A 3-Day Wales Travel Guide

Guess who’s back – back again from the UK? Your BBF (best blog friend)! First of all, can I just say that the UK is my favorite place to be. I always seem to live my best life there and I never want to leave. This time, my friends and I planned a girls trip and we went to Wales, Scotland, and spent 24 hours in London. It was a crazy time filled with so many memories and inside jokes. Trips like these really make you appreciate the people you surround yourself with. 

Before we left for the UK, we made an itinerary and stuck to it (for the most part). A few things didn’t happen but I’ll list them out anyways so if you ever go to Wales, you could go check it out for yourself.

DAY 1: CARDIFF CENTRAL

We landed at Cardiff airport early in the morning and took a bus to the Cardiff Marriott (thank you Marriott points!). The first thing we did after showering and getting ready was go straight into Cardiff Central. It was literally right in front of our hotel so that was amazing. Cardiff Central has a huge shopping area which features so many cute markets and department stores (yes, Primark is there too). It was Black Friday and there were so many sales so obviously, we indulged.

Pro tip: leave extra room in your suitcase to bring home your shopping goodies – seriously I bought a full coat and barely fit it into my suitcase. 

 

One bad thing about the UK was that the sun would set at 4:30PM which meant we had very little daylight. We tried to make the most of it but it really put a downer on our trip some days. We would be sleepy by 8PM which is crazy and would have to fight to stay awake and roam the city some more.

DAY 2: BATH, UK

The second day, we woke up early, got ready, and took a train from Cardiff to Bath. It was about an hour train ride and very cheap (seriously, get it together America). I knew nothing about Bath but my friend (hi Pallavi) had done the research. She found out that the city of Bath was known for its famous Roman Baths and hot springs. The Roman Baths are more for historical and tourist purposes while the Thermae Bath Spa features actual clean hot springs water you can indulge in. 

SALLY LUNN’S HISTORIC EATING HOUSE

As soon as we arrived in Bath, we went to eat at Sally Lunn’s Historic Eating House – a famous restaurant which features its famous bun (there is an actual museum about the history of this bun). Obviously, I was confused but after tasting it, I was in awe. Their recipe is even more secret than the Krabby Patty or Coca Cola – I even asked! We ordered two sweet buns and one savory bun. They did not disappoint and were literal clouds in our mouths. With tea on the side, it was the perfect English breakfast. I would walk back to Bath for another taste of the Sally Lunn Bun. Google says there is one in Jersey so I might check that out!

During this time, a Christmas Market was ongoing in Bath and was apparently one of the largest and most famous around the UK. We found out many people from all over had come to Bath for this specific Christmas market. There were so many carolers and little gift shops! No one does Christmas better than Europe, I’m telling you! 

ROMAN BATHS

After walking around, we went to the Roman Baths. Tickets were not that expensive (thank you student discount) and we walked around to the hot springs. The whole area was set up like a museum with an audio guide and we learned all about how the hot springs came to be. Of course there were multiple signs about how one shouldn’t touch the water but more on that later.

As we walked around the hot springs, the water was extremely green and had steam coming off of it which was very cool. We of course were taking photos and I had the bright idea of taking a photo whilst touching the water – I do not recommend this. I took this photo and a guard came up to me and said “Did you just touch the water?” and I said “Yes”. He said that the water was contaminated with animal feces and if I were to get sick in the next couple of days it would be because of touching the water. There were apparently a lot of diseases running around in that water and it was not safe for touching. I of course freaked out and ran to the bathroom and washed my hands 12 times with soap and water and hoped for the best.

Happy to report that I’m all good but I do recommend reading the signs and following them.We had planned to go to the Thermae Bath Spa and relax in the actual clean and safe hot springs but ended up skipping it to walk around the market. We ate street food and drank hot chocolate and mulled wine – it was incredible. 

DAY 3: CARDIFF CASTLE

The third day was very chill. Originally, this day was planned for going on a hiking tour but all the tour tickets were sold out. Pro tip: Book in advance! We woke up relatively early and had brunch at The Little Man Coffee Company and walked around Cardiff Central. Then, we did some shopping and kept stopping every 5 minutes at a new store. We stopped at Lush and discovered that any Lush in the UK has a SPA. The ones in the US don’t so we wanted to get a spa treatment done after going on a quick tour of their facilities. They were of course booked solid so if you’re interested in that, book in advance!

We kept walking and ended up at the Cardiff Castle – a beautiful castle located in the city. The Roman Fort was also located within the castle grounds so we took a quick walk around and soaked in in all the history. 

 

We then grabbed a quick meal in Cardiff Central and had to cancel our trip to Penarth (another city in Wales) as everything closed by 4PM. It was a Sunday and everyone wanted to go home so all the shops and restaurants closed up. We ended up spending the rest of the night in the hotel packing and getting ready for our train to London the next day

Related: London Travel Guide

A couple more places to visit in Wales:

• Real Wales Tour
  • Gower Coast – See the coastline and get some hiking in
  • Waterfall Country

So sad we missed out on this tour!

• Penarth
  • A cute charming little city
• Conwy Castle
• Snowdonia National Park

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I hope you found this travel guide helpful! Wales is a beautiful country with an amazing history and amazing food. A definite bucket list country. Let me know if you ever visit!