From Christmas, the sky was crying out till new year, as if it was jealous of people endlessly celebrating parties. While the sun was finally out, Curry Boy and I both longed for a leisure walk and decided to do a Cardiff day out – St. Fagans National Museum of History.
In this blog post, I’ll introduce you what to expect from this museum, and where to eat good food before or after visiting the museum.
What to See in St. Fagans National Museum of History
50 Historical Buildings to Discover
First thing first, St. Fagans National Museum of History is FREE entry! (Donation welcomed) Isn’t it amazing? As you can see from the above map, the historical buildings are dotted around the area as they were brought from different parts of Wales and re-constructed there.
You can step into these hundreds-year-old farmhouses, terrace houses, shops, post office, churches, and a castle as well! The historical information is well documented around the buildings in Welsh and English, so to allow yourself to soak into the history without any problems.
Other Things to Note
- There are water refill stations. Make sure you have a water bottle with you, especially in summertime!
- Wear comfortable shoes. The covered area was more spacious than I expected. Some areas can be muddy after rain and some are stones-paved. Be prepare that you’ll have to walk for a few hours, so a pair of good walking shoes is desired.
- Plenty of parking space at £6 per day. Remember to buy a ticket and display it on the carscreen!
- Ghosts in the farmhouse? Yes, or no, maybe I just couldn’t ‘see’ them. But don’t freaking out if you think you’ve seen one because it’s probably the staff! Some of them were sitting in a farmhouse next to the fire pit, so only their silhouettes were seen. Anyway, if you have questions, ask them! They are very friendly!
Related Reading: Wales Hiking in Abergavenny (plus a Lovely Cafe Recommended)
What to Eat Near St. Fagans Museum
Though there is a café in the museum, we usually visit somewhere else to enjoy better food. I’m glad that I found Moura, a relaxing café/bistro which is located only less than 10 minutes’ drive from the museum.
Moura is a small-scale family run café offering quality European food. I love their food. It was unpretentious, clean, simple, solid, nothing fancy, yet tasty!
They have breakfast (till 1:30PM), a long lunch (12-7PM) and dinner (till 10PM).
This time, we each enjoyed a 2-course lunch (£15.95) with quite a generous portion. We were happily full though tempted to order a dessert!
Our meal was served by a young man, aged only 15, who is the son of one of the customers. He was very polite and attentive, made us very comfortable. Good job! I like to support small business, like this kind, rather than chains and no-heart-filled or soulless shops.
We had a wonderful lunch before a long walk around the museum. I hope the next time you can enjoy yourself as much as we did and have a lovely day out in Cardiff!
