Weekend in Cardiff - advice needed

shazspice

Going to Cardiff for the weekend next month and was hoping for some advice off locals

I am staying in a hotel on mill street, is this close to the city centre and to the bay?

Also what would people recommened to do in Cardiff and where are the best places to eat

Thanks in advance

PasturesNew

There isn't a Mill Street in Caridff .... according to maps.google.

CarolynH

Mill lane? The Marriott? It' on the edge of the city centre and not far from the bay.

shazspice

CarolynH wrote: »

Mill lane? The Marriott? It' on the edge of the city centre and not far from the bay.

yeah sorry mill lane, got mill street stuck in my head cause theres one where i live!!

flutterbyuk25

Well there are lots of nice places to eat in Cardiff. The bay and the Brewery Quarter have all the well known chains. Not too sure on independant places though sorry.

The shops are great in Cardiff and you can easily spend the day wandering them. look in all the little alleyways for smaller, local, boutique shops.

There are nice parks and the bay is nice to walk round.

There's loads to do in Cardiff, bands, sports, theatre, cinema etc.

Have a nice time

x

brazilianwax

Wow. Mill Lane is slap bang in the city centre - it's got loads of bars and restaurants on it and is a stone's throw from the central train station. Not been to the Marriot for years, but hope it has good sound proofing!

Had one of my hen nights on Mill Lane (I'm a Cardiff girl) - Las Iguanas for food and then a few cocktails in the bars along there.

You'll be right in the middle of everything there.

Cardiff bay is a short bus/taxi/train ride away, or a 20 minute walk. Again, lots of bars and restaurants (not many shops though).

Are you travelling around the whole of Cardiff, or just sticking to the city centre?

I grew up next door to Castell Coch which is about 5 miles north of the city centre and well worth a visit. Obviously there's Cardiff Castle too (in the city centre).

s@sha

I agree with Brazilianwax, you couldn't be better placed for Cardiff City centre. Mill lane is the 'cafe quarter', very nice on a warm day (or evening) for eating outdoors. Several other restaurants too along there. If i remember correctly, the Fontana de Trevi is a decent Italian restaurant in St.John's square in the city centre. And the Armless Dragon in Wyeverne Road is great if you want to eat Welsh dishes made from local produce.

Mermaid Quay on the waterfront in Cardiff Bay is a great place to go for food and bars, nice atmosphere, people of all ages. I can recommend the Pearl of the Orient restaurant there, have been several times , always great food in a nice setting.Very easy to get to Cardiff Bay, i think a dedicated Bay Xpress bus runs about every 10 mins from the city centre.
Personally, I would avoid St Mary Street in the town centre (round the corner from Mill Lane) late on friday & saturdays unless you want to be overrun with hordes of drunken 18 year olds queueing to get in the numerous pubs ( sorry, but I used to be one of them!) The Brewery Quarter at your end of St.Mary street is ok though, but it's a while since i've been there.

What sort of things do you want to do?

You can do an open-top bus tour which'll take you around all the main areas, hop on/off where you want. Or you can go for speedboat trips around the Bay,or take the more leisurely Cardiff Waterbus. See a show/music/exhibition at the Millenium Centre, Cardiff International Arena, or St. David's Hall or the New Theatre. The shopping in the centre is great, there are lots of Victorian arcades to wander down with quirky little shops, as well as all the big stores.

There's a big Odeon multiplex cinema at Atlantic Wharf ( the Red dragon Centre) in Cardiff Bay combined with a ten-pin bowling centre and several restaurants. If you're a Dr Who/ Torchwood fan ( filmed in Cardiff) the Dr Who Exhibition was also at Atlantic Wharf, though I don't know if it's still running.

Sorry if this is a bit long,
Have a nice time!

tinkerbelluk

Echoing really what [EMAIL="S@sha"]S@sha[/EMAIL] said, plenty to do in Cardiff.

What kind of things do you like to do? What type of food do you like etc and I'm sure we can all come up with plenty of suggestions for you.

TJ27

Isn't Mill Lane a building site at the moment though?? Nice cafes on one side of the street but cranes and concrete on the other. And I don't mean that somebody's renovating their house, there are some very large structures going up. Expect noise and dust if dining out there. Get down the bay instead.

ALWAYSSKINT

hi there if its the weekend of 28-29 june then the whole city will be swarming with speedway fans for the british grand prix. its a really good weekend with fans from all over the country and other countries too. the whole city has a great vibe. have fun :beer:

Mark7799

If you're after something meaty (and not a chain) try either Charlestons Steak House or Taurus. Both serve excellent steaks, Charlestons is best attended on a warm evening - with the windows open and it's upstairs location you are well-placed to watch the local "wildlife".