Wales
Date ideas in Cardiff
Updated
Cardiff packs a lot into a small, walkable centre: a castle in the middle of town, a big green park running north along the Taff, and Victorian arcades full of independent shops. Walk south and you're at the Bay, with its waterfront and the Millennium Centre. Wales's national museums are free, so a rainy day costs very little, and the hills of Bannau Brycheiniog are an hour up the road when the sun's out. These are our picks.
Our picks in Cardiff
Cardiff Castle
Castle Street, city centre
Address: Castle Street, Cardiff CF10 3RB- Culture
- Mid-price
- Romantic
Climb the Norman keep on its mound, walk the Roman walls, then tour the Victorian house with its wildly decorated Gothic rooms, all gilt, murals and painted ceilings.
Why it's a good date: Two thousand years of history in the middle of the city, and the interiors are like nothing else in Britain. The view from the top of the keep is worth the steps.
Photo: Jeremy Segrott, CC BY 2.0 (resized)
Bute Park
Behind Cardiff Castle, city centre
Address: Bute Park, North Road, Cardiff CF10 3ER- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
Wander the riverside paths, lawns and old trees of the big park behind the castle, following the River Taff north out of the city.
Why it's a good date: Two minutes from the shops and it feels like the countryside. Bring a coffee, find a bench by the river, and keep walking as far as you like.
Photo: Richard Sutcliffe, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)
National Museum Cardiff
Cathays Park, civic centre
Address: Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NP- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
Explore the free national museum in Cathays Park, with one of Britain's best Impressionist collections and the story of Wales, from dinosaurs to the present day.
Why it's a good date: Monets and Van Goghs for nothing, a five-minute walk from the castle. Pick a favourite each and go back to it before you leave.
Photo: Lewis Clarke, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Cardiff Bay Barrage to Penarth
Cardiff Bay to Penarth
Address: Cardiff Bay Barrage, Cargo Road, Cardiff CF64 1TQ- Outdoors
- Free
- Romantic
Start at Mermaid Quay and walk round the Bay and across the barrage, past the locks and out by the sea, to Penarth's marina and on to its Victorian pier.
Why it's a good date: A long, breezy walk with water on both sides and a drink at the end. If your legs give out, check whether the water bus is running from Penarth back across the Bay.
Photo: Eirian Evans, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Wales Millennium Centre
Bute Place, Cardiff Bay
Address: Bute Place, Cardiff CF10 5AL- Event
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
- Big night
- Culture
See a West End musical, Welsh National Opera, dance or comedy under the copper-coloured shell on the Bay, with its huge lines of Welsh and English poetry across the front.
Why it's a good date: A proper night out with the Bay right outside: dinner on the waterfront first, then a stroll by the water after the show.
Photo: Dominic Nelson, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
Castell Coch
Tongwynlais, on the northern edge of Cardiff
Address: Castell Coch, Tongwynlais, Cardiff CF15 7JS- Trip
- Cheap and cheerful
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Romantic
- Out of town
Head just north of the city to the little red castle in the beech woods, a Victorian fairy-tale rebuild of a medieval ruin, with round towers, conical roofs and lavishly painted rooms.
Why it's a good date: It looks like it's been lifted out of a storybook, and the woods around it are lovely for a walk afterwards. Repairs are going on, so check Cadw's page before you go.
Photo: Zeniris, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Cardiff Market
St Mary Street, city centre
Address: St Mary Street, Cardiff CF10 1AU- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Wander the stalls of the Victorian covered market under its glass roof, picking up Welsh cakes warm from the griddle and a bite to eat from the food counters.
Why it's a good date: Cheap, cheerful and very Cardiff. Look down on it all from the upstairs balcony, then head out into the arcades.
Photo: Dominic Nelson, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
The arcades and Spillers Records
Morgan, Royal and Castle Arcades, city centre
Address: Spillers Records, Morgan Arcade, Cardiff CF10 1AF- Activity
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
Get lost in the city's Victorian and Edwardian shopping arcades, and flick through the racks at Spillers in the Morgan Arcade, which has been selling records since 1894.
Why it's a good date: Covered, so it works in the rain, and full of little shops and cafés to duck into. Set a budget and choose a record for each other.
Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Roath Park Lake
Roath Park, north of the centre
Address: Lake Road West, Roath Park, Cardiff CF23 5PJ- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Romantic
Walk the loop round the long Victorian lake in Roath Park, out to the little lighthouse that remembers Captain Scott's last expedition, which sailed from Cardiff.
Why it's a good date: An easy, pretty walk that suits a slow Sunday. In summer you can hire a boat and take turns rowing.
Photo: Gail Franklin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Chapter
Market Road, Canton
Address: Market Road, Canton, Cardiff CF5 1QE- Activity
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Culture
- Cosy
Catch an independent film or a show at the arts centre in Canton, an old school turned cinemas, theatres and galleries, with a busy café-bar at its heart.
Why it's a good date: There's always something on, and the bar is a good place to linger whether or not you've got tickets. Pontcanna's restaurants are a short walk away.
Photo: Jeremy Segrott, CC BY 2.0 (resized)
Brød
Wyndham Crescent, Pontcanna
Address: 126 Wyndham Crescent, Cardiff CF11 9EG- Café
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Share Danish pastries, cinnamon swirls and strong coffee at a Danish bakery and café in Pontcanna.
Why it's a good date: A sweet, low-key start to a weekend, and Llandaff Fields is round the corner for a walk afterwards. Go early: the best bakes sell out.
Lab 22
Caroline Street, city centre
Address: 22 Caroline Street, Cardiff CF10 1FG- Bar
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
- Romantic
- Big night
Settle in for inventive cocktails at a bar on Caroline Street that's won awards for its drinks.
Why it's a good date: The menu is half the fun, so ask the bartenders and try something you'd never order. A good first drink before dinner, or a nightcap after a show.
Gorse
Kings Road, Pontcanna
Address: 186-188 Kings Road, Cardiff CF11 9DF- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Romantic
- Foodie
Book the tasting menu at Cardiff's first Michelin-starred restaurant, a tiny dining room in Pontcanna cooking with Welsh produce that changes with the seasons.
Why it's a good date: The one to save for an anniversary. There are only a handful of tables, so book well ahead.
Llandaff Cathedral
Cathedral Green, Llandaff
Address: Cathedral Green, Llandaff, Cardiff CF5 2LA- Culture
- Free
Walk down from the old village green to the cathedral in its hollow by the Taff, and look up at the great concrete arch inside with Epstein's aluminium figure of Christ.
Why it's a good date: A quiet, surprising corner of the city that feels like a village. Walk back to town along the river through Llandaff Fields and Bute Park.
Photo: Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
St Fagans National Museum of History
St Fagans, west Cardiff
Address: St Fagans, Cardiff CF5 6XB- Culture
- Free
- Out of town
Spend a day at the free open-air museum on the edge of the city, where more than forty old buildings from all over Wales, from farmhouses and a chapel to a terrace of ironworkers' cottages, have been rebuilt in the grounds of a castle.
Why it's a good date: It's free, and you'll easily lose a whole day wandering between centuries. Bring a picnic, or buy fresh bread from the bakery on site.
Photo: David Hallam-Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Pen y Fan
Bannau Brycheiniog, about an hour north
Address: Pont ar Daf car park, A470, Libanus, Brecon LD3 8NL- Trip
- Outdoors
- Free
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Out of town
- Active
Drive an hour north into Bannau Brycheiniog (the Brecon Beacons) and climb Pen y Fan, the highest mountain in southern Britain, along the ridge from Corn Du.
Why it's a good date: A real achievement to share, with huge views from the top. It gets busy, so start early, and take layers and waterproofs: the weather turns fast up there.
Photo: Rude Health, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Dates in Cardiff: quick answers
What are good rainy-day dates in Cardiff?
National Museum Cardiff is free and indoors, and so are the city's Victorian arcades and Cardiff Market. Then catch a film at Chapter, or a show at the Wales Millennium Centre.
Are there free date ideas in Cardiff?
Lots. National Museum Cardiff and St Fagans National Museum of History are both free, and so are Bute Park, Roath Park Lake, Llandaff Cathedral and the walk across the barrage to Penarth.
Where should we go for a special dinner in Cardiff?
Gorse in Pontcanna was the first restaurant in Cardiff to win a Michelin star, and it's tiny, so book well ahead. For drinks first, Lab 22 on Caroline Street is the city's best-known cocktail bar.
Where can we go for a day out from Cardiff?
Castell Coch is just north of the city, and St Fagans is on its western edge. For a proper hill, drive an hour into Bannau Brycheiniog and climb Pen y Fan.
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