Great
Western Trains operate a half hourly 125mph rapid train
service from Central London (Paddington) to Cardiff Central, and
tickets can cost as little as £30- 35 with a 7 Days Advance ticket. Great
Western Trains or call +44 870 0 000125 (UK 0870
000125).
Train
services from Cardiff Central
and Penarth (Cogan) to Cardiff International (Rhoose) run every hour,
with a journey time from Cardiff of 30 minutes and from Cogan of 21
minutes. There is FREE Parking at Cogan Station. These services also
run on to Bridgend, where there are connections for Swansea and West
Wales. Connections at Cardiff Central from Bristol, Portsmouth,
Southampton, Reading, Oxford, Birmingham, Hereford and Exeter.
PENARTH
For Local Services from
Cardiff Central to Penarth, departing every 15 minutes
during the Working Day, Go to Platform 7 or call Arriva
Trains Wales
on 08457 48 49 50 for times. Bargain Tickets are always available,
often known as "Cheap Day Tickets", "Savers" or "Super
Savers".
Each ticket has different restrictions on travel times. (NB - Visitors
to the UK can buy special discounted railcards which are incredible
value, and give access to all, or sections of, the entire UK rail
network. These MUST be purchased outside the UK).
ALL WALES
Visit Wales Flexi Pass for the Freedom
of Wales Flexipass tickets.
These give unlimited travel on Wales' railway network for 8 or 15 days,
together with options for Local Bus travel as well.These are an
excellent way to see Wales, and also travel on some of the narrow gauge
Great
Little Trains of Wales. Contact 0870 90000 777 or write to
Great Little Trains of Wales, The Station, Llanfair Caereinion, Mid
Wales, UK SY 21 0BR.
COACHES
National Express
("Flightlink")
coaches operate a regular service from London Gatwick & London
Heathrow terminals direct to Cardiff's Central Bus Station. This is the
cheapest way of travelling. Transit times range from around 3 hours
from Heathrow, to 4 hours 15 minutes from Gatwick.
Non-airport services operate from London's Victoria Coach Station,
about 500m. from the Tube Station. Coaches depart Cardiff (Central Bus
Station) to London Heathrow, on an hourly basis, during the daytime.
Visit National
Express or call (08705) 80 80 80. Ticket Office at
Cardiff Bus Station.
BUSES
Visit Cardiff Bus
for details of Local Services throughout the city and beyond.Services
from Cardiff City Centre to Penarth run every 8 minutes in the daytime,
and are numbered 92, 93 and 94, departing Westgate Street,
(Stop ) daytime. Evening Services are numbered 92 &
94,
departing from (Stop) half-hourly from 1900-2320. Service 89 via
Cardiff Bay, Penarth Marina and Esplanade, departs from Churchill Way
shopping area, every hour until around 1800. The cheapest fare is an
Off Peak Return, obtainable after 0930 daily, costing about £2 ($3.75)
round trip.
"Best Deal" if riding
throughout the
City and Suburbs, is the "Day to Go", which gives unlimited travel in
Cardiff & Penarth. Costing only £3.00 ($5) per Adult, buy on
the
first bus you board, and transit the whole of this beautiful city and
its many attractions.
Log on to Cardiff Bus at
www.cardiffbus.com
for other local service details. Buses serve the entire city
and
suburbs, and the route network also extends to Barry, Caerphilly, and
Newport.
A "Network Rider" ticket
permits a
day's unlimited travel in the South East Wales region on five different
operators service routes. At around £6.00 ($9.50), this is incredible
value for sightseers. Visit places such as Caerphilly Castle, Museum of
Welsh Life, Rhondda Heritage Park, Chepstow Castle & Museum,
Newport Transporter Bridge, Tredegar House and the delightful Dyffryn
Gardens. Buy your ticket on board the first
bus.
BRECON BEACONS BUS (Summer only)
This Special Service goes direct to the Brecon Beacons mountains and
Brecon City from Cardiff Bus Station, and runs on Sundays and Bank
Holidays in High Summer. This is an excellent way to see the
magnificent mountains that form this dominating range lying about 1
hour north of Cardiff. For full details of times and fares, click
here:- Brecon Beacons Bus
Cardiff
International Airport is located at Rhoose, Nr. Barry, about
12 miles
west of Cardiff City Centre.The airport, which is extensively
equipped for large passenger and cargo aircraft, is accessed
via A4232 from the City Centre, A4050
from Culverhouse Cross, then A4266
and B4265 to the west of Barry. All
routes to the airport are well signposted. Flight destinations include
Amsterdam,
Paris, Cork, Dublin, Manchester and Toronto by Scheduled airlines, and
numerous
destinations through Charter operators.
Low Cost operator bmibaby operates to
Spain, Italy, Switzerland and UK airports, with flights throughout the
week to
some destinations. Fast
Trains (see
above) and Bus Service # X91 connects the airport with Cardiff
Central Bus and Train
stations,and Car Rental Hire is available at the airport.
"Airport Taxis" are based at the main
Arrivals Terminal. Connecting buses to the rail link stop outside the
Arrivals Terminal. Visit Cardiff
International Airport
(CWL) on Cardiff
Airport, Wales UK
Phone (01446) 711 111 for fuller details. Flight
Arrivals at
Cardiff International can be accessed on the CWL
website.
OTHER GATEWAYS TO WALES
CARDIFF is very
accessible from
several major airports, european ferries, the Eurostar Express Eurostar
Trains, and the main M4 Motorway from London. Visit Eurostar
or call +44 8000 96 99 92 (08000 969992). Cardiff International Airport
is located 30 minutes west of the city, and has excellent links through
Amsterdam Airport to European and U.S. airports. Contact details above.
London (Heathrow) is
reached in under 2 ½ hours along the M4 Motorway. London (Gatwick) is
approximately 4 hours away. Visit
Heathrow. Manchester Airport is about 3 ½ hours by
rail. Visit Manchester. Birmingham
Airport is about 3 ¼ hours by rail. Visit
Birmingham
BOATS Water taxi services have
been running
across Cardiff Bay for over 10 years, together with longer trips
outside the barrage towards Penarth and Lavernock Point. The M/V
"Cygnet" operates a regular service between Penarth Marina and Mermaid
Quay on Cardiff's Waterfront, which is a handy way of visiting the
Cardiff Bay area with its many attractions, cinemas, pubs,
clubs,
ethnic and Welsh restaurants, and the Welsh Assembly. As parking in
"the Bay" is often difficult, this is a super way of travelling for a
Day Out in Cardiff's former docklandsdistricts, now transformed with
millions of pounds of investment into an upmarket visitor
venue.
In the Summer
months, one of
Cardiff's most popular outings is a Day Cruise on the paddle steamer
"Waverley" or the former ferry "Balmoral", to West Country resorts such
as Ilfracombe, Lundy Island and Minehead. The "Waverley", the world's
last sea going paddle steamer, carries around 850 passengers, and has a
rapid turn of speed. She was refitted extensively during the
2000
season with the aid of National Lottery funding. Both ships sail from
Penarth Pier, and tickets may be purchased on board, or from Penarth
Tourist Information Centre. (Tel 029 2070 8849) (1000-1800 Summer
Months). Warm clothing is recommended for all sailings, as the Bristol
Channel can be very windy at times
!! RENT-A-CAR.
There are, as in all
countries, many
car rental firms, some well known, some not. Many
will be
familiar to you. You should check conditions carefully prior to hiring.
In particular, watch for fuel top-up and excess mileage charges, on
returning the car. Check Yellow Pages for details of Cardiff based
companies.
TAXIS
There are two types of
taxis
operating in and around CARDIFF. Hackney Cabs, which are highly visible
in their Black & White colour scheme, with a "Taxi" sign, and
license plate # under the boot lid. These can be hailed on the streets
at Taxi Ranks, Central Station etc. Private Hire cabs. These can only
be booked by calling the company's phone number in the Yellow Pages or
Blue BT phone books. They cannot be hailed like Hackney Cabs. All fares
are fixed by the City Council.
Train
services from Cardiff Central
and Penarth (Cogan) to Cardiff International (Rhoose) run every hour,
with a journey time from Cardiff of 30 minutes and from Cogan of 21
minutes. There is FREE Parking at Cogan Station. These services also
run on to Bridgend, where there are connections for Swansea and West
Wales. Connections at Cardiff Central from Bristol, Portsmouth,
Southampton, Reading, Oxford, Birmingham, Hereford and Exeter.
For detailed Travel
Information, call 0870 608 2 608 (National Call Rate applies). 
RENT-A-CAR.
Brecon
Lodge B&B