Cardiff: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Cardiff is a city of 372,089 people in United Kingdom (Wales), 17 m (56 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Cardiff International Airport (CWL), 15 km (9 mi) from the centre. It has a dozen or more railway stations on record, including Cardiff Queen Street railway station. It is a port city: Cardiff Docks.
Key facts
Daylight in Cardiff runs from about 7 h 54 min a day in late December to 16 h 42 min in late June (computed for 51.48° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Cardiff is served by 3 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Cardiff International Airport (CWL), 15 km (9 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 7,723 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Bristol Airport (BRS, 34 km), Exeter International Airport (EXT, 85 km).
Flights to Cardiff: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Cardiff Queen Street railway station, Fairwater railway station, Ty Glas railway station, Waun-gron Park railway station, Birchgrove railway station, Ninian Park railway station. Trains to Cardiff
Buses to Cardiff · Driving and car hire · Ferries
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| National Museum Cardiff | 373,191 | — |
The busiest is National Museum Cardiff at 373,191 visitors. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Cardiff
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- London, 211 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Birmingham, 142 km — tours
- Dublin, 293 km (Ireland) — flights · ferries · tours
- Manchester, 231 km — tours
- Sheffield, 241 km — tours
- Leeds, 280 km — tours
- Liverpool, 215 km
- Bristol, 41 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Leicester, 190 km
- Bradford, 275 km
Twin towns and sister cities: Stuttgart, Vigevano, Bari, Nantes, Xiamen, Luhansk, Pernik, Hordaland.
Common questions
Which airport serves Cardiff?
Cardiff International Airport (CWL), 15 km (9 mi) from the centre, plus 2 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Cardiff?
About 372,089 people live in Cardiff, across 140 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Cardiff in?
Europe/London, currently UTC+1.
What currency is used in Cardiff?
The Pound (GBP). Traffic drives on the left.
Which cities are near Cardiff?
London (211 km), Birmingham (142 km), Dublin (293 km), Manchester (231 km), Sheffield (241 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.