Wales
Rainy day date ideas in Swansea
Updated
Rain is no reason to stay in when you’re in Swansea. The covered market is dry, cheap and properly local, and the Glynn Vivian, the National Waterfront Museum and the Dylan Thomas Centre are all free. Plantasia is a warm rainforest under a glass pyramid, with no time limit on a visit. For the evening, see a touring show or the Christmas panto at the Grand, catch a film or a live screening at the Taliesin, or have a quiet glass in No Sign, Wind Street’s oldest bar. For a special occasion, book a long lunch at Beach House on the sand at Oxwich and watch the weather roll across the bay.
Our picks
Swansea Market
Oxford Street, city centre
Address: Oxford Street, Swansea SA1 3PE- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Foodie
Graze your way round Wales's biggest covered market: Penclawdd cockles, laverbread, Welsh cakes warm off the griddle and plenty of stalls to browse.
Why it's a good date: Dry, cheap and properly local. Try cockles and laverbread if you never have, take a bag of Welsh cakes for later, and go in the morning when the stalls are busiest.
Photo: Alex Liivet from Chester, United Kingdom, CC0 (cropped and resized)
Glynn Vivian Art Gallery
Alexandra Road, city centre
Address: Alexandra Road, Swansea SA1 5DZ- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
Look round the city's free art gallery, with Welsh paintings, porcelain and changing exhibitions in a handsome Edwardian building and its modern wing.
Why it's a good date: Quiet, free and a few minutes' walk from the station, so it's an easy rain plan. Pick a favourite painting each and go for lunch at the market afterwards.
Photo: Sionk, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)
National Waterfront Museum
Oystermouth Road, Maritime Quarter
Address: Oystermouth Road, Maritime Quarter, Swansea SA1 3RD- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
Explore the story of Welsh industry and invention, from copper and coal to computers, in an old dockside warehouse joined to a glass hall.
Why it's a good date: One of Wales's free national museums, and there's lots to play with. Afterwards walk round the Marina and out to the beach, which is just across the road.
Photo: The wub, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
The Dylan Thomas Centre
Somerset Place, Maritime Quarter
Address: Somerset Place, Swansea SA1 1RR- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
See the free exhibition on Swansea's most famous son, with his letters, notebooks and photos, in the grand old Guildhall by the river.
Why it's a good date: A good way into the man before you hear his lines read out. If it hooks you, book a tour of his birthplace at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive in Uplands and walk round Cwmdonkin Park, which he wrote about.
Photo: Ham, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Swansea Grand Theatre
Singleton Street, city centre
Address: Singleton Street, Swansea SA1 3QJ- Event
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
- Big night
- Culture
See a touring play, a comedian or a concert at the city's Victorian theatre, or go along to its famous Christmas panto.
Why it's a good date: A proper night out in a proper old theatre. Book ahead for the big names, and have dinner nearby first so you're not rushing.
Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Taliesin Arts Centre
Singleton campus, Mumbles Road
Address: Swansea University, Singleton Campus, Swansea SA2 8PZ- Activity
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Culture
- Cosy
Catch an independent film, a dance show or a live screening from the National Theatre or the Met Opera at Swansea University's arts centre.
Why it's a good date: Cheaper and calmer than a multiplex, with films you won't see elsewhere in town. It's next to Singleton Park and a few minutes from the beach, so walk the prom first if it's dry.
Photo: Eugenus78, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Step into a warm indoor rainforest under a glass pyramid, with tropical plants, monkeys, meerkats, reptiles and a crocodile.
Why it's a good date: The best place in Swansea to be on a cold, grey day. It's a short walk from the station and the market, and you can take your time, as there's no time limit on a visit.
Photo: kulmalukko, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)
No Sign Wine Bar
Wind Street, city centre
Address: 56 Wind Street, Swansea SA1 1EG- Bar
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Cosy
- Big night
Have a drink in Wind Street's oldest bar, a long, narrow, wood-panelled room that's said to have been one of Dylan Thomas's regular haunts.
Why it's a good date: A characterful old pub on a street better known for loud bars. Go early in the evening for a quiet glass, or stay for the live music downstairs in the cellar at weekends.
Beach House, Oxwich
Oxwich Beach, Gower, about 12 miles from the city
Address: Oxwich Beach, Gower, Swansea SA3 1LS- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Romantic
- Foodie
Book a long lunch or dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant on the sand at Oxwich Bay, cooking with Welsh produce in a converted coal store.
Why it's a good date: A special-occasion meal with the sea right outside the window. Book well ahead, go for lunch so you can see the bay, and walk along the beach afterwards.
Quick answers
Where's warm and dry in Swansea on a grey day?
Plantasia, an indoor rainforest under a glass pyramid with monkeys, meerkats and a crocodile, a short walk from the station and the market.
Which of Swansea's indoor dates are free?
The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, the National Waterfront Museum and the Dylan Thomas Centre are all free.
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