Why go
- Capital and largest city of Wales.
- Served by Cardiff Airport (CWL).
History
Cardiff is the capital and largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of 383,919 in 2024 and forms a principal area officially known as the City and County of Cardiff. The city is the eleventh largest in the United Kingdom. Located in the southeast of Wales, the city sits within the Cardiff Capital Region, which consists of 1.5 million people, accounting for roughly half the nation's total population. Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan and in 1974–1996 of South Glamorgan. It belongs to the Eurocities network of the largest European cities. A small town until the early 19th century, its prominence as a port for coal when mining began in the region helped its expansion. In 1905, it was ranked as a city and in 1955 proclaimed capital of Wales. The Cardiff urban area covers a larger area outside the county boundary, including the towns of Dinas Powys and Penarth.
Restaurants & places to go
292 more places in the Ultimate edition. See the Ultimate edition →
Airports
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 15 airlines, 73 direct destinations
- easyJet U2 (A319, A320) · 35 routes: Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin, Bodrum, Bordeaux, Copenhagen, Dalaman, Edinburgh, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Geneva, Glasgow, Heraklion, Inverness, Keflavik, Kerkyra/corfu, Krakow, Lisbon, Madrid, Malaga, Marrakech, Murcia, Newcastle, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Paris, Pisa, Prague, Rome, Tenerife, Toulouse
- Ryanair FR (737-800) · 28 routes: Alicante, Arrecife, Bergamo, Bergerac, Beziers, Bologna, Budapest, Chania, Connaught, Dublin, Faro, Gdansk, Gerona, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Kaunas, Limoges, Malaga, Malta, Palma de Mallorca, Poznan, Reus, Rzeszow, Tenerife, Treviso, Valencia, Warsaw, Wroclaw
- Transavia France TO (75W) · 11 routes: Alicante, Dalaman, Enfidha, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Kerkyra/corfu, Menorca, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Reus, Tenerife
- Thomas Cook Airlines MT (A320) · 7 routes: Antalya, Arrecife, Dalaman, Enfidha, Gran Canaria, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife
- Air Sicilia BM (ERJ-145, ER3) · 5 routes: Aberdeen, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Milano, Munich
- Aer Lingus EI (ATR 72, AT4) · 3 routes: Cork*, Dublin*, Shannon*
- Germania ST (ERJ-145) · 2 routes: Hawarden, Toulouse
- Thomsonfly BY (75W) · 2 routes: Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife
- Air Malta KM (A320) · 1 route: Malta
- Alitalia AZ (Embraer 190) · 1 route: Amsterdam*
- Aurigny Air Services GR (ATR 72) · 1 route: Guernsey
- Brussels Airlines SN (ERJ-145) · 1 route: Brussels*
- Helvetic Airways 2L (Fokker 100) · 1 route: Zurich
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (EMJ) · 1 route: Amsterdam*
- Skynet Airlines SI (AT4, ATR) · 1 route: Jersey
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 14 airlines, 20 direct destinations
- Transavia France TO (737-800) · 8 routes: Alicante, Dalaman, Heraklion, Larnaca, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca, Rhodos, Tenerife
- Air France AF (F50) · 4 routes: Edinburgh*, Glasgow*, Jersey*, Paris*
- CityJet WX (F50) · 4 routes: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey, Paris
- Iberia Airlines IB (A320) · 3 routes: Alicante*, Barcelona*, Malaga*
- Vueling Airlines VY (A320) · 3 routes: Alicante, Barcelona, Malaga
- Flybe BE (Dash 8-400) · 2 routes: Belfast, Jersey
- Aer Lingus EI (ATR 72) · 1 route: Dublin*
- Air Malta KM (A320) · 1 route: Malta
- Alitalia AZ (F70) · 1 route: Amsterdam*
- Eastern Airways T3 (J41, S20) · 1 route: Newcastle
- Germanwings 4U (CRJ) · 1 route: Duesseldorf
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines KL (F70) · 1 route: Amsterdam*
- Star1 Airlines V9 (J31) · 1 route: Angelsey
- Thomsonfly BY (737-800) · 1 route: Tenerife
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Regional airports
Further out, but often the cheapest way in — the airports the low-cost carriers use. Each links to its own town's guide for getting from there into the city.
✈ Airlines & flight paths — 6 airlines, 19 direct destinations
- Flybe BE (Dash 8-400, Embraer 195) · 16 routes: Alicante, Amsterdam, Belfast, Bergerac, Dublin, Duesseldorf, Edinburgh, Faro, Glasgow, Guernsey, Jersey, Malaga, Manchester, Palma de Mallorca, Paris, Rennes
- Air France AF (Dash 8-400) · 3 routes: Bergerac*, Paris*, Rennes*
- Isles of Scilly Skybus Isles of Scilly Skybus (DHT) · 2 routes: Newquai, ST MARY\'S
- Transavia France TO (737-800) · 2 routes: Faro, Palma de Mallorca
- Air Malta KM (A320) · 1 route: Malta
- Thomsonfly BY (737-800) · 1 route: Palma de Mallorca
Routes and aircraft from OpenFlights (open data; a point-in-time snapshot). * = codeshare. Linked destinations open their own guidebook. Flight numbers are not in the open data — they come from the airline or a paid schedule feed.
Getting there by ferry
Where things are
Photographs
credit: Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons · See source page
When to go
The warmer, longer-day half of the year is the safest bet for a first visit.
Cooler and quieter, with fewer visitors and better value.
Short days and the coldest weather — check local conditions before travelling.
Getting there & around
Getting there. The nearest airport on record is Cardiff Airport (CWL). Check rail and road links from the tourism sources below. By air: CWL has direct flights to 20 destinations on 14 airlines (incl. Alicante, Jersey, Malaga, Amsterdam, Barcelona…). By water: 6 ferry terminals within 12 mi (nearest: City Centre Water Bus Stop, 0.2 mi); routes include Cardiff Aquabus City/Bay Link, Mermaid Quay to Barrage South/Penarth, Penarth to Flat Holm.
Getting around. Use the map above to orient yourself; nearby hotels, attractions and places to eat are listed from the live Ultimate data for Cardiff, Wales, UK. Local transit details will be added as the guide is expanded.
Trains & rail
Coaches & shuttles
Private aviation
On-demand charter, jet cards and the semi-private scheduled carriers that serve this city.