By Train, Cardiff

The Cardiff bay development is an attempt to bring the 'Barcelona effect' to the welsh coast. The derelict docks are being reborn as a travel and leisure development on a grand scale.

Unlike other cities wich may opt to silent sleek new trams to connect to their new developments in Cardiff they do things differently.

Welcome to the delights of a crappy welsh train trundling the one mile branch line from Cardiff Queen street (centre) to Cardiff bay in an amazing four minutes. Alight at the derelict remains of wales' oldest train station. 21st century here we come.

On the plus side you pay on the train and according to a local I talked to "They can never be A**sed to collect the fare, I have no idea how much it is"

Cardiff Central is the main station in Cardiff. It has links to all parts of the country, and within Wales itself.
The service to London Paddington is good, and takes about 2-3 hours. On Sundays there is the longer route via Stroud and Gloucester.
No rail fares in UK are cheap, in fact the return fare to and from London- Cardiff is only £0.65 more than the single. It is always wiser to book a seat the day before to ensure getting a seat as frequently the train is full.

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There is a single track railway that opened in 1911 and has survived closure many times. It was built when mining was at its peak, and is now still running throughout the day [except SUNDAYS] between Cardiff Central or Cardiff Bay and Coryton. It shuttles back and forwards all day long, and is very convenient for people living out in the suburbs.
The train runs twice per hour. It leaves Cardiff Central at 8 and 38 minutes past the hour. It stops at Cardiff Queen Street, Heath Low Level, Ty Glas, Birchgrove, Rhiwbina, Whitchurch and terminates at Coryton.

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To reach Cardiff from Bristol I used local train that took around one hour stopping at several stations along the way. The "train" consisted of a single-carriage diesel unit. Apparently, this was a regional service and there are some high-speed trains connecting Cardiff with London.

A standard one-way ticket between Bristol and Cardiff costed 8,20 GBP (Feb 2007). Railways in the Uk can be a bit confusing because there are numerous operators but the good thing is that they are all fare and time coordinated by the NationalRail.

Cardiff Central Station was improved a couple of years ago. The 1999 Rugby World Cup meant thousands of people arriving by train and walking the short distance to the new Millennium Stadium!

There are excellent train connections East, to Bristol, Oxford and London. London is only 2 hours away on a very smooth, reliable high-speed service (well, I mean 100 mph... ).

Trains to/from Birmingham and central England also run very regularly, but are slower, and take about 3 and half hours. The route through the Welsh borders is very beautiful, especially on a misty summer morning.

Swansea is only 55 minutes West. You pass the industrial landscape of South Wales on the way. Train services then continue West to Carmarthen, Haverfordwest, Pembroke and Tenby. This route is stunningly beautiful, passing along the Towy valley opposite Llanstephan Castle.

From Cardiff you can head North too, on the 'Valley Lines' to Merthyr Tydfil. In the Summer, regular tourist buses run on from there to Brecon and the Welsh mountains.

The rest of Wales is difficult to reach from Cardiff by public transport. To get to Aberystwyth, or North wales, you need to head back into England. However, the Central Wales line to Aberystwyth is also incredibly picturesque.

The train for Cardiff leaves Paddington Station in London. The trip is only 147 miles and takes 2 hours 15 minutes.

When traveling in the UK for a couple of weeks it's worth the money to buy a Britrail Pass before leaving for the trip as it costs 50 GBP from London to Cardiff one way.

I travelled from Manchester to Cardiff by train, British Rail. It's a good alternative, British trains are very comfortable... If you are coming from London I advice you to do it by train too, it's a two-hours journey...
To move around we did not even need a map! This was great, when we got to Cardiff we went straight to the Information Centre and asked how to get to our Hotel...they let us know and we went...walking!!! It was a 5-minute walk from the train station...
You won't need a map, just go on walking and you will get to the place you want, there are lots of signs in the street, and the people are really eager to help you!!!

Fly into Cardiff International Airport

Train links are excellent

If travelling from another city in the UK jump on a national express coach
On Foot because you get to see more or maybe hire bicycles.

Public transport is very reliable with an abundance of buses and taxis