Cardiff

Cardiff claims to have the largest concentration of castles of any city in the world. Cardiff Castle is a large castle whose foundations are based upon a Roman fort. In the 19th Century, it was one of the homes of the Marquis of Bute. The Norman fort, the Welsh regimental museum, and excavated Roman ruins are open to visitors. The Bute part of the castle’s interior was all done in the early 1900s in a very unusual and interesting style. There is barely an inch that is not adorned with some sort of artistic work. Castell Coch, which means the 'Red Castle' in Welsh, is a fairytale castle nestled on a hill overlooking the main gateway into the valleys from Cardiff on the outskirts of the city. As well as Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch, there are the remains of two Motte and Bailey castles. While not strictly castles in the historic sense, there is also the ruined Llandaff Bishop's Palace; a fortified residence belonging to the Bishops of Llandaff, and Saint Fagans Castle; a preserved 17th Century manor house. St Fagans National History Museum is an open-air museum of reconstructed buildings from all parts of Wales built on the grounds of St Fagans Castle. It was named the UK's favourite visitor attraction by ‘Which?’ magazine in 2011 and is easily Wales's most popular one. The National Museum offers an excellent collection of paintings, archaeological finds, and geological exhibits charting the history of Wales. The art collection is particularly noted for the collection of 19th-century French works.

The National History Museum at St Fagan's is a large open-air museum housing dozens of buildings. The Civic Centre in Cathays Park consists of a collection of Edwardian buildings such as the City Hall, National Museum, and Gallery of Wales.

There are walks of special interest for visitors such as the Centenary Walk, which runs for 3.7 kilometres/2.3 miles within Cardiff city centre, this route passes through many of Cardiff's landmarks and historic buildings.