Hotels in Cardiff

Cardiff is small enough that no sensible choice of base will strand you, but the character of a stay changes a good deal between neighbourhoods. The city centre puts you inside the ring of arcades, minutes from Cardiff Castle, the market and Principality Stadium, and within an easy walk of Cardiff Central for onward trains. If you are here for a match, a concert at the Utilita Arena or a weekend of shopping, this is the obvious place to sleep. Be realistic about noise: St Mary Street is a serious night-out destination, and rooms at the front of older hotels hear all of it.

Cardiff Bay offers the opposite trade-off. It is a mile and a half from the centre, connected by a train that takes four minutes from Queen Street and by a pleasant waterside walk, and it is markedly quieter after dark. Hotels here tend to be newer and roomier, parking is usually included or cheap, and you are on the doorstep of the Wales Millennium Centre, the Senedd and the restaurants of Mermaid Quay. Families and anyone driving generally find the Bay the easier option.

For a more residential feel, look to Cathedral Road and Pontcanna, where a terrace of Victorian villas has been the city's guest-house quarter for generations. You get breakfast cooked to order, hosts who know the city, and a twenty-minute walk to the castle through Bute Park. Rates are usually below the centre for comparable comfort. Canton next door is cheaper again, while Roath and Cathays trade proximity for value and put Roath Park's lake on your doorstep.

Timing matters more than location for price. Six Nations Saturdays, autumn internationals and big stadium concerts can treble rates and sell the city out months in advance, so check the fixture list before you commit. Conversely, midweek stays in January, February and November are among the best value of any UK capital. Book direct where you can — several Cardiff properties hold back parking, breakfast or late checkout for guests who do.