Car hire and driving in Cardiff
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In United Kingdom traffic drives on the left. Picking up at CWL means 15 km (9 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3086706.
Drives from Cardiff
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff to Bristol | United Kingdom | 41 km (25 mi) | about 37 min |
| Cardiff to Swansea | United Kingdom | 55 km (34 mi) | about 50 min |
| Cardiff to Bath | United Kingdom | 58 km (36 mi) | about 53 min |
| Cardiff to Gloucester | United Kingdom | 78 km (48 mi) | about 1 h 11 min |
| Cardiff to Exeter | United Kingdom | 88 km (54 mi) | about 1 h 20 min |
| Cardiff to Cheltenham | United Kingdom | 89 km (55 mi) | about 1 h 22 min |
| Cardiff to Swindon | United Kingdom | 97 km (60 mi) | about 1 h 29 min |
| Cardiff to Worcester | United Kingdom | 103 km (64 mi) | about 1 h 34 min |
| Cardiff to Poole | United Kingdom | 119 km (74 mi) | about 1 h 49 min |
| Cardiff to Bournemouth | United Kingdom | 124 km (77 mi) | about 1 h 53 min |
| Cardiff to Dudley | United Kingdom | 136 km (85 mi) | about 2 h 4 min |
| Cardiff to Oxford | United Kingdom | 136 km (85 mi) | about 2 h 5 min |
| Cardiff to London | United Kingdom | 211 km (131 mi) | about 3 h 13 min |
| Cardiff to Berlin | Germany | 1,139 km (708 mi) | about 17 h 22 min |
| Cardiff to Madrid | Spain | 1,231 km (765 mi) | about 18 h 46 min |
| Cardiff to Rome | Italy | 1,597 km (992 mi) | about 24 h 21 min |
| Cardiff to Paris | France | 490 km (305 mi) | about 7 h 28 min |
| Cardiff to Hamburg | Germany | 919 km (571 mi) | about 14 h 1 min |
| Cardiff to Budapest | Hungary | 1,658 km (1,030 mi) | about 25 h 17 min |
| Cardiff to Warsaw | Poland | 1,656 km (1,029 mi) | about 25 h 15 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Cardiff?
The left, as everywhere in United Kingdom.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
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 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel 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.