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Caerphilly Caste - worth the entrance fee?

Posted by (Copenhagen, Denmark) on

Hi all

I am heading to Cardiff this weekend in order to watch the football match Wales against Denmark. Since I am a huge castle buff, I want to visit Caerphilly Castle while we are there. However I am wondering if paying the entrance fee and entering the castle is worth it or if it is mainly for kids?
My friends are not as interested in castles as I am and personally I just want to look at the walls and buildings, I don't really need to have a guide or read any on site information about the castle and I could care less about hedge mazes and watching them fire a trebuchet. So has anyone been and can recommend if it is necessary to pay the entrance fee or if we can get a good look at the castle from the outside?

Posted by
2398 posts

The castle inside is pretty well what you would expect - plenty of whirly staircases leading up towers plus a main hall. I think the castle looks best from the outside - especially when viewed from the public footpath SW of the castle. Trains to Caerphilly usually depart the Central station / Queen Street station every 15 minutes and it takes around 17 minutes. (Less trains on Sundays).

Cardiff Castle is worth paying to see the inside - even if it is partly Victorian. It has a Norman keep in the middle.

Posted by
7639 posts

We visited the castle (and other castes in Wales) in October 2017. It was well worth the train ride from Cardiff and the admission.

My wife is into genealogy and after returning from Wales and England she discovered that she is descended from Gilbert de Clare, who built the castle. We were so glad to have visited it.

Posted by
971 posts

Thanks for the feedback. I'm inclined to pay the entrance fee, but we will see when we get there. My main concern was that it was mostly for kids (like I have heard is the case with Warwick Castle), but from what i have gathered that does not seem to be the case.

Posted by
2398 posts

I have only seen Warwick Castle from the outside but my understanding is that it is more like a theme park - well, it is privately owned.
Caerphilly Castle is owned by the state and is run by Welsh historic monuments (CADW). Although they have introduced some gimmicky stuff recently, by and large, this is an authentic historic castle.http://www.castlewales.com/caerphil.html

Also highly recommend >https://museum.wales/stfagans/about/
which is about 6km west of central Cardiff. Bus 32A run by Easyway. (Best to hold your arm out at approach our they may not stop).

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