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Wales’ bustling capital city is frequently favoured and enjoyed by both tourists and locals, and with good reason. Visit Cardiff if you’re looking for a vibrant, culturally-rich city that offers its locals and tourists a unique and varied experience. Densely packed with attractions, shopping districts, historic buildings and sporting venues, Wales’ capital city is the perfect place for a low-cost and unique getaway. Cardiff is also known for its famous history, being the city with the most castles in the world, and being the birthplace of famous children’s writer Roald Dahl.
When you’re not enjoying the large natural parks or visiting the historic sites, you’re enjoying a drink at a restaurant on Cardiff Bay, or window shopping in Queen Street or St David’s Shopping Centre. While there are numerous ways of getting around this city, the best way to enjoy and take in all the sights is by hiring a car. This way, you can enjoy Cardiff’s best attractions on your own terms, all the while enjoying the comfort and reliability of your chosen car.
Downtown Cardiff boasts numerous transport options, from Cardiff Central Train Station to regular bus services. However, due to early-morning commuters, traffic, and increasing demand for public transport, you can’t always get where you want to go at the time you want to get there. This is why we’d recommend hiring a car, to enable you to get around Cardiff on your own time and in a way that aligns with your itinerary or plans for the day.
Hiring a car within a city instead of at an airport or busy transport hub can help you save money and time, as airports can be tricky to navigate, you may be charged more for your vehicle, and parking may cost a pretty penny. Plus, you can’t always find a parking space, especially during busy hours! Check around the inner city for car hire options and deals that suit you.
Driving around Cardiff may be somewhat easy, given the city’s size, accessibility and compact nature, however there are several things to bear in mind before taking your newly-hired vehicle for a spin. Here is some information and advice about driving in and around Cardiff for you to consider before hiring your vehicle:
As with many other areas of the UK, you can face a fine if you drive in bus lanes in Cardiff. CCTV is constantly in operation down many roads, so bear this in mind.
One of Cardiff’s busiest streets, Queen Street, is fully pedestrianised, meaning no traffic is allowed to drive through
Driving in Cardiff is relatively easy, with many connecting roads from the city centre to surrounding suburbs
There are numerous car parks with varying hours of operation and fees around the city, which can vary depending on the zone. The Cardiff City Council website has more information.
You can be fined or face a PCN (Penalty Charge Notice) for parking in a Residents Only parking space if your vehicle is unregistered, which you tend to find in residential areas or outside apartments/flats. These spaces tend to be regularly patrolled.
Much like the rest of Wales and the UK, Cardiff is serious about its sport, particularly rugby or football– because of this, try to avoid parking or driving around when there’s a match or large-scale event on, as you’re guaranteed to face road closures, heavy traffic and nowhere to park!
Many roads in built-up areas around Cardiff have a default maximum speed limit of 20 mph. The average national speed limit in the UK is up to 70 mph for larger roads like motorways.
There are a number of Park and Ride options in the city, which is a preferred transport method for many visitors or locals.
There are numerous big-name and locally-known companies that are affiliated with HolidayCars.com in Cardiff, meaning that you’ll likely be in receipt of our excellent car hire deals with no hidden fees through many car hire companies. We offer car hire vehicles from a large list of internationally-renowned companies, such as Europcar, Hertz and Enterprise.
We intend to save you time, money, and minimise the stress that is associated with finding the perfect vehicle to hire– and we do so by securing the perfect car for you, all the while giving you access to the best deals and benefits and the most up to date range of vehicles.
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