Visiting Cardiff from London

For an American, the United Kingdom can, at times, seem like a remarkably small country. However, for a traveler with only limited time abroad, this is a blessing, as many wonderful UK cities are easily accessible for day trips from London.

On my most recent trip to the UK, I visited the south Wales city of Cardiff for a day. While my choice of Cardiff was influenced both by my partner's need to attend to some business matters in the city and my own long-time fascination with the city (a number of top BBC programs are filmed there, including Doctor Who, Torchwood and Being Human, making Cardiff a top destination for nerds of a certain sort), it's a highly enjoyable and easy day trip for any London vacationer.

Getting to Cardiff from London can be done by rail or bus. Rail service takes about two hours in each direction and provides a wider range of departure times. Bus service is cheaper, and takes approximately three hours in each direction. If you are interested in visiting Cardiff while in London, buy your tickets in advance as the fares go up drastically in the week and day before travel. If you can plan eight weeks or more in advance, you will receive the best fares.

In most cases you will arrive at Cardiff's Central Station, which is, predictably in the center of the city. From there it is a short walk to a lovely area filled with pubs and other restaurants, as well as shopping. A walk of about a mile will take you to the area surrounding Cardiff University, which is as vibrant as any college town and features many lovely parks.

For those interested in arts and culture, the waterfront, or Doctor Who, you'll want to visit Mermaid Quay along the Cardiff's recently revitalized waterfront. While a twenty minute walk from the train station down Bute street, you may want to catch public transportation if you're not comfortable in urban environments as the walk will take you through some areas both poor and run down.

Once you arrive at Mermaid Quay, however, you'll be greeted by a plethora of shops (check out the one selling a delicious array of Welsh cakes, a local delicacy), restaurants and pubs, as well as a scenic view of the water. Across from the Quay is the Millennium Center, an architectural marvel which is also the focal point of cultural offerings in Cardiff. The building, which looks particularly remarkable on sunny days when it reflects light has windows that spell out in both English and Welsh, "in these stones, horizons sing."

Here, Doctor Who and Torchwood fans can visit a range of set locations familiar from the shows (there's also a memorial to Ianto Jones, a Torchwood character who died in 2009's Children of Earth miniseries down by the Quay right under the Coffee Mania). There is also a Doctor Who Exhibition open at the nearby Red Dragon center. A carousel is also on hand to help keep youngsters entertained.

Cardiff is also a marvelous starting point for further adventures in Wales including the beautiful area known as the Brecon Beacons. Train service to the Beacons and a range of other Welsh cities can be had from town.

Cardiff is small enough to be an excellent day trip, but also have enough culture and points of interest for a longer stay. Those unfamiliar with Wales should be aware that all street signs and public notices are in both English and Welsh, but should assume everyone speaks English. Some theater productions in the area are in Welsh-only or a mix of English and Welsh.

To find out what's on in Cardiff, pick up Cardiff Life magazine from any of the shops in the Mermaid Quay area. While they charge for it at the Tesco, most of the other stores have it for free.

Because Cardiff is on the water, be sure to bring a jacket. It's usually quite chilly.