specialist shops and a Designer outlet centre.

Discover numerous historic old market villages and towns in the area, and more castles such as Coity and Newcastle Castles. Traditional family seaside holidays are on the menu at Porthcawl and Barry Island, both of which have their own huge adventure theme parks. Checkout the Blue Flag golden sandy beaches at both Rest Bay, Porthcawl and Whitmore Bay at Barry Island. Glamorgan is a popular Welsh region for golf! There's enough golf courses here, many of them coastal, to keep the fussiest of golf fanatics happy.

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