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Home , Caerphilly Castle, Cardiff, Cardiff Castle, Castell Coch, National Museum Cardiff, Old Beaupre Castle

city itinerary: what made ?

There are many must-see historic sites in and around ’s capital, which bring to life the country’s magnificent 2 history. Located in the heart of the capital is , which has an outstanding collection of art and natural science displays. Just 15 minutes drive from the centre is National History Museum, one of Europe’s leading open-air museums, telling the story of the people of Wales. Also within a 20 minutes drive from the St Fagans National History Museum centre lies , which has a tower that leans St Fagans National History Museum stands in the more than Pisa’s, and was restored by the marquess of grounds of the magnificent and gardens, Bute in the 19th century. Nearby , the fairytale a late 16th-century manor house donated to the people castle with its dazzling ceilings and furnishings, which was a of Wales by the Earl of . Well loved by the rural retreat of the , is also well worth a people of Wales and tourists from all over the world, visit, located within a 15 minutes drive from the city centre! visitors can explore and enjoy over 2,000 years of Welsh history in over forty original historic buildings that have 4 7 8 1 e Visitors to National been collected from all over Wales. The buildings show n n 1 e i s i r Museum Cardiff , which how the people of Wales have lived, worked, played and a P a L

, r spent their leisure time through the ages. St Fagans has i is situated in the heart o n e R

of Cardiff’s elegant civic just embarked on a major re-development programme e t s u g u centre, can discover art, to transform it into a flagship National History Museum A - e r r

e natural history and the for Wales, but will remain open to visitors throughout i P geological evolution of the project. In 2012, it was voted Britain’s ‘most-loved Wales. Visitors can take museum’ by readers of the popular consumer magazine in the spectacular art and Which? Admission is free. natural sciences collections from Wales and across the National Museum Cardiff is the biggest castle in Wales. The world, including dinosaurs iconic fortress is mighty impressive, surrounded by a and woolly mammoths. The art collections include the series of moats and watery islands. The castle is the world-renowned Impressionist collection of works by brainchild of Gilbert ‘the Red’ de Clare, a redheaded Monet, Cézanne, Manet, Renoir, Van Gogh and Rodin, nobleman of Norman descent, who’s early attempts as well as the largest space in Wales dedicated to the at building the castle were thwarted by Llywelyn display of modern and contemporary art. With a busy ap Gruffydd. Gilbert eventually succeeded to build programme of major touring and temporary exhibitions a mammoth stronghold using the concentric ‘walls and events, there is something to amaze everyone, within walls’ system of defence. Visitors can climb to whatever their interest. Admission is free. the rooftop of the massive east , and from here the rings of stone and water defences that made Caerphilly such a stronghold can be seen. Dark passages 3 known as the Braose Gallery can be explored, and the south-east tower — which out leans Pisa’s famous tower is hard to miss, and the mighty siege engines and special firing events are worth seeing. The castle is Caerphilly Castle a favourite backdrop for TV and films including Dr Who.

Capital city itinerary: what made Cardiff?

On the other side of Caerphilly mountain, less than 4 15 minutes away, stands Castell Coch hidden in the

trees. Castell Coch, a Welsh name meaning ‘Red Castle’ rests on the medieval foundations of an earlier castle built by de Clare. However the current structure is relatively modern, and is the by-product of a vivid Victorian imagination. was given free rein by the third marquess of Bute to create a rural retreat to complement the opulence of his main

residence, . Multi-sensory resources allow e asy exploration of this Victorian Gothic-style castle, which was a romantic vision of the , using touch-screen technology.

Visit .wales.gov.uk to discover the stories and

people behind our 128 historic sites. ‘Like’ Cadw on Facebook and follow @Cadwwales on Twitter or

download our smartphone app to stay up to date.

Visit museumwales.ac.uk , ‘Like’ Museums Wales on

Castell Coch Facebook and follow @AmgueddfaCymru.

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Circles & Cove The journey time from Cardiff to St Fagans and Castell Coch is approx.15 minutes and 20 minutes to Caerphilly.