Hotels in Cardiff, the United Kingdom

Best time to visit Cardiff

Cardiff is blessed with a pleasant climate, a fun-filled ambience, and interesting events all year round. Anytime of the year is a good time to visit Cardiff. However, March – May is a particularly beautiful season with fresh spring blooms lending colourful hues to the entire city. June – August is peak tourist season with several musical concerts and shows, food festivals, and special events. Average temperatures are approximately 19 – 22 degrees Celsius. During September – October, temperatures range from 11 – 19 degrees Celsius and the changing colours of the foliage create an interesting backdrop for several carnivals that take place during this time. November – December sees a spurt of winter sports enthusiasts and visitors looking to celebrate the year-end festivities. Cardiff is known as an ‘event city’. If your trip coincides with some of the events or matches, try and book your accommodation in advance to beat availability issues and last minute rate hikes by hotels.

Getting around Cardiff

Cardiff has a well-developed public transport system. Cardiff Bus offers an extensive network within the city with single ride adult fares at £1.80 GBP while day passes called ‘Day to go’ tickets cost £3.60 GBP per person. Arriva Trains Wales operates trains within the Cardiff city and suburban area as well as across Wales. A single ride ticket within the city costs £2.00 GBP. You can explore Cardiff on a bike via a number of marked cycle routes. Licensed taxis with metered fares can be easily hailed at several taxi ranks across the city. Cardiff City Centre and Cardiff Bay are also connected by waterbus services operated by Cardiff Boat Tours. A one-way adult fare is £4.00 GBP.

Best places to stay in Cardiff

Ancient castles, national museums, modern art centres, a vibrant waterfront, extraordinary shopping, and a buzzing nightlife. Cardiff can easily be summed up as a lively and entertaining city, full of cultural attractions, sports, and events that promise to enthral every visitor. Whether you wish to enjoy the extravagant waterfront properties with luxury spas, or go for more modest accommodation close to parks and mountain life, or be in the midst of all the action of the city life, you can choose from a range of accommodations when you visit Cardiff.

City Centre

The heart of the city with most of its major sights and attractions concentrated in a compact area, staying in the City Centre is the most convenient way to explore Cardiff. A 2-minute walk from the central bus and train station, you have The Big Sleep hotel, a celebrity-endorsed funky place to stay. Or consider staying at The Royal Hotel Cardiff, the city’s oldest hotel housed in a historic building on St. Mary Street.

Cardiff Docks

At Cardiff Docks, you have the option to stroll by the seaside or feast on international cuisine at the Mermaid Quay. This area also has a host of pubs and bars, and is known for chic and high-end luxury hotels offering tranquil spas and infinity swimming pools. Enjoy the waterside location and luxury accommodation at The St. David’s Hotel & Spa.

Riverside

Next to the green expanse of Cooper’s Field and River Taff, the Riverside neighbourhood is a quieter area within a short walk from the City Centre as well as from the chic district of Pontcanna. You will find a sprinkling of quaint guesthouses and smaller hotels in this area. Consider staying at Cathedral 73 hotel, a restored Victorian townhouse on a pretty, tree-lined avenue, or enjoy stylish rooms and modern amenities of the boutique hotel Joylons at No. 10.

Cheap hotels in Cardiff

Overlooking the River Taff and Millennium Stadium, you have a family-run hostel called The River House, and within a 10-minute walk to Cardiff Castle, you have the lively NosDa Hostel & Bar. You can also consider The Safehouse Hostel at Westgate Street or Hotel ibis budget Cardiff Centre in the heart of city centre amid all the shopping and nightlife.

The capital city of Wales, Cardiff is an exciting cultural hub with a wide choice of attractions, from art galleries to museums, street performances, unique boutiques, fashion stores, and year-round festivals and events. The city is also home to professional teams for football, rugby, and cricket. Whatever your itinerary, you are sure to be enthralled by the sheer buzz and enthusiasm of this charming city.

• Walk inside Bute Park which starts at the centre of the city and goes right up to the mountains in Taff’s Well and Tongwynlais.
• Explore the Cardiff Castle, a Victorian Gothic fantasy palace with 2,000 years of history and impressive architecture.
• Catch a live Rugby match or take a guided tour of the Principality Stadium.
• Visit Techniquest, the hands-on interactive science discovery centre in the heart of Cardiff Bay.
• Enjoy a musical show, an opera, ballet, an art exhibition, or one of the free daily performances at the Wales Millennium Centre, one of the most reputed arts and cultural destinations in the world.
• Indulge in white-water rafting, surf boarding, canoeing, or kayaking in a controlled environment at the Cardiff International White-Water facility in the heart of the Cardiff International Sports Village.
• Explore the interactive exhibits and a virtual tour of a modern coal mine at the award-winning Big Pit National Coal Museum.
• Visit the National Museum Cardiff and the St. Fagans National Museum of History. Art lovers should not miss a trip to the Martin Tinney Gallery located close by.
• Admire some of Cardiff’s oldest architecture dating back to the 12th century, when you visit St. John the Baptist Church and the Llandaff Cathedral.
• Stroll around some of the historic Victorian and Edwardian arcades, such as Duke Street Arcade, High Street Arcade, and Castle Quarter Arcade, and enjoy a wide range of fashion boutiques, gift shops, and cafés.
• Watch a theatrical production at the New Theatre, one of the oldest surviving theatres in Cardiff which has retained its historic charm and character, and hosts performances all year round.