Terrific Travel Tips

Swansea is one of the most vibrant and lively of all the cities in Wales situated by the sea. There are lots of things for you to do and see in this city but also nearby. Just a short distance away by car is the seaside resort of Mumbles and favorite with people during Victorian times. Below we take a look at just a few of the places one can visit when you visit Swansea. 

1.    Swansea Castle - This fortification has stood on the same spot for nearly 1,000 years now. Originally not only was it lived in but acted as the administrative centre for the city. Prince Owain Glyndwr attacked the castle in the fourteenth Century. In the 19th Century it was used as a debtor’s prison. The surviving castle tower is located in the heart of the city and stands over the amphitheatre and fountains where the market use to be around 500 years ago.

2.    Swansea Museum – This museum explores the history of Swansea. It is now the oldest museum in the whole of Wales and the poet Dylan Thomas who came from the city described it as “A museum which belongs in a museum”. Alongside its collection of rare early 19th Century Swansea porcelain you will also find the mummy of a four thousand year old Egyptian priest and the skeleton of an Ichthyosaur dinosaur. 

3.    National Waterfront Museum – Situated in the Maritime Quarter of the city’s marina, this has the largest collection of floating exhibits in Wales. The museum offers a large number of interactive displays. So if you have inquisitive children with you then this is a great place to spend an afternoon. 

4.    Museum of Egyptian Antiquities – Outside of London this is the largest collection of Egyptian artifacts you will find anywhere in the UK today. There are over 1,000 objects for you to enjoy dating back to between 3500 BC and up to AD500. Again admission in to this museum as with the one previously spoken about is free.  So if the weather isn’t as wonderful as you hoped spend a few hours wandering through the museums halls will help to pass the time.

5.    Margam Stones Museum – This is situated in Port Talbot, around 15 miles to the east of Swansea. Here you will be able to see the Celtic standing stones collection that has been gathered here from across Wales. There are giant cartwheel crosses which are more than 1,000 years old together with an ornate Christian memorial stone that dates back to before the Roman times.

6.    Plantasia – Here you have the chance to enjoy and explore all kinds of environments to be found around the world.  Inside the glass pyramid the climate is controlled and you will find yourself wandering from a rainforest to a desert. There are more than 5,000 different kinds of tropical and exotic plants here and also an aviary and butterfly house. Plus you will find a range of fish and reptiles and some Cotton Top Tamarin Monkeys to take pleasure in as well.

When you next visit Swansea, you can choose your Swansea hotel here.