Family Holidays: Cardiff family holidays and breaks
Take the Family holiday rating 
Why
Stand on the quayside at Cardiff Bay and you see the past and the future. There’s the history of the docks that sent coal and slate around the world, and then there’s the Dr Who Up Close exhibition – a dark, deafening madhouse of daleks and cybermen. Cardiff is a beguiling mix of old and new, the city centre (1.5km by ‘bendybus’ or water-bus) featuring sleek hotels alongside the 18th-century folly of Cardiff Castle.
- Top left: Cardiff Castle
- Top right: Millenium Stadium
- Bottom left: Cardiff Bay
- Bottom right: Doctor Who Up Close Exhibition, Red Dragon Centre, Cardiff Bay
When
The summer months are great because of the festivals at Cardiff Bay, but the city has plenty going for it year-round.
How
Cardiff is a three-hour drive from London, and also has easy access from the Midlands and the North via the M5. There are trains from London, with connections from many other cities.
Stay
There are tons of options for families in and around Cardiff. Check out some terrific hotels in Cardiff with partners Active Hotels, or search for great last minute hotels with Late Rooms. If you fancy something a bit more independent then check out our range of cottages from partners Cottages4you, and quote ''TAKE5' for an Exclusive additional 5% off.
Do
At the Bay, Roald Dahl Platz is the fish-shaped focal point – seen in Dr Who, and as the gateway to the subterranean HQ of alien-hunting spin-off Torchwood. It’s a family place, with cafés, restaurants and ice-cream parlours mixed in with things to do. These include the Millennium Centre arts complex complete with poetry cut into its copper dome (it offers a fascinating backstage tour and touchy-feely design), the Cardiff Bay Visitor Centre (in a tube-like building containing films and city models), the Senedd (the Welsh Assembly’s striking home), the white-wood Norwegian Church (built for visiting sailors, and where Dahl was christened),now an arts centre/café, and the Techniquest science play centre.
Dr Who Close Up Exhibition is an ever-changing experience, with costumes and props magically appearing at the time of their TV debut, get ‘up close’ to creatures from other worlds, and encounter several of the Doctor’s newest enemies, and is a must-see for all fans. It’s in the Red Dragon Centre, a complex with restaurants, a bowling alley and a cinema. The Bay is protected by the Barrage, a fantastic wind-blown walkway to the Victorian seaside resort of Penarth.
In the city centre Cardiff Castle (built for the 3rd Marquess of Bute, the man who controlled the coal and docks and the railways in-between, and was the world’s richest man) is a Gothic fantasy with exquisite wall paintings featuring fables, fairy-tales and Biblical stories, and a magical rooftop garden. Dr Who (him again) has been here, while daleks rolled down concrete ramps beneath the Millennium Stadium. The latter is also great for sports-mad boys or girls, offering visitors a dressing-room tour and the chance to run from the pitch-side tunnel to the roar of a taped crowd.
The National Museum and Gallery is packed with dinosaurs and Impressionist paintings, while Capability Brown-designed Bute Park also delights young and old. The largely car-free city centre has Victorian arcades and the colourful indoor Central Market.
Out of town are Castle Coch, a turreted, woodland sister to Cardiff Castle, and St Fagans: National History Museum, with more than 30 old buildings in a run-wild setting. Beaches, both Penarth and Barry, are a few minutes’ drive away, and you can quickly get into the hills to visit historic coal mines.
Eat
There are lots of waterfront restaurants at Cardiff Bay, including various bustling family places in the Red Dragon Centre. The city has lots of chain options, many grouped in the Old Brewery Quarter, but there is no shortage of places all over Cardiff.
Local lamb can be found in some restaurants (notably Razzi in the Hilton; see above). but the city covers all the bases without really pushing local cuisine (though there are farmers’ markets).
Travel reading
Why not recommend a book? Search through Amazon.co.uk using the box below and then contact us with your recommendation.
