Things to do in Newport

Home to some of the biggest and most complete Roman ruins in the UK, make sure to check out the Caerleon complex, including an amphitheatre, fortress and baths. Plus, there’s Newport Castle, some stunning nature reserves and the Newport Velodrome. 

When the sun is shining, there can be fewer better places in Wales - take a trip over the Transporter Bridge, go birdwatching in the wetlands or head to one of the largest farm parks in the country. And there’s plenty of fun inside, with cinema complexes, trampoline parks, go-karting and more!

Welsh ballet? Check. Top-flight rugby and football at a modern, well-equipped stadium? Check. Live music every weekend, and during the week if you’re lucky? Check. Three theatres putting on a range of musicals, stage productions and pantomimes? Check, check and check again. There really is something for everyone on Newport’s entertainment scene.

A city indebted to its Roman heritage, it’s easy to spend a day or more discovering the Roman ruins and exploring the National Roman Legion Museum. But then you’d be missing out on the 15th-century Newport Ship, the Newport Museum and Art Gallery and loads more!

Fancy indulging in a spot of retail therapy? Make sure you read our guide to Newport’s top shopping destinations first, featuring the two-level Friars Walk Shopping Centre, which boasts a wide selection of shops, alongside a choice of bars, restaurants and entertainment options.

Equidistant from Cardiff and Bristol airports, both which welcome around a million passengers a year, Newport is well-serviced by international connections, while the city is home to the biggest and best-served bus station in Wales with regular services to London, Manchester and Cardiff.

A city in love with pubs, we could easily dedicate an entire website to the best drinking holes in Newport. As it is, we’ve narrowed the selection down to the best bars and pubs, including live music venues, rooftop terraces, swanky cocktail hang-outs and more.

From hidden coffee houses and charming cafés perched behind the sea walls to a host of fine-dining restaurants and some of the best Indian restaurants in Wales, Newport’s restaurant and café scene is alive and very much cooking.

Newport might only be small, but it packs an entertainment punch with the exceptional Riverfront Arts Centre being the gem of the city’s art scene. The venue plays host to an program of events across its two theatres, art gallery, dance studio, recording studio and workshop room.