I'm not really a fan of this church as a place for worship for myself - for reasons that will…read morebecome clear in just a little bit. But I have entered this church under local flavour because it conducts its services in Welsh. It is really very interesting to go to a service. The church itself is beautiful - a real, good, old-fashioned church. Although it does feel a little weird going in to look around when it's a functioning church. Also, I don't want it to seem as though I was going to gawk at local people. I was really just very interested to see a traditional service. And I'm really glad I did.

No, not the much loved children's TV program (although Florence and Zebedee wouldn't look out of…read moreplace here) but a roundabout of bizarre sculptures made out of roadsigns. This affectionately known Splott landmark even has a claim to fame, it featured in a 2008 'Roundabouts of Britain' calendar! The quirky roundabout was designed by artist Pierre Vivant. If you're a roundabout lover like me check out www.roundaboutsofbritain.com!

I bloody love this round about! It usually at this point i'm lost somewhere between the bay and the…read morecity centre and then i see this magical is-ore. Made out of road signs by an artist (not a piss) called Pierre Vivant it really is something to behold. Now, careful if you want to go having your picture taken on here, its pretty tricky round about seen's as its a busy one. I don't want to be the cause of any mishaps or worse still, deaths! Now obviously it's not one of Cardiff main attractions and if you're reading this from across the waters you're better off just checking out on yelp other than booking flights over. Its nothing spectacular but is definitely worth mentioning for its quirkiness. One of the prettier round about's the city has to offer!

The Brewery Quarter in Cardiff is in a way like a retail park, but smaller and in lieu of shops, it…read morehas a decent selection of restaurants and bars, I'd like to point out the name, not being from Cardiff, being a tourist from my home-town of Manchester, I'm not sure if there is any re branding to just "The Brewery Quarter" which gives it a better feeling, as I'm sure you don't want to hear "Old" when you're going to something to eat, as it just doesn't give the right impression, in a way it makes me think, Is the food from last year? This reference is actually quite ironic, while also considering the last review for this place was also "last year" as well! Moving onto more serious matters, most of the places here are restaurants however Breakout, do have there Cardiff branch here and there is also one of many Starbucks branches around the city located here other big names here include Bella Italia, Nando's, Chiquito and Five Guy's there is also a Brewhouse, which has a clever name, fitting into a complex which it is in, which certainly deserves a shout-out in this review because of that! There are 10 bars and restaurants here which excludes Starbucks Coffee, and Breakout located here so there is a fairly decent selection for most cuisine types including burgers with Five Guys being a more high end Mcdonald's, chicken/Portuguese food of course at Nando's, Italian at Bella and Mexican at Chiquito to name a few. The overall feel of the BQ is reasonable, it isn't too bad, but it isn't too good either, the main thing it does, it combining quite a nice selection of places to eat into one, the Nando's branch in particular which I visited, did look very nice, it was a big store with huge portion sizes, which worked out quite poor, as they overloaded it with spice, making it too hot, but I have commented on that further in a separate review. In a way, the Brewery Quarter lacks that special thing, that sparkle most malls and retail parks have to bring tourists and even locals in alike, which is a shame, and is one of the main reasons I don't think the BQ has done anything to deserve anything more than 2 stars, which I'm dissapointed to report.

The Old Brewery Quarter is a trendy café and restaurant area set around a kind of open-air piazza…read morein the heart of the city centre. It was once the 'Old Brewery' site of Welsh brewery Brains, but after being sat vacant for a while it was redeveloped in 2003 into the current leisure area. You can now find many chain restaurants in the Brewery Quarter, split over two levels - with the likes of Nando's, La Tasca, and Thai Edge on the upper level, along with Brains' own flagship venue, The Yard Bar and Kitchen - and Lava Lounge and Chiquito's on the lower level down some steps. Above all of the restaurants there are residential loft style apartments and penthouses, too. Although it covers a fairly compact area, the Brewery Quarter offers a good choice of different places to eat and drink, and the whole atmosphere is really pleasant - when the sun's out you can almost imagine you're on holiday.

Fifteen stone animals with glassy eyes slumped over a wall pose ready to pounce…read more.. Whether new to Cardiff or just never knew it was there before, this special wall needs to be seen. But be quick these curious creatures look suspiciously as though they are trying to escape Bute park and find a spot of lunch in the Hayes! The animals were originally crafted by Victorian artisan Thomas Nicholls. They were painted, although the paint has since faded and the stone work is currently being cleaned and restored. This wall needs to be seriously bigged up because although connected to Cardiff Castle many visitors won't venture this far to the castles right and so will never see this curious site.

This wall next to Cardiff Castle is an oft-forgotten part of the city centre. You just have to head…read morea bit further down the road and you'll see a fantastic set of various animals like lions and racoons and leopards and baboons clammering over the castle wall. They're only just above head height so you can get a proper look at them. An exciting revelation occurred recently where the aardvark whose nose had been stolen got a brand new one. Sources say he is delighted. The reason I love this wall is because it inspired a lot of ideas that end up in 'Griffin's Castle', a book I remember reading when I was younger by Jenny Nimmo. In this book these stone statues all come to life, and it's an idea that's stuck with me every time I pass the animals on the wall. I swear sometimes I pass by and they're in different positions, but that's almost certainly my imagination.

Cardiff Central Market is a real gem in the heart of the city. The Victorian building itself is…read morebeautiful, full of character with its glass roof and traditional ironwork. Inside, there's a fantastic mix of vendors... fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, and fish other food traders, vintage clothing, books, unique gifts and much more. It has such a lively, local atmosphere and you can really feel the history while wandering around. There are plenty of food options too! Prices are reasonable, the everyone was friendly! Great experience!

If you find yourself in Cardiff, I'd recommend visiting the market (also known as Central Market)!…read moreIt's been around since the 1700s, and in the same Victorian-style building - with a big glass roof - for over 100 years. There's *a lot* to look at and take in, so heads-up if you're a person that gets overstimulated by noise (because that's what the market is: organized chaos of vendors selling anything and everything from coffee to clothing to walking sticks to fish). We enjoyed a bunch of food that we brought to the low, bar-style seating on the first floor, including... Tukka Tuk (5) - first floor, 219 - 223: Indian street food by a multi-award winning chef. And, yeah, believe the hype. This was one of the best things we ate in Wales (and it was vegan!). We did the Build A Bowl and chose 1) half pilav rice and half plain chips topped with 2) coconut dal and 3) cauli kemp. It was rich, creamy, and an absolute explosion of flavor! I regret sharing this with my partner, so - PRO TIP - get your own. Pierogi (4) - first floor, 213 - 217: Polish pierogis. These fresh dumplings prepared daily using their family's special recipe are DELICIOUS. We tried the vegan ones, which at the time were roasted buckwheat with onion and mushroom sauce. So, so good. There's usually five-ish flavors to choose from, and I think they come in two portions (small with four pierogies; large with seven pierogies). Cardiff Bakestones (4) - ground floor, 161 - 165: Known for their Welsh cakes (which are kind of like a scone or a biscuit; softer and slightly sweet, they're baked round with a crinkly edge. Cardiff Bakestones has LOTS of different flavors (like salted caramel, nutella, lemon curd, chocolate chip, etc.) and also vegan and gluten-free options. Definitely get a couple more than you think you're gonna want, because *trust me* you're going to want another right after the one you've just eaten!

Queen Street is one of Cardiff's pedestrianised shopping areas, stretching from the Castle at one…read moreend to Capitol Centre and Queen Street Station at the other end. It's lined with many of the leading high street brands such as Top Shop, Miss Selfidges, Vodafone, Next, Marks & Spencer, Peacocks, and so on. There's little to distinguish Queen Street from similar shopping centres in other cities, but it does offer a good range of clothes and shoe shops. It's also home to many of the big fast food chains such as McDonald's and Burger King, and some of the big coffee chains such as Starbucks - but has few cafés or shops with any real charm. About half way along the street there's an entrance to St David's Shopping Centre, which is home to loads more shops and links through to the Hayes area of the city and the new St David's 2 mall. At the far end there's the Capitol Shopping Centre, home to yet more major clothes and shoe shops, and a few cafés. If you're after more unusual, boutique shops or independent cafés, however, you're better off heading to Cardiff's many small covered arcades, such as Castle, High Street, Morgan, and Wyndham Arcades.

If you are visiting Cardiff for shopping chances are you will find yourself on Queen Street. This…read moreis the main shopping area and everything from all the top high street names, pubs, clubs, bars, restaurants, banks, convenience stores and more. There is a lot in terms of your big name shop and also there is St David's which offers further shopping opportunities for any shopaholics to spend some cash. There always a small stall or little event going on in the idle of Queen Street and i guarantee you'll probably be collard by someone who wants you to sign up for a charity or the very friendly Hare Krishna Monks. As some else has pointed out if you would prefer smaller boutique style shops where there is more likely to be independently owned shops then the arcades just around the corner would be a better fit.

The bold italic white writing on wrought iron black shouts "It's Brains you want!" to all the…read morepassers by. This iconic bridge that divides Riverside from Grangetown, traffics frequent trainloads of passengers from Cardiff Central to the South of the city- the beaches - Barry and Penarth. Whilst a thoroughfare for cars, walking under it is something to be avoided unless you have to, as it is a little dark and dingy and you'll have to dodge the drips. The business that this hand painted sign advertises is of course Brains beer. This Centuries old business based not far from the bridge is more popular then ever and it's beer sells on tap in all the local pubs and many others throughout Wales. This local celebrity of a bridge could do with a repaint, but it's message is still clear - buy beer, buy brains. The Brains bridge is a fascinating part of Cardiff's history, if you like bridges, then you'll love this one!

This shrine is dedicated to a fictional character from a television series. If you're not a fan of…read moreDoctor Who and Torchwood, then you probably would not know of the character. It is a fan created shrine that is still up after over a decade. If you're in Cardiff and around Mermaid Quay, then take a moment to walk down to the waterfront to take a look. If not, then there's no need to go out of your way to come see it.

This is one of the most bizarre places in the Universe, so I thought it was worth a review. A new…read morephenomenon has swept an unwitting part of Cardiff Bay. Around the Mermaid Quay area, down one of the wooden walkways (the one directly underneath you if you stand looking out at the water thoughtfully with the round café place behind you) you'll find a confusing sight. This sight is basically a weird shrine to a character that died in a series that was filmed in Cardiff. The series is Torchwood, which is a sci-fi show in a similar vein to Doctor Who (it's a spin off Doctor Who, actually, and Torchwood is an anagram of Doctor Who, anagram fans). The actor didn't die, so it's perfectly acceptable to make fun of this place, I feel. It's got sketches, vouchers for coffee places (apparently he really liked coffee), photos, and various other bizarre items. People seem to have flown from around the world to visit the location where Ianto Jones died, and since I found this out I'm struggling to understand anything anymore.

Supposed to be a car boot sale. 90% traders today with very few car booters. I won't be going back.read more

Bessemer carboot is so close to me that I rarely venture the extra 5 car/bike minutes over to…read moreSplott. However, on a rainy day to get my carboot fix Splott Market can trump Bessemer as a greater portion of Splott is undercover. Splott is about 30 years old and sells everything - 3 dvd's for a tenner, shiny new kitchenware, diy clutter, brass knobs, last seasons Primark, coloured glass lights, antique pine tables, knock down meat, apple pies, well loved toys, oh yes and the kitchen sink! The Splott vibe is similar to Bessemer - loads of jam packed stalls, 'cept at Spott many of the stall holders seem to be regular, professional car booters, rather than families having a clear out. At Splott there's both the grimy and the shiny, but the fun of the carboot is of course diving in and retrieving hidden treasure for bargain prices. Note: *Carboot Thurs and Sat. *Fruit and veg market Sun

You might not have noticed this quirky landmark - a disused water tower, visible from Central…read moreStation's platform 0. It's grey, concrete grey, however it once sported a cheerful daffodil mural around it's waist. You can still just about see the outline of the mural today. The tower is a prominent part of the Cardiff skyline from many vantages including the Taff Trail and Station bridge and is currently grade II listed. HISTORY: Apparently the building dates from major rebuilding of Cardiff Station in 1932-34 and was painted as part of a job-creation programme associated with one of the early Charles Street carnivals in the late 70's or very early 80's. Several Cardiff artists have recently expressed an interest in repainting the water tower, however so far all proposals have been rebuffed.