Cardiff Half Day Ultimate City Tour

This tour will give you a complete overview of the history, culture, geography & architecture of Cardiff. The capital of Wales is a young city but also a fascinating place full of greenery, castles, waterways, Victorian and Edwardian splendour, forged around a strong, growing Welsh identity.
Cardiff wouldn't exist without the influence of its Castle, while modern Cardiff wouldn't exist if not for the development of the docks. By choosing this tour you will discover how the two sections of the city compliment each other, and how they gave us the city we have today.

Meeting Point

Castle Welsh Crafts Ltd

1-3 Castle St, Cardiff CF10 1BS, UK

Outside the front entrance of Cardiff Castle, to the left of the main doorway. Look out for the guide in green or with a green umbrella.

What to expect:

Duration: 4 hours

Cardiff Castle

Cardiff Castle Grounds, , Cardiff, CF10 3RB

We start the tour at Cardiff oldest building and most prominent landmark. Discover 2,000 years of Cardiff history, from the Romans to the Bute family, before we set off on our guided walk of the city.

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Bute Park

35 North Road, Cardiff, CF10 3DX

Cardiff is one of the greenest cities in Britain, and the centrepiece of Cardiff's greenery is the massive Bute Park, right next to Cardiff Castle. The Park features a river, stone circle, old monastery and more trees than you can imagine.

20 minutes

Cathays Park - Cardiff Civic Centre

Museum Avenue, , Cardiff, CF10 3AX

Cathays Park is otherwise referred to as Cardiff's Civic Centre, the finest of it's kind in the whole of the UK. The neighbourhood features some of the most noteworthy buildings, parks and monuments in all of Cardiff. We'll explore war memorials, City Hall and more on this stroll through the area.

20 minutes

Cardiff Market

St. Mary Street, Cardiff, CF10 1AD

Explore Cardiff iconic central market, one of the cities most popular landmarks. Both traditional and moder alike, the market is more popular and diverse than ever before, yet it's location has a darker past than one might expect....

15 minutes

Principality Stadium

Westgate Street, Cardiff, CF10 1NS

While Cardiff Castle may be Cardiff's most notable old building, surely the Principality Stadium is its modern equivalent. Arguably the most well know structure in Wales, formerly known as the Millennium Stadium, the Principality is one of the world's most famous rugby arenas and unique in it's central location. The city of Cardiff arguably revolves around the events that's take place here, from international rugby to world class musical entertainment.

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Royal Arcade

Royal Arcade, Cardiff

Cardiff has the highest concentration of Victorian and Edwardian shopping arcades, or galleries, of any city in all of the UK. Explore the city's oldest with its unique shops, distinctive architecture and fairytale charm.

15 minutes

Butetown

Butetown, Cardiff CF10, UK

Modern Cardiff just wouldn't exist today without its most famous suburb. Cardiff's most diverse neighbourhood grew rapidly in the nineteenth century as Cardiff became an industrial powerhouse and as people arrived to Wales from all over the world. The legacy of that survives in the buildings, people and streets of Butetown even today.

30 minutes

The Coal Exchange Hotel

Building Bay, The Exchange, Mount Stuart Square, Cardiff CF10 5FQ, UK

One of the city's most noteworthy and beautiful buildings, the Coal & Shipping Exchange was once the epicentre of the world's coal trading industry. Today it is a glamorous hotel which captures and maintains the splendour of its origins.

10 minutes

Mermaid Quay

Management Suite, , Cardiff, CF10 5BZ

What was once the biggest coal exporting port in the world is now one of Europe's most modern and revitalised waterfronts. Remnants of the glory age of industry survive today with some of the older, iconic buildings, but Mermaid Quay also contains a plethora of dining and drinking options which overlook a gleaming waterfront since the creation of Cardiff Bay Barrage in the 1990s. We will discuss the areas development and redevelopment over the past two centuries, as well as what the future holds.

20 minutes

Norwegian Church Arts Centre

Harbour Drive, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff, CF10 4PA

One of the more unique or unexpected buildings in Cardiff is the Norwegian Church, as well as being one of the oldest surviving structures in the Bay area. Learn more about Wales' links with Norway as we take in the views of Penarth and the Scott Memorial at this point of the waterfront.

15 minutes

Roald Dahl Plass

Cilgant Bute, Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff, CF10 4DQ

Roald Dahl was born in Cardiff, much to the surprise of many. The city's most famous son, arguably, has been embraced more regularly in recent years and one sign of that is that the central plaza of the Bay area is named after the author. We will learn about the well known writer, his work, his legacy and his connections to Cardiff.

15 minutes

Wales Millennium Centre

Bute Place, Cardiff, CF10 5AL

The iconic modern structure of Cardiff Bay is no doubt the Wales Millennium Centre. It stands as a formidable, colourful and imposing shrine to the modern city and redeveloped waterfront. The architecture and backdrop are stunning, and fits as an ideal place to round off our four hour wander from Roman times to present day.

10 minutes

The Senedd

Senedd, Pierhead St, Cardiff CF99 1SN, UK

The Senedd, or Welsh Parliament, is the home of Welsh politics since its development as a building in 2006. It combines the heritage of Wales with the future and stands proudly overlooking the waterfront of Cardiff Bay. We will discuss Welsh politics and what the future may hold for this small but proud nation.

10 minutes

Cardiff City Hall

Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3ND, UK

One of the city's most glamorous and imposing buildings is City Hall, the centrepiece of the Civic Centre or Cathays Park, and a monument to the pre-War golden age of Edwardian Cardiff. Entry may be possible depending on the time, day of the week and other events taking place at the building.

10 minutes

Pierhead Building

Pierhead Building Maritime Road, Cardiff, CF10 4PZ

While the Millennium Centre is Cardiff Bay's iconic modern building, the Pierhead is surely the older equivalent. One of the most distinctive and unique looking structures in the city, it stands out from the surrounding area due to its shining red brick and tall clock tower. Learn its history, origins and present as we either pass by it or go inside depending on availability.

10 minutes

What's included:

• Experienced native English speaking guide