Drunk too much tea at the Hayes Island snack bar? Relieve yourself in style in these beautifully…read morearchitectured Victorian water closets. The latrines are framed by an ornate black metal gold tipped fence. A brass handrail guides you down to polished granite floors beneath the busy shopping street. When I visited the facilities they were clean and well maintained. I loved the heavy hardwood doors and brass fittings, the cast iron cistern and the smooth wooden chain pulls. But was slightly disturbed by the 'needle bin' facility on the wall, however better safely binned than scattered on the floor! Although wheelchair inaccessible, a notice on the fence helpfully tells you that disabled facilities can be accessed at the back of the Hayes Island snack bar during opening hours. Highly recommended.

Cathays Park in Cardiff is one of Europe's finest Civic Centres, built in the early years of the…read more20th century to reflect Cardiff's rapid development as a major city and trading port, largely due to the export of coal. What had been a small town of a few thousand souls in 1800 was, by 1900, the largest coal exporting port in the world, and home to over 150,000. A key figure in the early life of Cardiff was the local landowner, the 1st Marquess of Bute. He was responsible for the rebuilding of Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch, and in 1898 sold what had been the grounds of a Georgian Mansion to the City to enable construction of the Civic Centre. It now contains the National Museum of Wales, the main buildings of the University, administrative buildings of the Welsh Assembly, Law Courts and, as its crowning glory, Cardiff City Hall. Completed in 1904 and built in white Portland stone, this magnificent baroque building was designed by the firm Lanchester, Stewart and Rickards after an architectural competition. The basic design includes an imposing central dome and entrance portico, with an offset 194ft (60m) tall bell tower. The external statuary represents the City's three rivers, the Taff, Rhymney and Ely. The bell tower is something of a landmark, and contains five bells, each inscribed with a motto in English or Welsh: Hour bell: 'Y gwir yn erbyn y byd' (His truth against the world) 1st Quarter - 'I mark time, dost thou?' 2nd Quarter - 'Duw a phob daioni' (God is all goodness) 3rd Quarter - 'Time conquers all and we must time obey' 4th Quarter - 'A gair Duw yn uchaf' (God's voice on high) Inside the main entrance hall has two grand staircases leading to the grand first floor reception, appropriately called the 'Marble Hall'. The most impressive internal rooms (there are also offices, of course) are the Council Chamber and the Great Assembly Hall. The latter possesses three huge bronze chandeliers and has been used for all sorts of functions, from dinner dances (which my Mum and Dad used to attend for 1/6 in the 1950s!) to banquets for Royalty and visiting Heads of State. The Council Chamber, of oak and Breccia Marble, is also worth a look, and was used for a meeting of the European Council in 1998. The Edwardian period was a time when Wales was rediscovering its history and confidence, and so the interior reception halls - especially that on the first floor - are decked out with the best Edwardian marble statues of Welsh heroes and heroines by noted sculptors of the day. To modern eyes, apart form the dubious historical accuracy, they are a bit overblown, but impressive nonetheless. Better is the building's impressive art collection, mostly of late Victorian English painting, including some minor pre-raphaelite works by Blair Leighton and my favourite, 'Winter', by the Scottish artist, Joseph Farquharson, (much beloved of Christmas Cards). There are also portraits of political figures, such as Lloyd George, George Thomas and James Callaghan, and a rather odd triple portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales by John Merton (for hardened Diana fans only). As well as conferences, banquets and similar events, the Marble Hall is licensed for weddings and they can also cater for receptions for up to 500 guests.

NOTES: ~ This review is for using it as a wedding venue!…read more Cardiff's City Hall was where I got married and overall the people and process was fantastic. I'll explain the 1 star off later. ~ Support: The support from the staff here was fantastic and the process was very smooth. There were several stages to the process from getting registered to booking a date and everything went smoothly. They had selection pack where you declare what music you want (of which there were a variety of options), what statements you wish to be made, and generally how the whole flow of the ceremony was good. The person who married us was also very kind and supportive. I had a little crying breakdown during our vows and she was very patient with me and also seemed really genuinely happy for us on the day. ~ Venue: As noted by other reviewers, the building is beautiful which makes it for a great location to get married. Just look at the photos! ~ Downside: I recognise that this may be a rare occurrence, but I wish they were a bit more strict on people who don't turn up on time. There was a wedding scheduled before us and they were very late so our guests had to wait in the waiting room with guests of another wedding which made it very awkward and not intimate at all. My partner and I also had to wait until our own ceremony and so waited with our guests. We are all pretty relaxed people and this didn't bother me too much and I actually found it hilarious, but I can imagine if it happens to anyone else it would be very hectic. Maybe a 15 minutes or cancellation policy? The couple before us were over half an hour late which cut the "nervous pre-wedding anticipation" down by quite a lot.

Bow your heads. The War Memorial on The Green features a statue showing a female 'Llandaff'…read moreremembering her two sons. The figure on the left represents the young men from the Cathedral School who died, and the figure on the right represents all the young men from the parish who lost their lives. It was created by Sir William Goscombe John, whose work is displayed throughout the village, on The Green and at the Cathedral. This area is truly a historic and beautiful one, give yourself plenty of time to wander about the cathedral and the Bishop's Castle and Bell Tower too.

An interesting suburb of cardiff packed full of specialist shops and good restaurants,including…read moresome excellent Indian ones. Canton also boasts the renowned Chapter Arts Centre tucked away behind the police station. Canton's so easy to dismiss as you drive through,but it's an a unassuming place with a lot of hidden gems.

Canton - or in Welsh Treganna - is one of my favourite parts of Cardiff. My friends Anke and Llyr…read morelive here. I used to live nearby in Pontcanna. Pontcanna Street is also part of Canton where you have those nice cafes such as Cibos, Brava, etc. There is the Cameo Club, too. You find nice shops and boutiques. From Canton it is not far to Cowbridge Road where a lot of Asian people live and where you find good Asian food, including good Indian restaurants. Canton itself is quite a Welsh-speaking area within Cardiff which is nice. Oh, I have a good hairdresser in Canton: Redds!

If you're interested in architecture, this historic building is well worth checking out, located…read morenear the city centre in Cardiff's prestigious Civic Centre - next to leafy Cathays Park. The grand, pillared building was designed by Vincent Harris OBE (1876-1971) and Thomas Anderson Moodie (1874-1948), and completed in 1911. Outside the building there are two striking statues by Albert H Hodge (1875-1918), which reflect the area's historical source of wealth: navigation (a statue of Neptune in a chariot), and coal mining (represented by Minerva). The building now belongs to the university and is home to some of the social sciences courses and research groups, so you'll see lots of students, lecturers and research associates wandering in and out of the grand front entrance. It previously housed the Glamorgan County Council Offices, and one of the rooms inside includes the former council chamber - as well as various committee rooms. You can't just wander in off the street (unless of course you're a student / lecturer!, but you can admire it from the outside while exploring the Civic Centre area of Cardiff.

If you are female and you feel this review seems a little sexist or appears to stereotype then I…read moreapologise but in its defence its only aimed at the male population. Lads, if you are ever in a predicament where you have agreed to be dragged around Cardiff shopping by your other half only to realise half way through this punishment that you are missing a big sporting event on TV then don't panic. Make your way to the Hayes where they have a huge jumbo screen. More often than not they usually screen big sporting events on it. Its where I watched the mens Wimbledon final. You can even splash out, get yourself a coffee at the nearby Island cafe and sit yourself down at one of their tables - perfect - until the othr half wonders where you have gone that is.

The Hayes sits at the very heart of Cardiff city centre, and forms a kind of pedestrianised square…read more(albeit not very square-shaped!) lined by shops, restaurants, the vibrant St David's Hall concert venue, and the new St David's 2 shopping centre. In the middle of the Hayes, under some ancient trees, is the well-known Hayes Island Snack Bar, with outdoor seating amidst the hustle and bustle of shoppers and office workers. Around the edges of the Hayes area there are lots of shops including Waterstones and Habitat, plus restaurants and cafés such as Jamie's Italian and Starbucks, along with the Tourist Information Centre (housed in the Old Library) and St David's Hall. Just off the square there's the historic Morgan and Royal Arcades, and just around the corner is Cardiff Indoor Market, and in the other direction Mill Lane - known locally as 'Café Quarter' because of its many continental style restaurants with outdoor terrace seating.

This museum is the perfect price. Free! It is a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours. There…read moreis lots of natural history as well as cultural history. Everything is in both English and Welsh. The natural history area had videos ad well as exhibits detailing the geographic history of the region. The Art of the Selfie exhibit had a small cost which was quite fair. Van Gogh's Self Portrait was the main draw, but they also had Rembrandt and other artists. In the other rooms, there were so many artifacts. Rooms within rooms and beyond, you can lose hours reading about everything on display.

it was a pretty good experience, but no one warned me that the bloody dinosaurs are getting starved…read morebecause they are literally just bones. animal mistreatment is NOT a joke I want to support, I cannot believe the STATE of this museum. Good value for money as its free. Cool stones and a selection of STARVED AND DEAD animals. and the service was poor because they encourage this. the toilets are good for kids, AND OTHER THINGS.

I went to a party at the Temple of Peace the other day…read more That is not a statement I ever expected to make to be honest. Temple of Peace & Health is not an obvious choice for a swanky reception with oodles of wine, but it actually worked pretty well! The space is huge - a vast open marble room, with marble pillars, big windows and light flooding in. They were evidently very accommodating to the event organiser as there was a bar/table set up to serve wine and the caterers bought out hot food. The main room is accessed through the vestibule, which has well appointed toilets and a reception desk. Peace is really the word - it is a very calm and welcoming place, and from the look of the notice boards had a fair few things going on. If I were looking for a venue for a reception or presentation then I would certainly consider this. Really, a nice space.

This is a beautiful old building situated in the very centre of Cardiff, and serving as a…read moredistinctive landmark. St John the Baptist Church is over 800 years old and has watched the rest of Cardiff grow up around it. Yet, it manages to remain just as impressive as ever. This church is a lovely place to visit and is staffed my very welcoming volunteers. There is a small tearoom also situated in the building, and it's a great idea to combine tea and cakes with a little bit of architectural appreciation. My favourite time to visit St John is Christmas. Around this time they extend their visiting hours and the church itself is filled with charity Christmas cards, wrapping paper and decorations to sell. For me, this is an essential part of Christmas that cannot be missed.

Wonderful structure.. Is s landmark for the cardiff market…read more. I went inside..very nice.. Well worth a few minutes of your time to explore it..