Getting There By Air:Cardiff International Airport (CWL) Tel: (01446) 711 111.
Website:
www.cwlfly.com The airport is located at Rhoose, 19km (12 miles) southwest of the city center. As a regional airport, it is much smaller than the major UK international hubs. Even so, it handles currently about 1.5 million passengers annually, with a capacity for 3 million.
Airport facilities: Banking and exchange facilities are available. There is also a 24-hour
information desk, ATMs, duty-free shops, restaurants, cafes, pubs and car hire from
Avis,
Europcar and
Hertz.
Business facilities: There is no business center in the airport. There is an executive lounge in the departures lounge, with Internet access, fax and photocopiers, as well as refreshments and newspapers. Fax and photocopying facilities are available at the information desk in the main terminal.
Transport to the city: A rail link connects Cardiff International Airport to Cardiff Central and Bridgend via a free shuttle bus to Rhoose Cardiff International Station. Trains run each direction every hour, with onward connections possible to other destinations on the rail network. For further information, including fares and timetables, contact National Rail Enquiries (tel: 0845 748 4950; website: www.nationalrail.co.uk).
Cardiff Bus (tel: (029) 2066 6444; website:
www.cardiffbus.com) service X91 operates direct between Cardiff city center (including Central Station) and the airport with up to a half hourly frequency on Mondays to Fridays, hourly on Saturdays and Sundays. Additional Cardiff Bus service 95 runs via Barry on Monday to Saturday evenings.
Getting There By Road:Driving regulations in Wales are the same as for the rest of the UK. Main roads are designated by a letter, followed by up to four numbers: an ‘M’ indicates a motorway, ‘A’ a major trunk road and ‘B’ minor roads. Traffic drives on the left and overtakes on the right. The speed limits are 113kph (70mph) on motorways and dual carriageways, 97kph (60mph) on single-lane main roads and 48kph (30mph) in built-up areas, unless otherwise indicated. Seatbelts are compulsory for drivers and front-seat passengers and for rear-seat passengers, if fitted. Motorcyclists must wear helmets. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08%. The legal driving age is 17 years. Overseas driving licenses and International Driving Permits are valid for driving in Britain for up to one year. Insurance is mandatory. Overseas motorists should bring registration documents and ask their insurance company if a Green Card is required.
Traffig Cymru (Traffic Wales) provides traffic and road user information for travel to, from and within Wales (tel: 0845 602 6020; website:
www.traffic-wales.com). Breakdown service and general motoring information is provided by the
Automobile Association (AA) (tel: 0870 600 0371; website:
www.theaa.co.uk), the
Royal Automobile Club (RAC) (tel: 0870 572 2722; website:
www.rac.co.uk) and
Green Flag (tel: 0845 246 1557; website:
www.greenflag.co.uk).
Emergency breakdown services: AA (tel: 0800 887 766);
Green Flag (tel: 0800 051 0636);
RAC (tel: 0800 828 282).
Routes to the city: The M4 is the main direct route to Cardiff from elsewhere in the UK, through London, Reading, Swindon, Bath and Bristol, crossing the Second Severn Crossing (M4) and continuing on to Swansea. From the north and Midlands, the M5 passes through Birmingham to link with the M4 near Bristol. The Severn Suspension Bridge (M48) provides an alternate route over the River Severn. A toll (westbound only) is charged on both bridges. Eastbound crossings from Wales into England are free for all vehicles.
Approximate driving times to Cardiff: From Swansea - 1 hour; Birmingham - 2 hours 30 minutes; London - 3 hours.
Coach services: National Express (tel: 0870 580 8080; website: www.nationalexpress.com) runs direct services between Cardiff and most other major UK towns and cities. It also operates services to Ireland.
Eurolines (part of
National Express) serves destinations on mainland Europe.
Cardiff’s coach and bus station is on Wood Street, immediately outside the railway station. About a dozen different coach and bus operators offer services around the city and further afield. Facilities are sparse but include a newsagent, fast-food outlets and a taxi rank. The terminal is also close to city center amenities.
Getting There By Rail:The main rail companies for long distance cross-country services to and from Cardiff are
First Great Western (tel: 0845 700 0125; website:
www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk) and
Virgin Trains (tel: 0845 722 2333; website:
www.virgintrains.co.uk). Express services are generally fast and comfortable, although the further west they go, the more frequent are the stops and the slower the run. Local and regional routes are operated by
Arriva Trains Wales (tel: 0870 900 0773 for tickets; website:
www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk). Local services are by their nature less rapid, serving numerous smaller stations. Most trains are relatively new but there is still some older rolling stock in service on the minor Valley Lines routes, which can be a bit noisy and rough-riding.
National Rail Enquiries (tel: 0845 748 4950; website:
www.nationalrail.co.uk) handles all rail enquiries.
Cardiff Central, Central Square, is the main rail station. The booking office is open Monday to Saturday 0545-2130 and Sunday 0645-2130. Facilities include ATMs, newsagent/bookseller and a fast-food outlet.
Hertz has a car hire office immediately outside the main building in Central Square.
Rail services: Hourly services to and from London Paddington are run by First Great Western via Reading, Swindon, Bristol Parkway and Newport (journey time - 2 hours). There are also rail connections between Cardiff, Swansea (journey time - 1 hour) and West Wales, as well as long distance cross-country services to cities such as Newcastle-upon-Tyne (journey time - 6 hours), York (journey time - 4 hours 40 minutes), Sheffield (journey time - 3 hours 30 minutes) and Birmingham (journey time - 2 hours), operated by
Virgin Trains.
Getting Around:Public TransportPublic transport in the city is by
bus and the main provider is
Cardiff Bus (tel: (029) 2066 6444; website:
www.cardiffbus.com), which is based opposite the central bus station on Wood Street. Buses generally operate between 0530 and 2330 with reduced hours at the weekend and on public holidays. A system of color-coded fare zones operates. Tickets are available for purchase on the bus and passengers must have the exact change. A variety of day, week or month tickets for travel either within the city limits or the wider region are available from the Cardiff Bus office.
First Cymru (tel: (01792) 580 580; website:
www.firstgroup.com) operates some regional bus services from 0500 to 2320. A
First Day pass is available for one day of unlimited travel on all First local buses (except shuttle services) within South Wales. These may be purchased on the bus.
Local
train services are run by
Arriva Trains Wales (tel: 0870 9000 773; website:
www.arrivatrainswales.co.uk), which operate around 0500-2430 on weekdays, starting later at the weekend and on public holidays. In addition to Cardiff Central, there are several local rail stations, including Cardiff Queen Street, Cardiff Bay and Cathays. Tickets are available for purchase at the station or on board. Those who would like to explore the region or even the rest of Wales further should consider buying a
Flexi Pass (website:
www.walesflexipass.co.uk), an eight-day card that entitles the holder to free travel on both buses and trains. It comes in regional and national versions.
General information on public transport throughout Wales is available from
Traffig Cymru (tel: 0870 608 2608).
TaxisAll taxis can be hailed on the street, whether black hackney cabs or cars with company logos indicating that they are taxis. Alternatively, taxis can be ordered by telephone from any of dozens of firms in Cardiff, such as
Black Cabs (tel: (029) 2034 3343),
Central Taxis (tel: (029) 2066 6333) and
Capital Cabs (tel: (029) 2077 7777). Visitors should expect to pay about £4-5 for a journey across town, plus tip of about 10 to 12% of the fare.
Driving in the CityDriving in Cardiff is usually trouble free, although traffic becomes heavy during rush hours (Monday to Friday 0800-0900 and 1700-1800). Finding a parking space on the street can be more problematic, as many of the residential roads in the center are for permit holders only. Although cars that contravene parking regulations may be towed away, a parking fine is more usual. There are ten or more large multi-story car parks in and around the city center, including three near Cardiff Central station and six more within a short walk. A park and ride bus runs on Saturday from Maritime Street on Cardiff Bay.
Car HireRegulations vary from company to company. However, in all cases drivers will require a valid driving license to hire a car. This can usually be a national driving license, although an International Driving Permit may be preferred if the license is not in English. A credit card is essential. The minimum age to hire a car is 18 years, although this may be increased to 21 or 25 years, depending on the company. It is important for drivers to check the level of insurance included in the price of car hire.
In addition to
Europcar,
Avis and
Hertz at the airport, city-based car hire companies include
Avis, 14-22 Tudor Street, Riverside (tel: 0870 608 6329; website:
www.avis.co.uk),
1car1.
com, Unit M St Catherines Park, Pengam Road (tel: (029) 2045 0105; website:
www.1car1.com) and
Hertz, Bessemer Road (tel: (029) 2022 4548; website:
www.hertz.co.uk).
Bicycle HireBicycles can be hired from
Cardiff Caravan Park, Fields Park Road (tel: (029) 2039 8362). It offers easy access to Cardiff’s parkland and the city center and is close to the Taff Trail cycle route, which extends from Cardiff to Brecon with the majority of the trail (over 80km/50 miles) on traffic-free off-road paths.
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