Things to do in Cardiff

Posted on Sep 14, 2016 | 0 comments

Photo Credit: Erik Valebrokk

Cardiff is a lovely seaside town and is the capitol of Wales. Located only 2 hours west of London in South Wales, there is so much to do and see here, it is a great tourist destination.

As you know, I was on this wonderful trip with VisitBritain to learn all about and Celebrate Roald Dahl’s 100^th Anniversary. So far I have shared all about my stay at the best hotel in London, as well at the best English Country Manor House and my adventures exploring Blenheim Palace and Oxford. Today we are going to check out the best things to do in Cardiff!

After leaving Blenheim Palace, it took just under 2 hours to get to Cardiff by car. It was a lovely ride through more of my favorite countryside and was very pleasant.

I checked into the Clayton Hotel, owned by Best Western and located right in the center of town. Clayton Hotel is a very nice place to stay, the rooms are clean and exactly what you would expect. The restaurant has good food and the staff was kind and courteous. And of course the location was perfect!

Once I had freshened up, I headed over to Chapel 1877 for dinner. Chapel 1877 is a trendy hot spot for both locals and visitors alike. The building was constructed in 1877 as a chapel and since has become a favorite restaurant decorated with an interesting mix of medieval and contemporary influences. From the outside, it looks like a charming little chapel, but when you step in, the laughter and the delicious smells tune you in to the fact that this is a brilliant restaurant.

I ordered a margarita and the lamb (of course, my fave when in England!). The drinks came right out and were yummy and the food was every bit as good. I had a great time here, the locals were all friendly, the food was fantastic and the atmosphere was light and fun! Put this place high on your list of places to eat in Cardiff for some genuine local good times!

After a great night’s sleep at the Clayton Hotel, I awoke and had a lovely breakfast at the hotel restaurant. The food was good and just the right kind of fuel to get me started on a fun day exploring things to do in Cardiff.

First up was a walking tour starting at the Chapel where Roald Dahl had been christened called The Norwegian Church. It is now a little coffee shop and community art center where they hang local artists work for sale and sell local artisans merchandise.

I met up with Sian B. Roberts from Loving Welsh Food who would be giving us the tour as well as a little cooking lesson! Sian is super knowledgeable, friendly and funny. I had a blast walking around with her and learning all about Cardiff. After checking out The Norwegian Church, we walked over to the Welsh Millennium Center where we stopped for scrumptious tea and cakes at Hufen. The Welsh Millennium Center is newly renovated and gorgeous. It is mostly used for concerts and shows, but there were several people walking around and visiting the coffee shops so it was fun!

After fueling up, we hit the pavement and walked over to take the Waterbus to the other side of the city. What an awesome way to get around! It was a wonderful boat ride in which we got to see the water side of Cardiff. I really enjoyed it.

Photo Credit: Erik Valebrokk

Once on the other side, we got off, had a bit of a walk around and did some shopping at a local farmer’s market. I chatted with a lot of people here, the local farmers and merchants were so friendly and had lots of fantastic things to share!

Photo Credit: Erik Valebrokk

Now it was time for the cooking lesson. Sian was going to show me how to make pizza and proper ‘Willy Wonka’ welsh cakes! I rolled up my sleeves, put on my apron and we got right to it!

Photo Credit: Erik Valebrokk

The recipe is really simple and can be found on Loving Welsh Food – you can also book your own tour with Sian, which I highly recommend, here. We had so much fun doing this, it gave me a whole different experience with local food and people that I very much value.

Tired from cooking, we walked over to the Pettigrew Tea Room for tea and cakes. The Pettigrew Tea Room is located at the entrance to Bute Park and looks like it is part of the Cardiff Castle (which is spectacular, but I didn’t have too much time to explore – it is my excuse to go back again because you know I love castles…!!!). It is a quaint little tea room serving some amazing food. We had a sample plate of pretty much everything and it was heavenly. Perfect for after/during a long day of site-seeing! It is a busy spot that everyone wants to get into though so my advice is to make a reservation – you can do that here.

Sadly, it was drawing closer to my time to head home. After a lovely day spent in Cardiff it was time for me to get on the train back to London and catch my plane home to start sharing my adventures with you.

I enjoyed my time in Cardiff, but one night and two days was not enough. I recommend you spend at least 5 days here and I am already working on planning my next trip back there, with my kids this time. It is such a fun town, there is so much to do, you will not want to miss it!

You can find lots of information here on the Visit Cardiff website to help you with your planning too! I hope to see you there!! 😉

Safe travels and happy thoughts!

Malibu Mama Loves Xx