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Reader V.M. writes:
If you found yourself in Cardiff, Wales and had two free days on your hands, what would you do?
BTW, I love corgis.
The Rapid Traveler has not been to Wales, though has previously waded through 700-pages of tongue-gyrating words in A History of Wales by John Davies.
Researching a city for a short trip, The Rapid Traveler typically separates the city into a three-layer concentric circle: city core, city surrounds (30-60 minutes by public transport or car) and day trip (1-3 hours). In two days he spends roughly half a day on the city core and the remainder on a mix of the outer two. This gives an efficient range of experience, rather than getting stuck for two days looking at every museum and church in the core.
Caerphilly Castle, photo by Rob the moment
Cardiff core:
The Cardiff Castle and the National Museum Wales (free) are the big draws. The castle is expensive and probably overrun with tourists so an alternative is to visit some of the castles outside Cardiff.
Cardiff Bay has plenty of middling attractions and a nice Cardiff Bay Trail but not a priority for a short trip.
Family-friendly is a boat trip to Flat Holm Island.
Cardiff surrounds:
Castles and museums a plenty to choose among:
Castles:
- Caerphilly Castle with its annual Big Cheese Festival, July 27-29 in 2012.
- Castell Coch.
Museums:
- St. Fagans: National History Museum – open-air museum, family-friendly with lots of demonstrations.
- National Roman Legion Museum – The Rapid Traveler is always a sucker for Roman sites.
- Big Pit: National Coal Museum, part of the UNESCO site Blaenavon Industrial Landscape – fun for boys and boys at heart, and a slice of a an industry critical to Wales’ modern history. A bit far, a solid hour drive but works as a route first at the Roman Museum, then the Coal Museum, and continuing up to Brecon Beacons National Park.
Day trip:
- Brecon Beacons National Park looks like the standout, with hikes up to Wales’ highest peak, Pen-y-fan, the Vale of Ewyas, the border village Hay-on-Wye, home of the Hay Festival, and much more.
Pen-y-fan, photo by Leshaines123
Readers, what are your Cardiff recommendations?
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Spent some amount of time — can’t remember how much, exactly — in Cardiff with some English friends for a rugby match. Was spectacularly drunk within about 30 minutes of arrival, so can’t help much with things to do (I think there may have been rugby, but I’m not sure). But I can recommend the local beer, which is from the Brains brewery (their slogan: It’s Brains You Want).