Forget the guidebook, to really get under the skin of a place go to someone who lives there. Hannah James volunteered to let us in on her personal “recipe” for the perfect weekend at home.
Morning
Off to Café Brava, Pontcanna Street. It is a good place to hear groups of friends chatting away in Welsh – it’s a language not surviving, but thriving. The corned beef hash with poached egg is a popular choice.
Afternoon
Starting at Cardiff Castle and the manicured gardens of Bute Park you can follow the River Taff north on the Taff Trail. After 30 minutes gentle cycling you’re at the foot of a steep climb to Castell Coch - I choose to get off and push for the last 200 yards.
Castell Coch was built in the 19th Century to look like a 13th Century fairytale castle; no little girl can pass it and not imagine Sleeping Beauty in a 100-year slumber. Inside make sure you check out the view from Lady Bute’s bedroom window; it was positioned perfectly so that it looks out over the River Taff flowing down to what was her city residence, Cardiff Castle.
Evening
You can learn a lot about a country’s culture from its food. For a taste of Wales head to Mimosa in Cardiff Bay where the menu contains all the best of Welsh ingredients – Welsh Black beef, sea bass, laver bread and cheese - cooked with a modern twist. If you fancy trying laver bread (that’s seaweed) try cockle fritters with laver bread sauce to break yourself in gently.
Later
Chain bars and night clubs mean that on a night out one city can seem like a carbon copy of another. But there’s no chance of that happening on Womanby Street. Take Y Fuwch Goch (The Red Cow), if local is your thing try a pint of Brain’s Beer a stone’s throw from where it’s brewed.
Or across the cobbled street there’s Clwb Ifor Bach (known affectionately as Clwb). Tonight there’s indie disco on the ground floor, 80s electro pop on the first and live music at the top. Impossible to leave without a big smile on your face.
