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Visitor information

Directions

Cardiff is easy to reach whether you’re travelling by public transport, by car or by air.

Cardiff is served by the M4 and is easily accessible from all parts of Britain.

From the south west, take the M5 and from the south of England, follow major A-roads to the M4.

From Scotland, the north of England and the Midlands, travel via the M50 to the M4.

Travelling east on the M4

Leave the motorway at Junction 32, follow the A470, sign-posted city centre.

Cathays Park Campus

Follow the A470 towards the city centre and the university is sign-posted.

Heath Park Campus

Follow the A470 as far as Gabalfa Interchange. Take first exit onto the A48 (Eastern Avenue), sign-posted Newport and the M4, but immediately exit at the slip road on the left. This leads directly onto the University Hospital site.

Parking on the Heath Park Campus is limited to hospital patients, patient visitors and medical staff.

Travelling west on the M4

Leave the motorway at Junction 29, follow the A48(M)/A48, sign-posted Cardiff East and the South. Continue for approximately seven miles.

Travelling to Cathays Campus

Continue along the A48 to the A470 (Gabalfa Interchange). Leave the A48 at Gabalfa Interchange and take the A470, sign-posted city centre. Follow the A470 towards the city centre and the university is sign-posted.

Heath Park Campus

On the A48, the University Hospital will be visible on the right. Exit the next slip road, sign-posted “University Hospital” and turn right at the traffic lights along a short road leading directly onto the University Hospital site.

Parking on the Heath Park Campus is limited to hospital patients, patient visitors and medical staff.

Parking in the city centre

Parking within the University is extremely limited.

Parking for visitors to the University is provided on a Pay as You Go basis. Please visit our Visitor parking page for further information.

Visitor parking is not available during Open Days or other large, on-campus events.

In addition there a number of on-street pay and display parking spaces (both short-term and long-term) as well as car parks in and around the city centre. We recommend using the Visit Cardiff and Council websites for information on further parking options.

To avoid the cost and hassle of parking in the city centre, we recommend public transport.

If you are a blue badge holder attending one of our open days and would like to reserve a parking space please email openday@cardiff.ac.uk with your vehicle registration number, name, contact number and the date of your visit. If you are a blue badge holder visiting the university for another purpose, please email carparking@cardiff.ac.uk.

Cardiff is easily accessible by rail from London, major UK airports and many towns and cities across the country.

There are regular, direct services from London Paddington to Cardiff throughout the day.
Frequent regional network trains also connect Cardiff with many towns and cities across the UK, including:

  • Bristol (50mins)
  • London (1hr 50 mins)
  • Birmingham (approx. 2hrs)
  • Southampton (2hrs 40mins)
  • Manchester (3hrs 30mins)
  • Liverpool (3hrs 45mins)

Cardiff Central train station

Cardiff Central train station is approximately 20-30 minutes on foot to Cardiff University’s Main Building. Walking will allow you to get a feel for the city including the shops, restaurants and entertainment it has to offer.

Cardiff Queen Street station

Cardiff Queen Street station is the best location for visiting the following university buildings:

  • School of Physics and Engineering (Trevithick and Queen's Buildings)
  • McKenzie House
  • Eastgate House
  • Senghennydd Court/Hall
  • Gordon Hall

Cathays train station

Visitors can change at Cardiff Central or Cardiff Queen Street for Cathays train station (the university's station).

Cathays station is located in the centre of the Cathays Park Campus, opposite the Main Building and next to the Students’ Union. It provides easy access to all other university buildings at Cathays Park, including the Centre for Student Life.

Heath Park Campus

The Heath Park Campus is located approximately three miles from Cardiff city centre.

Heath Low Level and Heath High Level Stations are the nearest stations within (approximately) 20 minutes’ walk from the Heath Park campus.

Cardiff is served by a number of local and national bus services – many of which drop passengers within easy walking distance of the university.

Cardiff Bus

Cardiff Bus provides services within the city centre, its suburbs and to various destinations outside of the city (e.g. Newport, Penarth, Dinas Powys, Barry, St Athan and Llantwit Major).

Other local bus services (South Wales)

There are a number of other bus and coach service providers providing services to and from Cardiff and the surrounding areas.

National coach services

Cardiff is also well served by National Express, Megabus and Greyhound Express providing services to and from other major towns and cities.

Airport shuttle bus

Cardiff benefits from its close proximity to two international airports (Cardiff International Airport and Bristol Airport). Both are served by Shuttle Bus Services.

Nearest airport: Cardiff (CWL)

Several inter-regional and international air services operate from Cardiff Airport, which is about 12 miles from the city centre.

Find out more about public transport links to and from Cardiff International Airport.

Additional transport services are available from a number of UK airports providing onwards travel to Cardiff.