Car Hire Cardiff Airport

Cardiff doesn’t sprawl, but it’s large enough to require a hire car to see it all, along with the highlights beyond the city limits. Once you’ve collected your vehicle, you can head for the city by joining the A4226. The city centre will be clearly signposted, and you should arrive in around half an hour depending on the traffic.

Speed limits and road rules are the same here, just be aware that the centre of Cardiff can get congested on weekday rush hours, in the morning and early evening. The city has plenty of parking space, with NCP car parks never far from the main city sights and metered street parking available too, with meters taking both cash and card payment.

Cardiff is split in two by the River Taff that leads from Cardiff Bay. There are several bridges joining the two halves of the city, including on the A48, A4161 and A4160. In many ways, the Taff is the main thread of Cardiff life, with Llandaff Cathedral, the impressive Principality Stadium and the castle all lining its banks. The castle is at the crossing of the A470 (also known as North Road) and Duke Street, with many other significant sights, shops and venues in the same area.

Driving beyond Cardiff, the M4 is the main motorway. You can join it to the north of the city via the A48, Northern Avenue or A4232. It will take you east to Newport and across the River Severn on to the creative hub of Bristol. Drive west on the M4 and you’ll pass Bridgend en route to Port Talbot and Swansea. For north Wales, take the A470 – this route passes through Merthyr Tydfil before entering the majestic Brecon Beacons.

Cardiff’s post-millennial confidence shows no signs of disappearing. Planners have improved the city centre beyond recognition, making it a hub not just for lively nights out but also for cultural highlights aplenty. And, unlike most major sporting stadia, the Principality feels like a living, breathing part of the city – testament to the Welsh love affair with rugby union.

The new century

While the millennium bug turned out to be something and nothing, the Millennium Centre changed the face of Cardiff. It came at a cost of more than £100m, opening its doors in 2004, and provides yet another focus for the city, wrapped inside a truly impressive building.

The bronze exterior shimmers in the sun, while windows are home to a poem writ large. It houses theatres, the Welsh National Opera and the National Dance Company, and chances are high there’ll be a performance when you visit.

The Doctor Who exhibition may have gone, but many fans of it still make a pilgrimage here, to see the many locations in the city and nearby where it – and Cardiff-based spin-off Torchwood – were filmed. At night, especially on weekends, the area really comes to life as the nexus of the sundown scene, with plenty of restaurants and bars close by.

Castle rock

There’s a reason why, despite the many other reasons to visit Cardiff, the castle remains the number one draw. Its history is one that sheds light on the tumult of the British Isles over thousands of years. A Roman fort was originally built here just short of 2000 years ago - before the Normans built the castle proper and made it a redoubt that could command land and sea from its prime position.

Both the interior and exterior impress, with guided tours available if you want to learn a detailed history – from the Norman occupation through to the Bute family taking over the castle in the 18^th century. There are exhibitions and displays, and pretty grounds to wander too. The Butes owned another castle in Caerphilly, a short drive north, which is just as impressive.

Wandering Wales

With your hire car, you have a ready-made passport to the rural glory of Wales. You’ll pass green, rolling hills and pretty villages punctuated by reminders of the past. Head past Newport for the 13^th century Tintern Abbey, which didn’t survive Henry VIII’s war on the monasteries, but whose remains are still redolent of times past.

For true serenity, make for the Brecon Beacons. This national park encompasses meadows and mountains, waterfalls and wilderness. Seek out the ruins of Llanthony Priory, once home to Augustinian friars when it opened in 1230 and destined to meet the same fate as Tintern. You might want to climb the park’s highest peak, Pen-y-Fan or, if that sounds too strenuous, duck inside St Issui’s Church, which has stood in the Vale of Eywas since the 11^th century.

Whether you’re craving the big city buzz or rural tranquillity, organise car hire at Cardiff Airport to kickstart your next Welsh adventure.