When you go towards the west of London, near the river Taff, the might city of Cardiff will welcome you with open arms. Cardiff is the capital of Wales, the 11th largest city in the UK. Hundreds and thousands of tourists visit Cardiff every year; it was also voted the ‘top place to visit in 2009.
It is a place with rich history, mesmerising views and colourful culture. People speak Welsh and English in Cardiff, so tourists have no problem roaming around the city.
Are you planning a vacation to Cardiff with your family? Perhaps a quick detour with friends to bask in the goodness of Cardiff is in the works? Whatever the reason may be, we highly recommend you plan a tour of Cardiff in the first instance.
Below are some interesting facts about Cardiff, which will make you pack your bags and head straight to it.
Big on sports
If you are a sports freak, Cardiff is just the right place for you. It has a vast stadium named ‘Principality Stadium’ that has a capacity of a whopping 74,000 people in total. Principality Stadium is famous for its nail-biting rugby, football, and speedway matches. It is a state-of-the-art stadium with a retractable roof and more features that make it one of its kind.
Tourist City
When we say Cardiff is an ideal place for tourism, we are not bragging. According to stats, 18 million tourists visit Cardiff every year, making it the 10th most visited city internationally.
Cardiff has been ranked the 6th best place to visit by National Geographic and Your Magazine, which makes it all the more promising for people who want to visit it.
History
Cardiff is a city with rich history, as the Romans built this city in the 1st Century AD. It was originally called Caer-Taff since it is situated just be the river Taff.
King of England ‘William I’ built the famous Cardiff Castle in 1081, a masterpiece of architecture. Tourists flock to Cardiff Castle to experience a part of history and appreciate its beauty.
Roald Dahl’s Birthplace
Who isn’t familiar with the legendary writer, screenwriter, poet and storyteller Roald Dahl? He was born and raised in Llandaff, Cardiff. Roald Dahl is said to be the greatest storyteller for kids in the 20th Century.
For people who admire Roald Dahl, there is a Roald Dahl Pass near Clayton Hotel that you can visit and pay your homage. Some of the famous works of Roald Dahl include Charlie and the chocolate factory, Tales of the unexpected, The Twits, The witches, Peach and Matilda.
Churches in Cardiff
Tourists like to visit churches to experience the art and architecture of Victorian history. If you too like to visit churches, you have a number of great places to visit. There is St David’s Metropolitan Cathedral, St Peter’s Church and St Mary’s Church, to name a few.
The Greek Orthodox Church of St Nicholas is one of the first few orthodox churches that were built in Cardiff. You can visit it at Bute Street.
National Museum of history
St Fagans National Museum of history is a place highly recommended for people who like museums. The interesting thing about this museum is it is entirely open-air and consists of around forty buildings.
You can visit St Fagans museum to experience the lifestyle, culture and history of Welsh people. You can also visit their website to book, plan and schedule your visit to the museum.
Self-storage Cardiff
If you are looking for a cheap self-storage, you have landed at the right place. You can easily find Cardiff storage units at affordable prices since the storage Cardiff industry is quite large.
The UK is one of the largest users of self-storage units in Europe, you can easily find reliable and economical storage solutions in Cardiff. Whether you want domestic storage, student storage, or commercial storage, you can choose from hundreds of options.
Famous people of Cardiff
Cardiff is not only famous for its architecture, museums and beautiful sights, it has a long list of celebrities that are born there too. If you have any interest in film, theatre or music, you will find the list intriguing.
Some of the celebrities from Cardiff are, Tom Ellis, Perdita Weeks, Charlotte Church and Honeysuckle Weeks. Ryan Giggs, a world-renowned footballer, was also born in Cardiff.
Bute Park
Bute Park is built on 130 acres of land, which makes it the largest park in Cardiff. This park has many interesting attractions including sculptures, wood carvings, flower gardens and grassland.
Once you are done with the garden, you can also visit the great Cardiff Castle near Bute Park’s boundaries. If you are wondering, this park is named after the Marquess of Bute, the person who built it.
Shopping destination
As a tourist, people want to visit sights, roam around the city and grab a few bargain deals if they can. Cardiff has a lot to offer when it comes to shopping. You can visit the malls and shopping centres and buy everything one can imagine.
If you are worried about staying in the budget, we recommend you bring a few hundred pounds extra. With such a high influx of tourists in Cardiff, prices are more on the higher side.
Food and drink
Cardiff has a lively nightlife, a welcoming vibe and people with pleasant attitudes. If you are visiting Cardiff for the first time and wondering about must-eat places, some of our top recommendations are below.
Try out the street food social at Depot, visit the most talked-about restaurant of the city ‘The Botanist’, ‘The Ivy’ and ‘The New York Deli. Cardiff has a lot of pubs, some of which are ‘Pipes Brewery’ and ‘Laguna Bar’.
Doctor Who
If you need one more reason to visit Cardiff, we have an interesting one. Most of us are familiar with the iconic television series of Doctor Who, surprising fact is it was mostly filmed in Cardiff.
You can hire a tour guide to visit the sets and locations of Doctor Who. You can visit St Mary’s Street, The National Museum of Wales and Cardiff Castle to relive some moments of Doctor Who.
