Cardiff, Caerdydd
Date Ideas in Cardiff: Castle, Bay and Arcades
A park beside a castle, Victorian arcades and a walk across the Bay: Cardiff dates that skip the table.
Start in Bute Park beside Cardiff Castle, browse the Victorian arcades and covered market, then go down to Cardiff Bay for the Senedd and the barrage walk. National Museum Cardiff covers a wet afternoon. Every stop is public and easy to leave.
Cardiff has been the capital of Wales since 1955 and, by Wikipedia’s account, is one of the warmest and wettest cities in the UK, so every idea below comes with a rain plan. More cities live in our date ideas by city.
In order
Five stops in a sensible order
Quick facts
More to slip into the plan
- Cardiff CastleRoman fort, Norman keep
- Roath Park Lake1.3 miles round
- City HallGrade I, opened 1906
- Alexandra GardensWar memorial, 1928
- Cardiff Bay stationA mile from Queen Street
Cardiff Castle sells tickets through its own site, so check the price and what each ticket covers first. At Roath Park, rowing boats can be hired on the 30-acre lake, which was formed by damming the Nant Fawr, and a lighthouse stands in it as a memorial to Captain Scott.
After dark
Getting home from Cardiff
Everything here is Welsh: Transport for Wales runs the trains, Cardiff Bus belongs to the council, and Cardiff Council licenses the taxis.
- Trains
- Transport for Wales Rail runs them, and its parent is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government. Last trains vary by line, so check yours before a late finish.
- Buses
- Cardiff Bus is owned by Cardiff Council. Its Baycar runs fast and direct between the city centre and the Bay, so check the last one before you go down.
- Taxis
- Cardiff Council licenses black cabs, which can be hailed or taken from a rank. Private hire cars show a yellow plate at the rear and must be booked through an operator.
- Spot a licensed one
- Licensed drivers wear a photo ID, and another sits on the left of the windscreen. The council says an unmarked car with no plate is unlicensed.
Before you go
Meeting someone from Forget Dinner
Forget Dinner has members in and around Cardiff. The castle wall or the Royal Arcade give you a meeting point that is public and impossible to mistake. Your username is all anyone sees at first, never your real name or email, so share more when you are ready.
Tell a friend where you will be. The Suzy Lamplugh Trust, a UK personal safety charity, advises meeting in a public space and planning an exit strategy if needed, so agree your exit line before you arrive. Our safety page lists the site’s tools, and chatting with singles on the site comes before any plan to meet.
About six in ten UK members are aged 35 to 54, and the chart below shows the rest.
Members in the UK by age, as shares of everyone listed.
Cardiff date questions
What can we do on a first date in Cardiff that isn’t dinner?
Walk Bute Park beside the castle, browse the Royal Arcade and Cardiff Market, spend an hour at National Museum Cardiff, or walk the Bay barrage towards Penarth. The museum and the Senedd both have no entry fee. Our daytime date ideas guide has more.
What is there to do in Cardiff when it rains?
Lean on the indoors: the Victorian arcades, Cardiff Market, National Museum Cardiff and the public areas of the Senedd. The museum invites you to book a ticket online first, and it costs nothing. Cardiff is one of the wettest UK cities, so bring a coat anyway.
Do we need tickets for Cardiff Castle?
The castle sells tickets through its own site, so check the price and what each one covers before you go. Bute Park, once the castle’s grounds, is a separate public park beside it, held in trust for the citizens of Cardiff by the council.
How do I get home from Cardiff Bay at night?
Cardiff Bus runs the Baycar between the city centre and the Bay, and Cardiff Bay station sits on a Transport for Wales line a mile south of Queen Street. Check the last service for each. Licensed black cabs and pre-booked private hire cars are the back-up.
Can I meet someone from Forget Dinner in Cardiff?
Yes, the site has members in and around Cardiff. Chat on the site, pick somewhere public and tell a friend before you leave. Browse singles near you to see who is around, and block or report anyone at any time.