Cardiff is the City of Shopping Arcades
A city that seemed to me to not give a fuck what you think
I arrived to Cardiff in the worst of moods because I was feeling quite ill, covered in bug bites, and my hostel was a bit of a shithole. Nonetheless, the city managed to pull me out of it and charm me. (That’s no small feat, in case you’ve never had the displeasure of bumping into angsty woe is me Devin.)
There was a music festival at Cardiff Castle when I arrived - so the city was bustling, drunk (or high), and full of music. I’ll write about it later - but Cardiff castle is the most visited tourist attraction of Wales - THE castle of Wales. And it was being used as a music festival venue - bars and all. I can’t imagine the kind of permits and bribes it would take to use a national monument like that back in the US - but I think that it’s a venue that gets to be lived and used here somehow is a good summary of the impression I got from Cardiff. It’s a city that seemed to me to scream - I really don’t care what you think - I’m living my life right here, right now, as I want.
To reinforce that impression, right outside the castle and festival, there was a climate protest - not a particularly polished one, but a bit of a messy hodgepodge of pissed off people. It was delightful.
Cardiff is the capital and largest city of Wales - the country in the UK known for its Celtic culture and Welsh language (which is really nothing like English). It’s the most commonly visited place in Wales for its taste of Welsh culture, nightlife, and waterfront views.
SHOP THE ARCADES
One of the names for Cardiff is The City of Arcades - covered shopping strips that cut between streets and buildings like alleys. Dating back to the 1800s, Cardiff’s many Victorian and Edwardian arcades near the castle are downright adorable. They’re filled with local, independent cool businesses and coffee shops - and are just a delight to explore.
In the same area, you can also find Cardiff Market - the city’s indoor food market. I recommend trying welsh cakes (which are a bit like scones . . . but better) from Cardiff Bakestones.
VISIT CARDIFF CASTLE
Cardiff Castle, Wales’ top heritage site, has foundations that date back to 50AD - though it was largely reconstructed in the last few hundred years, leaving it feeling well preserved. The grounds are free to explore - but there is a fee to enter the castle itself. What’s particularly nice is that the castle is located in the heart of Cardiff, so you don’t have to go far to see it.
If you walk along the castle toward Bute Park, the castle walls are dotted with animal statues that I found adorable - particularly the anteater.
STROLL ALONG THE PIER
The other main section of Cardiff is its pier, which is about a 30 minute walk from the castle; admittedly, there’s not much along the walk once you get out of the city center - and it’s not a very pretty walk.
The main commercial district of the pier is Mermaid Quay - where you’ll find most of the businesses, the Ferris wheel, the Millennium Centre (a modern culture venue), and the Sennedd (Wales’ parliament). My recommendation is to stop at Poundland and grab a bag of wild bird food and walk over to the Cardiff Bay Wetlands Reserve. There, you can feed the birds while enjoying some really stunning views of the pier.
OTHER THINGS TO DO
I was still pretty under the weather in Cardiff so I stuck to exploring the city center and pier - but my understanding is that there’s a lot going on outside of the city. Here are some of the things that sounded most interesting to me:
Taff Trail: A 50 mile trail that starts around the pier and heads straight to Brecon Beacons National Park.
St Fagans: An open air museum of old buildings on the outskirts of Cardiff.
Castell Coch: Another castle a bit outside of the city.
I’d also recommend searching if there are events going on in Cardiff while you’re there. From my short few days there, I got the impression the city is generally bustling with events.