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Transport in Cardiff, what is the best way to get around?
Still a relatively small city, Cardiff is easy to explore on foot with large, pedestrianised areas of flat terrain including the main city centre high streets. As a result, many of Cardiff’s main attractions and landmarks are within no more than a 15 minute walking distance of each other. Cardiff also has excellent local transport links, taxi services, not to mention a scenic waterbus that operates between the city centre and Cardiff Bay, a recreational waterfront district redeveloped from the former docklands.
If you need any help with direction while you’re here, look out for the dedicated visitor wayfinding points around the city or download our helpful, tourist friendly maps. For more information on all public transport in Wales see Traveline Cymru.
WALKING
Cardiff is compact, largely pedestrianised and the terrain is level, so it’s easy to travel around on foot. The recreational waterfront area of Cardiff Bay is also within a short walking distance of the city centre. Why not explore one of Cardiff’s traffic-free footpaths, we recommend the beautiful Taff Trail. Travel to Brecon and you can walk almost 60 miles, all the way back to Cardiff Bay if you’re feeling really adventurous.
CYCLING
Cardiff is flat, compact and easy to get around using a bike. You’ll find plenty of bike racks around the city centre, and cycle paths like the Taff Trail provide traffic-free routes. Didn’t bring your bike with you? Not to worry! With Pedal Power, it has never been easier to get around Cardiff by bike. The accessible-for-all bikes are easy to find at both Pontcanna (near the City Centre) and Cardiff Bay.
BY TRAIN
Rail travel in Cardiff and the surrounding region is provided by Transport for Wales. Routes are focused around the two main hubs of Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street, with a regular service connecting the latter to Cardiff Bay. There are 20 railway stations in Cardiff that form part of the wider South Wales Metro, with excellent links to the outlying areas, south Wales valleys, and beyond.
BY BUS
Cardiff Bus maintains an extensive system of public routes throughout the Cardiff area. Their fleet of accessible, low-floor buses carry around 100,000 daily, on 3,000 journeys covering 27,000 miles. Fares can be purchased via the app, contactless, tap-on tap-off, or with exact cash (change is not given). Stagecoach and Adventure Travel also operate within Cardiff and the surrounding areas.
TAXIS
You can get in a licensed black cab at any designated taxi rank, or alternatively, you can book a taxi cab with a private company. The most popular taxi company in Cardiff is Veezu. We strongly recommend checking the estimated price of your journey with the driver before getting in the cab to make sure you have enough cash. Uber also operate within Cardiff. You can order an Uber ride by downloading the app.
DRIVING
Cardiff is easy to drive around with the A48 connecting the neighbourhoods of Cardiff before leading into the Vale of Glamorgan. The A470 connects Cardiff with the Rhondda valleys; while the A4232 dual carriageway almost forming an outer ring around the city, all of which help people travel around the city with ease.
If you want to pick up a car to explore Cardiff at your own pace, then you can find global vehicles rental giants such as Enterprise Rent-a-car, Hertz, Avis, Budget and Europcar all having pick-up points at Cardiff Airport and walking distance of the city centre.
BY BOAT
This is a fun and exciting way to get between the City Centre and Cardiff Bay. If you are departing from Cardiff City Centre, you’ll find the waterbus stop in Bute Park, close to the West Gate entrance and the Holiday Inn hotel. If you are departing from Cardiff Bay then you will depart from the dock located in front of Mermaid Quay and the Pierhead building.
