Wales Travel Guide - Getting There

Cardiff International Airport (CWL) (website: www.cwlfly.com) is 19km (12 miles) from Cardiff. To/from the airport: A rail link connects the airport with Cardiff Central station. A bus runs between Cardiff city centre and the airport. Taxis are available outside the terminal building. Car hire is available. Facilities: Restaurants, shops, bureaux de change, ATMs, children's play area and executive lounge.

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Main ports: Fishguard, Holyhead (Anglesey) (website: www.holyheadport.com), Pembroke (website: www.mhpa.co.uk) and Swansea (website: www.abports.co.uk), all of which have ferry connections to the Republic of Ireland, with companies including Irish Ferries (tel: 0870 517 1717; website: www.irishferries.com) and Stena Line (tel: 0870 570 7070; website: www.stenaline.com).

There are two mainline routes into Wales. One runs from London Paddington to Fishguard along the south Wales coast (branching at Whitland to serve Haverford West and Milford Haven), while the other links Holyhead with Chester and northwest England. In addition, the line from Cardiff to Chester (via Newport, Hereford and Shrewsbury) links the south Wales cities with Abergavenny in Gwent and Wrexham in Clwyd. There are also two smaller cross-country lines: these run from Shrewsbury to Welshpool, Barmouth, Harlech, Porthmadog and Pwllheli; from Shrewsbury via Welshpool to Aberystwyth; and from Craven Arms (on the Shrewsbury–Ludlow line) through Llandrindod Wells and Llandovery down to Swansea. For details, contact National Rail Enquiries (tel: 0845 748 4950; website: www.nationalrail.co.uk).

The best road approach to Wales from southern England is via the M4 motorway, which runs from west London to Newport, Cardiff and Swansea, almost to Carmarthen. The A5 links London and the Midlands with the ferry port of Holyhead, and the A55 links Holyhead with Chester. The best cross-country road is probably the A44/A470 from Oxford to Aberystwyth.