Wales’ capital city is a bustling meeting-point of history and modernity, with culture, sports, the arts, and retail all playing their part. The centre stretches from Cardiff Castle at its north, a medieval castle updated in the 19th century with flamboyant Gothic flourishes, to the Principality Stadium at its south, designed for the 1999 Rugby World Cup and now the much-loved noisy home for Welsh rugby games and pop concerts. In the middle of Cardiff, independent shops and cafes flourish in its beautiful, well-kept Victorian arcades, while fashionable brands thrive in the glass and chrome settings of the Capitol Centre and the St David’s Dewi Sant Shopping Centre.

Music is a big pull in this city, from the Brutalist St David’s Hall, with its impressive staggered balconies, to the venues lining up against busy pubs and bars on Womanby Street, and the Millennium Centre next to the gorgeous Welsh Government building. Film and TV are also thriving here, while Cardiff Bay is fast becoming a media hub with international productions. The leafy suburbs of Canton, Pontcanna, and Roath, with their excellent parks, galleries, and restaurants, are also a short walk from town.

Cardiff is an easily accessible city just off the M4 motorway, with a train station, Cardiff Central, connecting directly to most major UK destinations (trains take 2 hours from here to London Paddington). It also has an international airport (CWL) at Rhoose, southwest of the city. From here, direct trains and buses run hourly into town. Cardiff city centre is easily navigable by foot and also by bike, with 500 two-wheelers available to use at 50 stations through the town through a sharing subscription scheme (see Cardiff Council’s website for details of how to register on the app, on your phone, or online). Cardiff Bus and local trains also run many routes linking the city with nearby small towns, like pretty Penarth on the coast and beloved old-fashioned seaside resort Barry Island.

In February and March every year, seas of red-shirted fans come to Wales’ home games in the Six Nations Rugby Tournament. The atmosphere in town on these days is electric, spinning off into the town’s pubs and beer gardens (prepare yourselves: the Welsh are well-known for their singing). The Principality Stadium hosts concerts through the summer, which is also a great time to stretch your legs or sit back down by the bay, enjoying its grand outdoor spaces and restaurants showcasing international cuisine. The school holidays can make beloved spaces like the dinosaur-filled National Museum and much-loved children’s science centre Techniquest busy, but they’re still worth a queue. Bring warm clothes and an umbrella for the often-chilly Welsh winter, the best time to enjoy yourselves in the shops, as the city centre lights up.

The Norwegian Church

This unusual, iron-clad, black and white church sits beautifully at Cardiff Bay, offering a peaceful spot among the outdoor diners and drinkers. It was built by Norwegian seafarers in the 1860s, and children’s author Roald Dahl was christened here; he was born in the town, and brought up in nearby Llandaff. Restored and redeveloped in recent decades, it’s now a local events venue with a cafe and lovely outdoor seating.

The Welsh Millennium Centre

“In these stones/horizons sing” reads the towering inscription on the Welsh Millennium Centre in English and Welsh, celebrating the country’s industrial past and its musical soul. This is a stunning building, clad in multicoloured slate from Welsh quarries, and housing a beautiful theatre, two small halls, shops, bars, and restaurants.

Chapter Arts Centre

A home for the contemporary arts in Wales comprising four theatres, two galleries, and resident studios for artists, Chapter sits proudly in the creative suburb of Canton. Its specialities are live music, challenging theatre, and performance art, playing alongside Hollywood blockbusters and independent films in its cinema.