Staying in one of our Cardiff hotels? With its flat landscape, the city is great to get around on foot - or by bike! You’ll spot plenty of designated cycle paths and bike racks around the city. Or save your legs and hop on a bus for a quick and easy way to see the city and the beautiful countryside beyond. Here’s all your transport options for getting into and out of this fabulous capital city.
Getting around Cardiff
Airport Transfers
Paying a flying visit? Cardiff Airport is only 12 miles from the city centre, making it easy to get there by taxi, car, bus or train.
The most direct route from the airport to the city centre is the T9 shuttle bus, which picks up and drops off right from the airport door, every 30 minutes, starting at around 9am. You buy your ticket on the bus so there’s no need to book - and you can even pay in Euros.
If you prefer to travel by train, the nearest station to the Cardiff Airport is Rhoose - a ten-minute shuttle bus away. From Rhoose, you can hop on a train to Cardiff Central. Trains run every hour from Monday to Saturday and every two hours on Sundays and take around 30 minutes to get there. If you’re driving, put CF62 3BD into your satnav. The airport is 13 miles from the M4, and very well signposted. Or you could just grab a taxi - expect to pay around £30 from Cardiff Airport to the city centre.
Public Transport
If walking’s not an option, your next best bet is to jump on a bus - it’s cheap and easy to navigate, as buses travel around the city centre in an anti-clockwise direction.
Local buses can take you to Penarth, Caerphilly and Barry, and there’s a regular bendy bus service that will take you out to the coast - perfect if you’re booked into a hotel near Cardiff Bay. If you’re driving, you can head to one of the multi-storey car parks, or leave your car and take the bus in - there are Park and Ride services to the East, South and West of the city, with additional ones laid on for big events.
You’ll also find plenty of taxis, from Hackney cabs (which you can hail from the road if it’s got its light on) to private hire cars (which you can pick up from taxi ranks including Cardiff Central Station, Wood Street, Greyfriars Road, Churchill Way, St Mary Street and Mill Lane).
Train Station
With regular trains running from Queen Street station to Cardiff Bay, and city stops including Cathays, Ninian Park and Llandaff North, the train is a convenient way to get around the city.
Want to head out into the countryside and explore? Trains from Cardiff Central station will whip you away to the Valleys and Vale of Glamorgan in no time. You’ll also need to use Cardiff Central if you’re taking the high-speed train to London, and other cities across the UK. Checking into one of our hotels near Cardiff Central station means you’ll get a good night’s sleep even when you have an early train to catch.
