Tours in Cardiff

Cardiff Dock Feeder Canal tour The dock feeder canal flows through the city centre. It was built in the 1830s to supply water to a new dock, and continues to replenish docks today. Follow our QR-code trail along the route to discover how the feeder was made and how it was used over time, including as a sewer and to supply public baths (not simultaneously!). You’ll also discover some of the wildlife along its banks, and the Bute docks which it originally supplied. Click here to start the tour at Blackweir. To view a map featuring all HiPoints on this tour, click here (opens in new window).

Alexandra Gardens memorial tour Alexandra Gardens, in Cathays Park, is home to numerous memorials, including the Welsh National War Memorial. You can learn about the memorials and the people they commemorate by scanning the HistoryPoints QR codes on or beside them. After you’ve read about one memorial, use the “Next” icon below the text to see information and a location map for the next memorial in the circuit. Click here to join the tour online.
The gardens’ name was not chosen as a memorial. The decision to name them Queen Alexandra Gardens was taken in 1910. Queen Alexandra, Queen Victoria’s daughter in law, lived until 1925. Her husband, King Edward VII, died in 1910. The road along the west side of the gardens is named after him.

The Glamorgan Cricket Walk Follow the QR-ciode circuit around the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club in Sophia Gardens (Wales' first public park) to discover the history of the area and the story of cricket in Cardiff, from Glamorgan's first match to the hosting of international test matches. Click here for details of this tour

St David’s Hall foyer tour Take our tour of the front of house area to discover the history of St David’s Hall and some of its artworks, which include a bust of Princess Diana, traditional musical instruments from Indonesia and a giant stained glass window from Stuttgart, Germany.
You can follow the tour virtually at any time, on your home computer or by scanning the QR codes outside the Hall’s entrance. You can view the busts whenever the front foyer is open, and the Javanese Gamelan and Stuttgart Window at most times when the Hall is open for events.
Click here if you wish to join the tour now.

Join this tour at a key location...
Cardiff Arms Park
The Angel Hotel

Cardiff rugby tour Cardiff is the capital of one of the world’s most rugby-obsessed nations. That’s no recent fad, and by taking our QR tour of Cardiff rugby sites you’ll discover aspects of the sport’s rich history in the city – including a women’s rugby match as early as 1917. To view all location on this tour view tour map (opens in new window).

Join this tour at a key location...
St Mary Street
The Hayes
High Street
Castle Street

The Cardiff Arcades tour Cardiff is sometimes known as the ‘City of Arcades’, on account of its magnificent Victorian shopping arcades. While the streets outside have undergone many changes as tastes and traffic changed, the arcades have stayed remarkably unchanged. Following their stone-surfaced walkways is like wandering through a miniature pre-1914 shopping street, albeit with modern goods for sale. Each arcade has its own character and history, as you’ll discover if you follow our QR tour. Along the way we’ll also introduce you to the heritage of some of the long-established shops in the arcades, plus Bruno the Russian bear.
To start the tour, simply scan any of the QR codes at locations on the circuit with a smartphone or tablet, or use the list on the right to join the tour online. Use the “Next” button at the foot of each page to find the next place on the tour. View tour map.

Join this tour at a key location...
St John’s Church
Cardiff Castle
Riverbank nr Sophia Gardens
Womanby Street
Golate, off Westgate Street

The Cardiff Before Coal tour Cardiff as we see it today is largely a product of the boom in coal export after 1839-40, when the Bute West Dock and the Taff Vale Railway opened. Use our QR codes around the city centre to follow this trail and discover places where pre-industrial Cardiff still shows through. View tour map.

Bute Park tour. Follow the circuit around this park in central Cardiff to discover its fascinating past. Click here for details of the tour.

Other tours in Cardiff

Our tour of hundreds of places along the Wales Coast Path passes through Cardiff. Click here for our introduction to the tour in Cardiff.

The National Cycle Network Route 8 (Cardiff to Holyhead) starts in Cardiff Bay and runs alongside the river Taff through the city. Our QR tour along it starts at Penarth Marina and ends at the ferry terminal in Holyhead.

Our tour along the route of the Glamorganshire Canal runs through the city from Bute Park to Butetown.