Near a city · The Castle Rolls
Castles near Cardiff
34 castles are within 40 miles of Cardiff — the highest density of any UK city on this list, courtesy of South Wales's cluster of Norman and Edwardian castles.
34Castles listed here
Map
Every castle on this list — 34 in total, 13 free to enter, 3 you can stay overnight in
| Castle | Distance | Access | Rating | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiff Castle | 0 mi | Ticketed | 4.6 (22,719) | The wartime tunnels, which reviewers describe as genuinely unsettling thanks to the… |
| Castell Coch | 5 mi | Ticketed | — | The fairy-tale exterior itself - conical, pointed roofs that look more like an… |
| Caerphilly Castle | 7 mi | Ticketed | 4.7 (8,511) | The water defences and leaning tower, alongside the reconstructed siege catapults… |
| Hensol Castle | 8 mi | Limited tours | 4.7 (827) | The gin distillery tour in the cellars, with tasting and a history of the castle and its… |
| Fonmon Castle | 10 mi | Ticketed | 4.7 (1,091) | The dinosaur trail and activities, which reviewers with young children rate as the… |
| Newport Castle | 11 mi | Grounds only | — | The view of the towers rising straight out of the river, best seen from the adjacent… |
| Old Beaupre Castle | 11 mi | Free | 4.3 (142) | The Renaissance porch, a surprising flourish of classical detail on an otherwise plain… |
| St Quentin's Castle (Llanblethian) | 12 mi | Free | 4.3 (247) | The twin-towered gatehouse itself, well preserved enough that reviewers say it still… |
| St Donat's Castle | 16 mi | Limited tours | 4.6 (329) | The walk from the castle grounds straight through to the beach — reviewers say the… |
| Coity Castle | 16 mi | Free | 4.6 (561) | The height of the surviving walls and towers, unusually tall for a free, unstaffed ruin. |
| Newcastle (Bridgend) Castle | 17 mi | Free | 4.3 (199) | The carved Norman gateway, the best-preserved detail left standing on site. |
| Ogmore Castle | 19 mi | Free | 4.7 (1,533) | The stepping stones across the River Ogmore, right beside the castle — reviewers rate… |
| Caldicot Castle | 20 mi | Ticketed | 4.6 (2,495) | The country park setting — reviewers treat it as a full day out for the price of nothing,… |
| Cyfarthfa Castle | 21 mi | Grounds only | 4.6 (2,537) | The view over Merthyr Tydfil and the park from the castle's hilltop position. |
| Dunster Castle | 24 mi | Ticketed | 4.7 (8,645) | The view out over the Somerset coastline from the grounds - reviewers rate the setting as… |
| Abergavenny Castle & Museum | 24 mi | Free | 4.5 (849) | The free museum, which reviewers say punches above its size for the heritage and context… |
| Chepstow Castle | 24 mi | Ticketed | 4.6 (4,340) | The Great Tower, among the earliest stretches of Norman stonework anywhere in Britain —… |
| Raglan Castle | 24 mi | Ticketed | 4.7 (4,199) | The Great Tower and its moat — one of the last and grandest private fortifications built… |
| Tretower Court and Castle | 28 mi | Ticketed | 4.7 (783) | Having both the keep and the restored manor house on one ticket — reviewers rate the… |
| White Castle | 28 mi | Free | 4.6 (989) | The moat, still holding water — reviewers say it's the detail that makes White Castle… |
| St Briavels Castle | 29 mi | Grounds only | 4.4 (437) | The 1292 twin-towered gatehouse, the castle's most substantial surviving medieval feature. |
| Thornbury Castle | 29 mi | Hotel guests only | 4.6 (1,255) | Staying overnight in an actual Tudor castle room, complete with the history talk… |
| Monmouth Castle | 30 mi | Free | 4 (434) | The regimental museum next door, which reviewers rate as the more substantial part of the… |
| Skenfrith Castle | 32 mi | Free | 4.6 (1,038) | The river behind the castle — reviewers treat a dip or a paddle in the Monnow as part of… |
| Craig-y-Nos Castle | 32 mi | Hotel guests only | 4.4 (834) | The architecture and atmosphere, which multiple reviewers, including a working wedding… |
| Taunton Castle | 32 mi | Ticketed | — | The Museum of Somerset's collection, housed within the castle's own historic walls rather… |
| Grosmont Castle | 33 mi | Free | 4.7 (605) | The elevated viewing area at the top of the climb, with views reviewers rate as better… |
| Longtown Castle | 34 mi | Free | 4.3 (328) | The round keep itself, though check before travelling — visitors report the internal… |
| Swansea Castle | 34 mi | Free | 4 (1,030) | Simply that it's there at all — reviewers rate the novelty of a genuine medieval ruin… |
| Berkeley Castle | 34 mi | Ticketed | 4.7 (1,752) | The guided tour — reviewers consistently say it runs well past its advertised length… |
| Oystermouth Castle | 36 mi | Ticketed | 4.5 (1,201) | The walk along the castle walls, with views over Swansea Bay that reviewers say exceed… |
| Bronllys Castle | 36 mi | Free | 4.4 (241) | The view from the top of the tower — though the platform only fits two or three people… |
| Goodrich Castle | 36 mi | Ticketed | 4.7 (2,714) | The view from the top of the tower over the River Wye, reached via genuinely narrow… |
| Nunney Castle | 39 mi | Grounds only | 4.7 (696) | The moat itself, with the castle rising straight out of it - reviewers say it's striking… |
Distances are straight-line ("as the crow flies"), not driving or train time — check the operator's own site for real travel options before you go.