Cardiff Castle

At £38 for two adults and two kids (aged 6 and 9) this was an expensive and fairly disappointing visit. On entering the castle we followed the first staircase to a dead end. There were no signs and a member of staff exiting a side door explained this was the entry for private tours only. We then backtracked and entered the main internal private rooms to find almost all were excluded unless you book the private tour. Viewing the limited rooms that were not excluded we were disappointed to find there was minimal or no information as to the dates, purposes, history, etc. When we asked staff questions we were simply told that things weren’t included unless you book a private tour. The keep and war tunnels were more interesting but pretty basic and again there was a significant lack of information to provide background information.

On the date of our visit there was a large music stage in the centre of the castle grounds and movement was restricted by security fences and staff. The ‘historic’ atmosphere was somewhat overshadowed by the rock band tuning up all afternoon.

The public toilets were not clean and the smell was not pleasant. The floors were wet and muddy and it was clear they were not checked or cleaned regularly.

On the other hand the food and drink outlets were immaculate and took up a lot of space. It was apparent that the commercial aspect and opportunity for making money is much more important than historical preservation. Money made on site certainly does not appear to be invested in improving the experience for visitors.

Definitely not somewhere I would revisit or recommend.

We really enjoyed our visit to the castle and spent around an hour there in total. The grounds are huge and the tickets offer access to the house, the keep and the WW2 bomb shelters in the castle walls. There was event preparation going on so a large portion of the grounds was taken up by the set up but this didn't interfere with our visit.

The house itself is beautiful but we were disappointed that we weren't able to access all areas of it as they were cordoned off.

The keep was also very interesting but the steps are very steep and narrow so some visitors may struggle. We found it difficult getting up and and the stairs as you have to ensure that it is completely clear before entering and it was difficult to tell whether people were trying to enter/exit. However, the view at the top is fantastic.

I found the bomb shelters particularly interesting but agree with other reviews that more could be added to make the experience more immersive. As well as this, the areas showcasing artefacts weren't well lit so it was difficult to see certain things (e.g. the canteen area). I feel that it's also important to note that whilst walking through the shelter, music and other recordings are played through a speaker system and this may be a bit overwhelming for autistic visitors.

Cardiff castle is easily one of the most beautiful castles I’ve ever seen. Whilst the inner walls and the courtyard of the castle are free to visit, it’s really worth buying a ticket to see everything the castle has to offer.

The state rooms are so intricately decorated and have so many hidden details, you could really spend hours in each room. I’d also recommend upgrading your ticket to include the house tour (£4pp) which gives you guided access to several other rooms not included in general admission.

As most of the castle is self guided you can rent an audio guide for £2 or download the Cardiff castle app for free and use that for information as you walk around the castle.

The modern castle building looked beautiful from the outside. However, the rooms within were relatively small and generally uninteresting. There weren't any castle staff members to tell you stories or give you information about any of the rooms, apart from one at the very beginning of the house who gave basic instructions on navigating your way around. For that reason, I would suggest booking the guided tour. I didn't and kind of regret it, as you'll also get to see extra parts of the castle, which you otherwise won't have access to. Outside the house, if you're willing to walk up some rather steep stairs, the castle ruins provide you with a lovely view of the grounds but are otherwise very basic ruins. My favourite part of the whole experience was the war tunnels. They're incredibly atmospheric, recreating a romanticised bomb shelter experience. As you walk through the tunnel, you'll hear the sounds of bombs, planes, 40s music and wartime announcements. It's really quite remarkable.

Overall, I would recommend Cardiff Castle with the guided tour, otherwise, it's not worth your time or the price of admission.

If you want to simply take a few pictures without actually visiting this site, you can go through the main gate and the guard will let you take pictures (from afar). I recommend taking the audio guide tour, as it provides tons of useful information. Recommend to start with the points of interest located outside (if it does not rain) and work your way inward. I particularly enjoyed walking inside the tunnels of the citadel’s walls, which were used as air raid shelters during WWII.

We visited on a Friday having pre-booked our tickets.

There is quite a bit to see in respect of the castle walls, part of which includes an interesting world war two exhibition, and the keep. Entry to some of the rooms is also included in the price and there are some beautifully decorated rooms and interesting things to see.

There is, however, a separate house tour (which includes other rooms) and a clock tower tour which are extra to the entry price. Although it would have been nice to do both, we decided to just take the clock tower tour which was £4 per adult. Due to the fact the rooms are quite small, there are only a few places on each tour so it is worth booking it as soon as you arrive. On the day we visited there were also limited tour times because of staff shortages.

The tour only lasts for approx 30 minutes, which is a shame as we could have spent a lot longer in there. The decoration of the rooms is absolutely exquisite and there are a lot of different aspects to take in. The guide was very informative.

Of note they do also have events on at times and when setting up for these, some parts of the site are fenced off and marquees are erected so it can limit the range of positions / angles from which you can take photos.

We had been advised by several people to visit Cardiff Castle so we finally arranged an overnight stay in the city when we had a free weekend. Despite the damp weather, we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the castle, first outside in the grounds, etc. but capped off by an amazing guided tour of the house (well worth the extra fee).
Absolutely stunning and great value for money!

Expect to spend at least 3 to 4 hours of touring here. You can rent a self-guided tour box or use your phone with their app or pay extra for a tour guide. My cousin and I decided to use the App on his phone. Not only was the exterior nice to look at, the interior of the castle did not disappoint. Elaborately decorated with wood carvings, gold plated areas of the Arab room, an impressive library, a hallway dedicated to the Romans who lived in Britain for a time there and bedrooms and dining halls that were equally furnished and designed. My only disappointment was that they were going to charge us more to see an upper room which I decided wasn’t worth the money. I would’ve also liked more explanation of why the dragon was so important to the Welsh culture of medieval times.

We didn’t do the tour so can’t comment on the other parts of the castle

We went to the main house, keep and eat museum, I would say you can spend an 1-1.30 in here if you have kids. It’s difficult to really spend time really renewing the historic features.

For those with physical difficulties I would say the keep stairs are really steep and has no other access from what I can see.

It’s not the worse but nothing really special, the wall surrounding the castle is quite nice, it’s like York or Durham but bigger.

Nice castle, which has a long history and lots to see, but clearly now used as just a money making venture by Cardiff council.
There was little signage and very few information pieces. It is all geared towards getting visitors to sign up for tours at additional costs.
The castle staff were mainly uninterested, giving little information and largely ignoring visitors. The room custodians were playing on their phones and avoiding visitors at all times.
When we asked questions about the castle we were just told to book on a tour (we did eventually buy the guide book and find and use the app but they both have us little information and many of the locations they discussed are only accessible on the tour).
The lady in the shop gave us far more information and advise than any of the guides!
The walk around the walls was unmarked (none of the routes were marked), and there were no warning signs that you were entering an area which was dark with loud noises imitating air raids (it would not be acceptable for small children or people who would find these conditions triggering).
The central green has been set up for the summer pop concerts, with bars, food stands and rows of portaloos, and generally looks like a muddy construction site.
All in all we left the castle feeling disappointed and that the experience was not value for money or for our time.
In contrast the welsh army museum (under the castle cafe) was excellent, lots of exhibits and information pieces geared to all levels of visitor, and the staff were very friendly and helpful.