Cardiff

Anna Loka

Food trailer with a regular pitch in town, formerly a restaurant. Serves delicious and creative all-vegan dishes. Check the website to see if they are in town.

£5-7

Bangkok Cafe

Thai restaurant offering a selection of stir fries, curries and noodle dishes and a reasonable vegan menu.

Blue Bell

Friendly pub with some Welsh dishes on the menu. Good vegetarian and vegan options.

£9–15 (March 2022)

Bute Park

More a collection of different parks that stretch continuously to the city's edge from the rear of the castle. Bute Park proper is an arboretum and former private grounds of the Bute family who owned the castle.

Cafe Citta

Cosy authentic Italian restaurant in the heart of the city centre.

£30-40

Cardiff Castle

Welsh: Castell Caerdydd

Castle St. Cardiff Castle is a large castle whose foundations are based upon a Roman fort. In the 19th century, it was one of the homes of the Marquis of Bute. The Norman fort in the centre, the Welsh regimental museum and excavated Roman ruins are open, and tours of the Bute household are available. The Bute part of the castle is quite amazing. The interior was all done in the early 1900s in a very idiosyncratic and interesting style. There is barely an inch that is not adorned with some sort of artistic work. Yet, it is not overwhelming. The craftsmanship is well worth a look.

Mar–Oct: Mon-Fri 10AM-6PM, Sat Sun 9AM-6PM; Nov–Feb: Mon-Fri 10AM-5PM, Sat Sun 9AM-5PM. Last entry one hour before closing time·Adult £14.50, child (age 5–16, with an adult) £10, senior/student/disabled (single carer free with each disabled ticket) £12, family ticket (2 adults and 2 children) £39, under 5s free

Castell Coch

meaning the 'Red Castle' in Welsh

A fairytale castle nestled on a hill overlooking the main gateway into the valleys from Cardiff in the outskirts of the city. Imaginatively reconstruted from ruins for the 3rd Marquis of Bute, its interiors follow the same elaborate designs as Cardiff castle except on a more intimate scale and would not look out of place in Germany.

Adults £7.30

Castell Restaurant

Amazing views of the castle grounds, and serves traditional Welsh cuisine. Also caters for private parties.

Cathays Park

Pronounced "kut-AYS, it is the prominent civic centre, comprising expensive white Portland stone buildings in a range of classical styles, all surrounding the formal gardens of Alexandra Gardens whose centre contains national war memorial of Wales.

Chai Street

Modern, casual Indian restaurant in the city centre specialising in a range of thalis as well as curry bowls and offering a good selection of draught lagers.

£15-25

Cineworld

Mainstream multiplex cinema, across the road from Motorpoint Arena Cardiff.

City Hall

The domed roof of City Hall topped by a dragon is one of the landmarks of Cardiff city centre. Dating from the start of the 20th century, it is built of beautiful white Portland stone and surmounted by many statues. Inside, the marble hall is dominated by statues of Welsh heroes, the main hall has large bronze chandeliers and the main debating chamber sits under the dome. Open to visitors, events may prevent you from seeing all the rooms but a must-see.

Giovanni's

Very long-established and popular Italian restaurant. Two in the city centre (The Hayes and Park Place) and another in Cardiff Bay.

Ichiban

This is a wonderful Japanese restaurant offering excellent value noodle, curry and sushi dishes. A short bus or taxi ride from the city centre, or a 20-30 minute walk.

Llandaff Cathedral

Welsh: Eglwys Gadeiriol Llandaf

In the ancient 'city of Llandaff', now incorporated into the north west of the city, and is one of the oldest religious sites in Europe. The cathedral dates from 1107 and features some spectacular architecture. After bomb damage in World War II it was very boldly restored; the huge statue of Christ in Majesty by Jacob Epstein tends to divide opinion, but is well worth a look. The cathedral school was where the famed children's author Roald Dahl was educated in the early part of his primary school life. The surrounding village is an interesting place to explore with a local coal magnate's house (Insole Court) donated to the people of Cardiff and open for visitors. The Ghost Tour has really become the thing to do in the area, making it into the Guardian's top 10 list of things to do in the UK.

Mia Porto Due

Restaurant offering a range of different Portuguese and Italian dishes. Fish and seafood lovers should try the Portuguese seafood stew.

Mina

Highly-regarded and very good-value Lebanese restaurant in the Cathays area; small, family-run and very friendly. Can get busy, especially at weekends: booking recommended. About 25 minutes' walk from city centre, or take Cardiff Bus number 38 or 39, which stop outside the door.

£20-30

National Museum Cardiff

An excellent collection of artworks and natural history exhibits. The art collection is particularly noted for the collection of 19th-century French works assembled by Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, heiresses to a fortune made in exporting coal. This is of international importance and includes works by Rodin, Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh. Children love the dinosaurs and mammoths in the Evolution of Wales section. £6.50 charge for the museum car park.

Free admission

Pen & Wig

Pleasant traditional pub with beer garden at the northern edge of the city centre, offering a wide choice of draught real ales.

Pierhead building

former headquarters of the railway and port authority

Sits between the ultra modern Millennium centre and Senedd as a strong contrast and link to Cardiff's glorious past. Covered in dragons and heraldry used for permanent and temporary exhibitions about Cardiff's development, and that of the docks.

Pillars

Restaurant.. Unfussy self-serve eatery offering breakfast, homestyle meals, sandwiches, jacket potatoes & pies.

8:30 am - 4 pm

Spice Quarter

Upmarket modern Indian restaurant tucked away in the Brewery Quarter.

St Fagans National History Museum

Known universally as St Fagans (pronounced "FAG-uns") after the village it's in, this is easily Wales's most popular visitor attraction. An open-air museum of vernacular buildings from all parts of Wales rebuilt, stone by stone, in the grounds of St Fagans Castle, an Elizabethan manor house. The castle gardens, dating from the 19th century, are especially beautiful. You may not be able to see everything in a single visit due to the size of the grounds. Also contains permanent indoor exhibitions on Welsh social and cultural history. Great for kids.

Free; pay and display parking

St. David's Hall

Neuadd Dewi Sant

Symphony hall used for orchestral concerts, recitals and other live music and comedy, host the Cardiff singer of the world competition, the world's premier singing competition.

Temporarily closed, opening to be confirmed

Techniquest

Over 160 science and technology exhibits to entertain the whole family. There is also a Science Theatre and tours of the Universe in the Planetarium. A good opportunity for adults to be big kids. Entry: £7.50 Adults, £6 children with concessions available for groups.

Tenkaichi

Tenkaichi offers authentic Japanese food with a British flair. It is a great restaurant if you want fresh noodles and sushi. It also provides an extensive wine list.

The Cardiff Story

This is the museum of Cardiff's history, located in the Old Library building, which it shares with the tourist information centre.

Free admission

The Head of Steam

Modern pub offering an extremely large selection of draught real ales and craft beers.

The Millennium Stadium

Welsh: Stadiwm y Mileniwm

Also known as the Principality Stadium. A 74,200-seater stadium, opened for the 1999 Rugby World Cup, and now home to the Wales national rugby team. It hosted the FA Cup Final for some years during the redevelopment of Wembley Stadium in London and is still the largest stadium in Europe with a completely retractable roof (good for those rainy days). A must see for any sport lover, tours are available online or at the ticket desk. Tours cost £16.50 for adults, £12 for children.

The Norwegian Church

It was established in Cardiff Bay to serve the large community of Norwegian sailors working in the docks. The main claim to fame of its original location is as the place where the author Roald Dahl was christened. Today it is a cafe and art gallery.