Walks near Cardiff

Love ticking off landmarks? Check out sightseeing walking tours in Cardiff. Alternatively, go at your own pace along one of the many waymarked walking routes in and around the city. Or, take to the trees with one of these spectacular woodland walks near Cardiff.

There are guided sightseeing walks in Cardiff for all ages, budgets and interests. For a thorough on-foot introduction to the city with other visitors, book onto one of Fogo’s Free Tours. Choose from the city tour, the Cardiff Bay tour, the spooky Cardiff Dark Side tour or the City of Arcades tour. Each is around two hours, with historical facts and cultural context dished out on route. Book ahead, then pay what you feel after the tour ends. Fogo's also offers a Doctor Who tour, which you can book privately to visit many of the Cardiff filming locations used in TV series.

Cardiff on Foot also runs professionally guided walking tours around Cardiff city centre and Cardiff Bay, each taking around 90 minutes. Places on these set-price tours must be booked online in advance. For something more bespoke, try Griffin Guiding. They can tailor a fact-packed private tour to your requirements. And, for enjoyable BSL/SSE tours around Cardiff, Sarah’s Wales excels.

Bit of a foodie? Sample some of Wales' finest traditional fare on a Loving Welsh Food walking (and eating) tour around the city centre, Cardiff Market and the arcades. Choose one of the scheduled public tours or a customisable private booking, then bring a healthy appetite!

If you're looking to explore the city and its suburbs without a guide, there are some great walking routes in and around Cardiff. Many of them are largely traffic-free and suit a variety of abilities. The city centre itself is the perfect size for strolling around without a fixed route, and many streets are pedestrianised or have a limited volume of cars. For a handy map to get your bearings, head to Visit Cardiff.

Cardiff Bay has numerous walks worth checking out. For coastal views and birdwatching, there's The Ramblers’ 3-mile walk that connects Cardiff Bay Barrage, the 200 hectare freshwater lake it created and the Wetlands Reserve, a haven for birdwatchers. Alternatively, walk across the barrage to Penarth, a quaint seaside town on the other side of the water, for a shorter but just as scenic route, or follow the Cardiff Bay Art and Heritage Trail to see public art and landmarks around the water.

One of Wales' most famous walking and cycling routes, the Taff Trail, starts from the Celtic Ring sculpture on Cardiff Bay waterfront. Running for 55 miles to Brecon, it combines urban areas, riverside routes, woodlands and mountains. The first section, up to Castell Coch, stretches peacefully along the River Taff for eight miles. It connects Cardiff Bay with Bute Park, weirs, mountain backdrops and two castles (Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch). You can walk as much of the route as you like, then retrace your steps.

Bute Park itself is a lovely place for a relaxed stroll, with a Champion Trees trail, river-hugging routes and flower beds. You can take a walk from there to pretty Roath Park via Cathays. Here you'll find a beautiful Victorian boating lake, lots of parkland, gatherings of tame water birds and a conservatory.

North of the city centre, you can find even more walks. Choose from the Penrhys Pilgrimage Trail from Llandaff (retracing an old pilgrimage route), the Cefn Onn Park and the Two Ridges walk near Caerphilly (combining woodlands with views across the Bristol Channel) or Lisvane and Llanishen Reservoirs (110 acres of pristine green and blue space).

Cardiff’s proximity to woodland offers a unique blend of tranquility and accessibility; within a short drive, train ride or bus journey from the centre, you can lose yourself in serene natural settings filled with trees, wildlife and peace.

Fforest Fawr, near Castell Coch, is a popular choice for families seeking an afternoon amongst nature. It's an enchanting forest with easy-to-follow trails, breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside and, of course, the fairytale-like castle peeking out of the hillside.

The Glamorganshire Canal nature reserve within Forest Farm Country Park has atmospheric tree-lined paths that shoulder a historically significant canal. The waters are home to a diverse range of birds, including kingfishers, herons and Eurasian bitterns. You can extend walks here by venturing further into Forest Farm or joining the Taff Trail.

For full immersion into the forest, head for one of the nearby ancient woodlands. Try Coed y Wenallt (sometimes simply referred to as The Wenallt), a glorious ancient woodland to the north of the city famed for its carpets of bluebells in the spring and tree-tapping woodpeckers.

Or, just five miles from the city in Dinas Powys, there's the Woodland Trust protected Cwm George and Casehill Woods. Here, four woodlands (Cwm George Wood, Casehill Wood, Pen-y-Turnpike Wood and Casehill Meadows) merge to create a real treat for nature lovers and forest bathers. Paths weave amongst densely grouped trees, mounds of sprawling moss and vast meadows.