Top 10 Places to Visit in South Wales

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There are plenty of interesting and beautiful places to visit in South Wales, I know most of them well, I grew up there. South Wales is an area with much to offer, beaches, history, culture, nightlife, and breathtaking scenery being just some of them.

You can book a South Wales day-trip to see the sights from Cardiff here. To visit Wales from London multi-day trips are available like this one. The drive from London to the Welsh border is only 2-3 hours, so you would probably do better to hire a car. Use this car comparison tool to find the best price possible.

I love the area and it’s one of many I call home as a global travel blogger. Here are some highly recommended places to visit in South Wales, some you’ll know, some you won’t. Links lead to more detailed information on attractions, historical sites, museums and some of the best places to visit in South Wales.

Places to Visit in South Wales

In no particular order and with apologies if we missed your favourite, here are some of our favourite places to visit in South Wales.

All information was correct at the time of writing, please double-check times and admissions, as things can change.

Tenby

As I child I swam in summer seas among the boats of Tenby Harbour. As an adult, I’d visit in winter, to enjoy the great restaurants and walk around this pretty little town.

I think Tenby the best time to visit Tenby is in the winter, when the sea is rough and the crowds have gone.

These days Tenby hosts the Wales IronMan in early Autumn. Read our coverage of Tenby Ironman Wales here. My husband has competed here twice, and it’s his favourite Ironman event so far, not least for the incredible crowd support.

If you’d like to take sightseeing trip to Tenby, Laugharne (Dylan Thomas Boat House), Llansteffan (castle and beach) and Amgueddfa Cyflymder – Museum of Land Speed at Pendine Sands, from Cardiff, you can easily book a tour here.

Tenby is about a 2-hour drive from Cardiff or about 4.5 hours to drive from London.

If you’d like to stay in Tenby, pick a hotel in the old town, within the walls, or an apartment with a view of the north beach and harbour. Try this apartment, it gets incredible reviews. Parking is very limited in Tenby and there are a lot more holiday cottages and apartments than hotels, but you will find some traditional bed and breakfasts.

For a cheaper stay in the area, with better parking, go here. We stayed here for Ironman Wales because Tenby was fully booked. Book early!

Of course, the Pembrokeshire Coast Path is in this area too, it’s a 186-mile (299 km) National Trail with spectacular coastal scenery. It stretches from St Dogmaels in the north, to Amroth in the south. The whole trail takes about 2 weeks, but you can easily walk stretches of it.

One of the most popular activities in Pembrokeshire is Coasteering. Jumping and clambering around the rocky coastline.

Barry Island

This is a controversial entry in a top 10 best places to see in South Wales, but I think you should visit!

I wrote a post about Barry Island, the home of TV show Gavin and Stacey, but Barry was a classic Welsh seaside town long before the show made it famous. Barry is great for walks and fish and chips in winter, or beach activities in summer. The Island has undergone a massive face-lift right and on our last visit (early 2025) it was very different to how I remembered it as a kid. But it still has its unique appeal.

If you’re a fan of the show, you can book a tour of the Gavin and Stacy filming locations on Barry Island. Do that here. Or take a look at our post, we tell you where everything is.

Barry Island has a beach, but there is much nicer coastline further west.

Caerleon’s Roman Ruins   FREE

Everybody knows about the Roman ruins at Bath. But did you know about the Roman ruins in Caerleon, South Wales?

There is an amphitheatre, barracks, a Roman bath and parts of the Roman fortress walls are still standing. There is also a small Roman museum which is very good for kids learning about the Roman Empire and its presence in The UK.

While you’re in Caerleon, you should check out some of the excellent pubs, try The Hanbury Arms on the River Usk, the building is over 400 years old, or maybe The Drover’s Arms or Old Bull. You should be able to find an excellent pub lunch.

If you’d like to stay in Caerleon, The Priory Hotel is beautiful. You can easily visit Caerleon as a day-trip from Cardiff, ot include it in your Wales road-trip, it’s close to the Severn Bridge.

Newport’s Transporter Bridge

Twenty transporter bridges once existed, now only six are left in the whole world. The Transporter Bridge in Newport was still in operation at the time of writing, and worth the trip over the Severn Bridge to see. Read more about Newport’s transporter bridge here.

Castell Coch, Near Cardiff

This fairy-tale castle, actually a Victorian folly,  sits atop Norman ruins on a hill just outside Cardiff. You can see straight away why it has been used as a set for TV and movies over the years, it’s absolutely beautiful.

Take a walk through the woods outside or enter to see the beautiful decorative artwork on walls and ceilings. There is a full post on Castell Coch here.

Wales is awash with castles, of course, I always say that there is one on every street corner, we’ll have to do a separate post about castles. Castle Coch gets a place on our “best places in South Wales” list, because we think its outstanding, and unusual.

Big Pit Mining Museum   FREE

I’ve already posted about Big Pit, we visited with small kids, and again with teenagers in 2024. Both times, we loved this slice of Welsh history.

Big Pit has got to be the most unusual museum I’ve ever visited, it’s outstanding.

You are taken on a tour of the mine, a disused coal mine, with head torches and helmets by real ex-miners. You can explore the old pithead baths and find out how hard life was for miners and their families.

See how the pit ponies lived underground, and hear stories of the small children who spent their days underground.

I can’t stress highly enough that this is a must-see. There are other attractions nearby in Blaenavon including the old Blaenavon Railway.

Cardiff Bay   FREE

Cardiff Bay has it all, smart bars, restaurants, hotels, history and Doctor Who.

Roald Dahl place houses the iconic Torchwood Tower, a little further around the bay was the The Doctor Who experience, I took the kids, they loved it, click the link to read more. Unfortunately this icon of British TV, Doctor Who has been bought by Disney and this attraction is long gone.

You can book a cruise around Cardiff Bay here. For kids, the Techniquest science museum is on the bay, it’s fun and hands-on. The best hotel on Cardiff Bay is the St David’s Hotel. A cheaper option is this one.

 The Museum of Welsh Life Near Cardiff    FREE

The Museum of Welsh Life is a fabulous, free attraction in the village of St Fagans near Cardiff. It’s wonderful that museums like this are free.

This collection of ancient Welsh buildings is a lovely place for a family walk at any time of year. See our post on The Museum of Welsh Life at St. Fagans for more detail and some great photos.

The preserved buildings are from all eras, from the earliest stone cottages to wartime Wales. You can go inside the village shop, peek into gardens, complete with outhouses and see the blacksmith’s shop. Every kind of building you can imagine from Wales of yesteryear is here.

The Capital of Wales – Cardiff

We can’t have a list of the best places to visit in South Wales without mentioning Cardiff! It’s a great city and we’d suggest you either stay a couple of nights in Cardiff as part of your travel in South Wales, or base yourself here for most of your stay.

Cardiff has Cardiff Castle of course, standing proudly in the heart of the city. Check out the parks, Roath Park is particularly loely with its huge lake and resident bird life. There is a good museum and Cardiff Market is worth exploring, particularly for the displays of local game and seafood near the entrance.

Cardiff is, of course, the home of Welsh Rugby and the new rugby stadium is on the banks of The River Taff.

There are historic churches and cathedrals, Cardiff’s famous shopping arcades and everything a modern city can offer visitors.

You will see a lot of filming locations from the TV series Dr Who in and around Cardiff. To find some of these, take a look at our post on famous Dr Who related places to find. We have a full post on the Wales Doctor Who Experience here, and on London Doctor Who Experience, here. Update – They closed it down – why would they do that?

St David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire

At the far end of Pembrokeshire, you’ll find St David’s. Officially a city as it has a cathedral, but looking like a village, this ancient spot holds the most interesting cathedral I’ve ever visited.

Royal and religious history collide here and there is a treasure hunt for the children. Admission is by donation.

Back to our main Wales Travel Blog page. South Wales is great but also try and get west and further north. We also have a post on road trip into West Wales, from Tenby, Pembrokeshire to Cardigan Bay and Newquay Wales.

If you'd like to hire a car during your stay, use this car rental comparison tool to find the best deal!

We also suggest you take a look at this company to get a quote for all kinds of the more tricky adventure or extended travel insurance.

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