South Wales

We’ve compiled the best of the best in South Wales - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.

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  • 1. Big Pit National Coal Museum

    For hundreds of years, South Wales has been famous for its mining industry. Decades of decline—particularly during the 1980s—left only a handful of mines in business. The mines around Blaenavon, a small town 7 miles northeast of Abergavenny, have been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and this fascinating museum is the centerpiece. Ex-miners lead you 300 feet underground into a coal mine. You spend just under an hour examining the old stables, machine rooms, and exposed coalfaces. Afterward you can look around an exhibition housed in the old Pithead Baths, including an extraordinary section on child labor in British mines. Children under 3½ feet tall are not allowed on the underground portion of the tour.

    Off A4043, Blaenavon, Torfaen, NP4 9XP, Wales
    44-0300-1112333

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free; £5 parking
  • 2. Brecon Beacons National Park

    About 5 miles southwest of Brecon you encounter mountains and wild, windswept uplands that are tipped by shafts of golden light when the weather's fine, or fingers of ghostly mist when it's not. This 519-square-mile park is one of Wales's most breathtaking areas, perfect for a hike or scenic drive; it's also one of the world's few accredited International Dark Sky Reserves, which means it's an excellent location for star-gazing. Start at the visitor center on Mynydd Illtyd, a grassy stretch of upland west of the A470. Also known as the Mountain Centre, it's an excellent source of information about the park, including maps and advice on the best routes (guided or self-guided). There's also an excellent tearoom where you can fuel up for the journey or reward yourself with an indulgent slice of cake afterward. If you want to see it all from your car, any road that crosses the Beacons will offer you beautiful views, but the most spectacular is the high and undulating A4069, between Brynamman and Llangadog in the park's western end. To explore the moorlands on foot, come prepared. Mist and rain descend quickly, and the summits are exposed to high winds.

    Off A470, Brecon Beacons National Park, Powys, LD3 8ER, Wales
    44-01874-623366

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free; parking £1 for 2 hrs, £2 for 4 hrs, £3 all-day
  • 3. Caerphilly Castle

    The largest and most impressive fortress in Wales, and one of the few still to be surrounded by its original moat, Caerphilly must have been awe-inspiring at the time of its construction in the 13th century. Built by an Anglo-Norman lord, the concentric fortification contained powerful inner and outer defenses. It was badly damaged during the English Civil War (check out the leaning tower), although extensive 20th-century renovations have restored much of its former glory. The original Great Hall is still intact, and near the edge of the inner courtyard there's a replica of a trebuchet—a giant catapult used to launch rocks and other projectiles at the enemy. Additionally, an interesting collection of modern interpretive sculptures has been placed around the castle, both inside and outside. A £5 million renovation led to the opening of a new visitor center, shop, and café in 2023. To celebrate the town's famous cheese, a free festival, the Big Cheese, is held here every year at the end of July. Caerphilly is 7 miles north of Cardiff.

    Castle St., Caerphilly, Caerphilly, CF83 1JD, Wales
    44-03000-252239

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: £10.10
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  • 4. Cardiff Castle

    A mishmash of styles, from austere Norman keep to over-the-top Victorian mansion, Cardiff Castle is an odd but beguiling place, located right in the middle of the city. Take the tour of the Victorian portion to discover the castle's exuberant side. William Burges (1827–81), an architect obsessed with the Gothic period, transformed the castle into an extravaganza of medieval color for the third marquess of Bute. The result was the Moorish-style ceiling in the Arab Room, the intricately carved shelves lining the Library, and gold leaf murals everywhere. Look for the painting of the Invisible Prince in the Day Nursery; at first glance it's just a tree, but stare long enough and a man takes shape in the branches. Note the not-so-subtle rejection of Darwin's theory of evolution, represented by monkeys tearing up his book around the library's doorway. Fans of military history shouldn't miss "Firing Line," an exhibition tracing the history of Welsh regiments. The vast castle grounds, which include beautiful rhododendron gardens and a habitat for owls and falcons, are also the setting for an open-air cinema and music concerts in the summer. A visitor center houses the ticket office, a gift shop, a café, and an information center focusing on the city. Tours, including of the clock tower, are held on certain dates year-round; call or check the website for schedule and booking information.

    Castle St., Cardiff, Cardiff, CF10 3RB, Wales
    44-029-2087–8100

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: £14.50
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  • 5. Carreg Cennen Castle

    On the edge of Brecon Beacons National Park, about 30 miles west of Brecon, this decaying clifftop fortress was built in the 12th century, and remains of earlier defenses have been found dating back to the Iron Age. The castle, though a ruin, has a partially intact barbican (fortified outer section) and some inner chambers hewn dramatically from the bedrock. The climb to get there is somewhat punishing—you have to trudge up a steep, grassy hill—but the views of the valley, with its patchwork of green fields framed by the peaks of the Black Mountains, are enough to take away whatever breath you have left. Thankfully, there's a tearoom in the farm below the castle to take a breather after the climb. Kids will love the Longhorn cattle, Welsh Mountain ponies, and sheep on the owners' farm.

    Off Derwydd Rd., Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, SA19 6UA, Wales
    44-01558-822291

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: £5.50
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  • 6. Castell Coch

    Perched on a hillside is this fairy-tale castle, built on the site of a medieval stronghold in the 1870s, about the time that the "Fairy-Tale King" Ludwig II of Bavaria was creating his castles in the mountains of Germany. This turreted Victorian fantasy wouldn't look out of place among them. The castle was another collaboration of the third marquess of Bute and William Burges, who transformed Cardiff Castle. Burges created everything, including the whimsical furnishings and murals, in a remarkable exercise of Victorian-Gothic whimsy.

    A470, Tongwynlais, Cardiff, CF15 7JS, Wales
    44-03000-252239

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: £8.30
  • 7. Glynn Vivian Art Gallery

    Founded in 1911 by a bequest from Richard Glynn Vivian (1835–1910), an art collector and philanthropist whose family were prominent industrialists in the city, the public gallery is one of Swansea's highlights. Exhibits include an internationally important collection of Swansea china as well as works by acclaimed local artists. There is usually a busy calendar of events, including regular temporary exhibitions; check the website for more details. The contemporary, airy café serves good coffee, cakes, salads, and sandwiches.

    Alexandra Rd., Swansea, Swansea, SA1 5DZ, Wales
    44-01792-516900

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Closed Mon.
  • 8. Gower Peninsula

    This peninsula, which stretches westward from Swansea, was the first part of Britain to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Its shores are a succession of sheltered sandy bays and awesome headlands. The seaside resort of Mumbles, on the outskirts of Swansea, is the most famous town along the route. It's a pleasant place to wander on a sunny afternoon, with a Norman castle, an amusement pier, and a seaside promenade, as well as a variety of independent cafés and boutiques. Farther along the peninsula, the secluded Pwlldu Bay can only be reached on foot from nearby villages like Southgate. A few miles westward is the more accessible (and very popular) Three Cliffs Bay, with its sweeping views and wide, sandy beach. At the far western tip of the peninsula, Rhossili has perhaps the best beach of all. Its unusual, snaking causeway—known locally as the Worm's Head—is inaccessible at high tide. Gower is a popular destination with surfers and you'll find many other water sports offered here.

    Swansea, Swansea, Wales
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  • 9. National Botanic Garden of Wales

    This 568-acre, 18th-century estate is dotted with lakes, fountains, and a Japanese garden. The centerpiece is the Norman Foster–designed Great Glass House, the largest single-span greenhouse in the world, which blends into the curving landforms of the Tywi Valley. The greenhouse's interior landscape includes a 40-foot-deep ravine and thousands of plants from all over the world. The Ghost Forest is a stunning art installation, made from the carved stumps of 10 giant hardwood trees—a powerful statement on how rapidly the world's forests are being destroyed. Also here is the British Bird of Prey Centre, where you can watch native raptors flying daily, including a golden eagle. The grounds have lovely views across the Carmarthenshire countryside, especially from the Paxton's View lookout point. It's marked by Paxton's Tower, a Gothic folly built to honor Horatio Nelson, now owned by the National Trust (it's free to wander, though there's nothing to see inside). The garden, 20 miles northwest of Swansea, is signposted off the main road between Swansea and Carmarthen.

    Off A48 or B4310, Llanarthne, Carmarthenshire, SA32 8HN, Wales
    44-01558-667149

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: £13.75
  • 10. National Museum Cardiff

    This splendid neoclassical museum in Cardiff's civic center houses the National Museum of Art and the National Museum of Natural History. It is renowned for its exquisite collection of impressionist and modern art, featuring many of the art world's major players as well as one of the world's best collections of British silverware. This is also the main venue of the biennial Artes Mundi, the United Kingdom's largest contemporary arts prize. The Evolution of Wales gallery, showing the country's history from the Big Bang onward, uses inventive robotics and audiovisual effects. Kids, however, will be more interested in the dinosaurs and the enormous, 9-meter (29-foot) skeleton of a humpback whale that washed ashore near Cardiff in 1982.

    Cathays Park, Cardiff, Cardiff, CF10 3NP, Wales
    44-0300-111–2333

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Closed Mon.
  • 11. Pembrokeshire Coast National Park

    By far the smallest of the country's three national parks, Pembrokeshire Coast is no less strikingly beautiful than the other two. The park has several Blue Flag beaches and a host of spectacular cliff-top drives and walks, including some of the most popular stretches of the Wales Coast Path. The park has a smattering of historic sites, including the impossibly picturesque St. Davids Cathedral, built in a Viking-proof nook by the Irish Sea. The information center in St. Davids is a good place to start.

    The Grove, St. Davids, Pembrokeshire, SA62 6NW, Wales
    44-01437-720392

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free
  • 12. St. Davids Cathedral

    The idyllic valley location of this cathedral helped protect the church from Viking raiders by hiding it from the view of invaders who came by sea. Originally founded by St. David himself around AD 600, the current building dates from the 12th century, although it has been added to at various times since. You must climb down 39 steps (known locally as the Thirty-Nine Articles) to enter the grounds; then start at the Gatehouse, with its exhibition on the history of the building. In the cathedral itself, the 15th-century choir stalls still have their original floor tiles, while the Holy Trinity Chapel contains an intricate fan-vaulted ceiling and a casket said to contain the patron saint's bones. Don't miss the Treasury and its illuminated gospels, silver chalices, and 700-year-old golden bishop's crosier. At the rear of the grounds of St. Davids Cathedral are the ruins of the 13th-century Bishop's Palace, particularly beautiful at dusk. The cathedral has a good café serving lunch made with local produce.

    The Close, St. Davids, Pembrokeshire, SA62 6RH, Wales
    44-01437-720202

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free; £5 voluntary donation
  • 13. St. Fagans National Museum of History

    On 100 acres of gardens, this excellent open-air museum celebrates the region's architectural history with a collection of farmhouses, cottages, shops, chapels, a school, and a 16th-century manor house. All but two of the structures were brought here from around Wales. Of special note are the string of ironworkers' cottages, each reflecting a different era from 1805, 1855, 1925, 1955, and 1985, from the decor to the technology to the gardens. Craftspeople work at the museum using traditional methods; most of the work is for sale. Galleries display clothing and other articles from daily life, and special events highlight local customs. The native animal breeds are popular with kids.

    Off A4232, St. Fagans, Cardiff, CF5 6XB, Wales
    44-0300-111–2333

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free; parking £6
  • 14. The Dylan Thomas Birthplace

    Dylan Thomas was born in this suburban Edwardian house, which remains a place of pilgrimage for the poet's devotees. You can wander the house with no restrictions (they're proud of the fact that nothing is roped off), or prebook tours that are tailored according to how much time you want to spend here. You can also arrange tours of other Thomas-related sites in Swansea and farther afield in the region. The whole house can be rented as self-catering accommodation for around £250 per night. You can also book lunch, afternoon tea, or dinner.

    5 Cwmdonkin Dr., Swansea, Swansea, SA2 0RA, Wales
    44-01792-472555

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: £8, Closed Mon. and Tues., Reservations required.
  • 15. Abergavenny Castle and Museum

    Built early in the 11th century, this castle witnessed a tragic event on Christmas Day, 1176: the Norman knight William de Braose invited the neighboring Welsh chieftains to a feast, and in a crude attempt to gain control of the area, had them all slaughtered as they sat to dine. The Welsh retaliated and virtually demolished the castle. Most of what now remains dates from the 13th and 14th centuries. The castle's 19th-century hunting lodge houses an excellent museum of regional history. There's a re-created saddler's shop and a World War II air-raid shelter, but the Victorian Welsh farmhouse kitchen, with its old utensils and butter molds, is perhaps the most diverting exhibit.

    Castle St., Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, NP7 5EE, Wales
    44-01873-854282

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Closed Wed.
  • 16. Blaenavon Ironworks

    A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the 1789 Blaenavon Ironworks traces the entire process of iron production in the late 18th century. Well-preserved blast furnaces, a water-balance lift used to transport materials to higher ground, and a terraced row of workers' cottages show how the business operated.

    A4043, Blaenavon, Torfaen, NP4 9RN, Wales
    44-03000-252239

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: £6.60, Closed Mon.–Thurs. in Nov.–Mar.
  • 17. Brecon Cathedral

    Modest on the outside but surprisingly cavernous on the inside, this cathedral stands on the hill above the middle of town. The cathedral was built on the site of an 11th-century priory, which was destroyed during Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries in the 1530s. It was rebuilt as a parish church fairly soon after and was remodeled in the 1860s. It became an Anglican Cathedral in 1923. The heritage center does a good job of telling the building's history, and there's also a handy café-bookshop called the Hours. Local choirs perform concerts here regularly; check the website for event listings.

    Cathedral Close, Brecon, Powys, LD3 9DP, Wales
    44-01874-623716

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free
  • 18. Caldey Island

    This beautiful little island off the coast at Tenby has whitewashed stone buildings that lend it a Mediterranean feel. The island is best known for its Cistercian order, whose black-and-white-robed monks make a famous perfume from the local plants. You can visit tiny St. Illtyd's Church to see the Caldey Stone, an early Christian artifact from circa AD 600, engraved in Latin and ancient Celtic. St. David's Church, on a hill above the village, is a simple Norman chapel noted for its art-deco stained glass. The monastery itself isn't open to the public, but its church has a public viewing gallery if you want to observe a service. Boats to Caldey Island leave from Tenby's harbor every 20 minutes or so between Easter and October.

    Caldey Island, Pembrokeshire, SA70 7UJ, Wales
    44-01834-844453

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free; boats £15 round-trip, Closed Sun.
  • 19. Cardiff Bay

    Perhaps the most potent symbol of Cardiff's 21st-century rebirth, this regenerated district is a 15-minute bus ride from St. Mary Street. It's the location of Senedd Cymru, the Welsh Parliament, and Wales Millennium Centre, as well as a good selection of restaurants and bars. Don't miss the Norwegian Church Arts Centre, where children's author Roald Dahl was baptized; you can also take a boat trip around the bay. It was from Roath Dock in 1910 that Captain Robert Falcon Scott and his crew left aboard the SS Terra Nova for their ill-fated British Antarctic Expedition.

    Between Stuart St. and Harbour Dr., Cardiff, Cardiff, CF99 1NA, Wales
  • 20. Dylan Thomas Centre

    Situated on the banks of the Tawe in the Maritime Quarter, the Dylan Thomas Centre celebrates the life of the writer with an excellent permanent exhibition as well as literary events and activities. In summer, guided tours showcasing Dylan's Swansea start from here. There's also a cozy little café serving locally sourced products. Fans of the poet can buy a booklet here that outlines the Dylan Thomas Trail around South Wales. It includes the Boathouse (now a museum) in Laugharne, where the poet lived and wrote for the last four years of his life.

    Somerset Pl., Swansea, Swansea, SA1 1RR, Wales
    44-01792-463980

    Sight Details

    Rate Includes: Free, Closed Mon. and Tues.

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