Home > TMC Guide To.. > Travel > TMC’s Guide to Cardiff Post author By The Mum Club Post date 21 March 2024 TMC’s Guide to Cardiff The Mum Club21 March 2024 Thinking about visiting Cardiff? But no idea where to stay, eat or drink? Who better to show you around than one of our local The Mum Club hosts? Find out the best things to do in Cardiff right now. The Best Things to Do in Cardiff by Host Kirsty. Where to Stay Best Hotel: Voco St David’s. “Now living in Cardiff, we’ve never had to stay in a hotel in the area before. However I have heard amazing reviews about Voco St David’s. It has beautiful views of Cardiff Bay, the barrage and super close to a collection of restaurants, independent shops and other attractions. ” Book Now Where to Eat Best Baby Brunch Spot: Outpost “It was so hard to choose just one! But Outpost in the Pontcanna region of Cardiff should not be missed. Opened only in January it is already incredibly popular with local mums. “ Find Out More Best Date Night : Flight Club “If you’re looking for a fun-filled activity date night then I highly recommend booking into Flight Club on St Mary’s St. You’ll have a blast competitively playing the dart games whilst sipping on tasty cocktails, and they serve food too. “ Find Out More Best Coffee Shop: Coffi Co. “Choosing my fave coffee shop was surprisingly difficult – there’s so many! I love Coffi Co. They are a Cardiff based coffee company/café who actually have a few different sites – my top 2 being “Bayscape” located on Cardiff Marina with beautiful views of the boats and “Mermaid Quay” which boasts glass walls and stunning views of the Bay.” Find Out More Best Pub: The Plymouth Arms “The Plymouth Arms in St Fagans is a beautiful country pub with a large beer garden. It’s the perfect place for a lunch or dinner stop after a visit to St Fagans National Museum of History. ” Find Out More The Best Bakery: Let Them See Cake “This has GOT to be Let Them See Cake. And to be honest, this is more than just a bakery. Think all different flavours of macaroons, a huge array of cakes, cookies and sweet treats AND they even do Brunch too.” Find Out More The Best Lunch: Cardiff Central Market “Head to Cardiff Central Market and try something spectacular from one of the many street food stalls.” Find Out More Best Farm Shop/ Local Produce/ Small Business “Just outside of Cardiff in the Vale is my favourite farm shop, Forage Farm. Its not just a farm shop either. There’s a wonderful restaurant on site, a children’s play park and they also hold seasonal events. In the Summer they have PYO Dahlia fields, in Autumn PYO Pumpkin fields and in December they have amazing Christmas events to name but a few.” Find out More What to Do Best Walk: Cardiff Bay “If you’re looking for a walk close to the city then I definitely recommend a walk from Cardiff Bay along the Cardiff Bay Barrage to Penarth and Cardiff Marina. Its perfectly suitable for buggies, and half way along there’s a children’s park and a 10m long “Enormous Crocodile” art installation celebrating Roald Dahl who was from Cardiff. There are regular ferry boat crossings between Penarth and Mermaid Quay that sail across Cardiff Bay so you don’t need to do the walk back if you don’t want to – and it’s a fun experience for the kids!” Find Out More Best Place to Explore: Fforest Fawr “If you’re looking to escape the city and explore more of what South Wales has to offer I definitely recommend a trip to Fforest Fawr which is situated on the county border of Cardiff and Caerphilly. Pop your baby in a carrier to get the most out of this woodland walk hunting for the incredible wooden animal sculptures through the forest. The walk will take you down to Castell Coch. The Red Castle looks like it was built straight out of a fairy-tale. You can pay to explore the inside if you wish to. “ Find Out More Best spa “Based in another incredible Cardiff Hotel, try the Parkgate Hotel Spa is stunning and worth a tranquil visit.” Find Out More Best Florist: Flower lodge “Flower lodge in the Whitchurch/Rhiwbina area.” Find Out More The Best Free Attraction: St Fagan’s Museum of National History “St Fagan’s Museum of National History is a must see free attraction. You can spend all day there as there’s so much to do. Its £6 for all day parking, but otherwise its free entry. There’s a small farm, a beautiful walk around the grounds St Fagan’s Castle- a well preserved 16th Century Manor House, many historic buildings from different historical periods, children’s park and picnic areas and so much more! If you’d like something free to do in the city, I recommend heading to Bute Park. The mature Parkland is situated right next to Cardiff Castle and is lovely to explore and wander through.” Find Out More TMC Cardiff Brunch Club “If you want to meet local, likeminded mums friends on your trip why not attend a TMC Brunch club.” Book Here The Musts: • Must do – Explore the green spaces and lakes! Bute Park, Roath Park and Llanishen and Lisvane Reservoirs are definitely worth visiting – Cardiff Castle – one of many Castles in Wales this is a must do whilst exploring the City itself – Mermaid Quay, Roald Dahl Plas and the Senedd Cymru – Techniquest: definitely worth a visit to entertain children aged pre-school and above. Look out for the specific toddler sessions – Cardiff Museum: a firm favourite with my 3 year old. Its FREE! Just outside of Cardiff we love: – Cosmeston Lakes Country Park – Jump on a train to the seaside town of Penarth. On the border of Cardiff and the Vale it’s the perfect place to stroll along both the promenade and Pier with a delicious batch of fish and chips. Walk up the hill towards the cliff tops with the sea on your left to reach the best ice cream shop around – Fablas! Up on the cliff tops you’ll also find an independent café called Willmores perfectly placed right next to a large children’s park and boasting views of the sea over the cliff tops – Mountain View Ranch on the border of Caerphilly and Cardiff this is the perfect day out with children in mind – Gruffalo trail, archery, jumping pillows, adventure play areas, fairy forest and so much more! – Merthyr Mawr and Ogmore Beach – One of the most stunning beaches in the area. Park in the Merthyr Mawr carpark and hike to the beach through the epic sand dunes. Travel Notes: Travelling around the city of Cardiff itself is easy by public transport – walk, get the bus or train. The main train station in Cardiff is Cardiff Central. Alternatively, Cardiff is easy to travel around in your own car. There are plenty of carparks in the city, and most use an app for payment. Sophia Gardens is the best carpark for Bute Park and the Castle or the shopping centre multistorey carpark St Davids, is easily located right in the city centre. Cardiff airport is a short drive from the City. Located near the airport is Rhoose Point – Wales most Southerly point. Learn a few Welsh phrases: – Bore da: Good morning – Shw mae? : How are you? – Diolch: Thank-you The Mum Club21 March 2024 ← TMC Family Recipe of the Week: The Best Roast Leg of Lamb → TMC Recipe of the Week: Immune Boosting Ginger Shots
