We plan to drive from the Cotswolds to Cardiff, stay the night, drop off our car and then take a train to York.
Appreciate any suggestions for a place to stay in Cardiff.
Also looking for any comments on the train travel Cardiff-York: ease, change where, frequency etc
It seems that you are going a long way in the wrong direction to drop off the car. Cheltenham is by The Cotswolds & has direct trains to York. Where in The Cotswolds are you staying as it covers a vast area?
You can go by train from Cardiff to York with 1 change en-route. It will be cheapest if you pre-book specific train advance tickets probably around 10 weeks out. It may well be cheaper to split the ticket to get the price down. Play around with this website and see what it tells you:>
https://www.traintickets.com/?/
Where in Cardiff is the drop off point for the car as that can have a bearing on where to stay? You need at least 2 fun days in Cardiff to see the main attractions:>
Within 8 miles of the city centre are 4 castles - one being Cardiff Castle in the heart of the city.
https://www.cardiffcastle.com
https://museum.wales/stfagans/castle-and-gardens/ (A vast site that needs at least half a day).
https://cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/caerphilly-castle
https://www.visitwales.com/attraction/castle/castell-coch-cadw-516101
On the Newport side of Cardiff >https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/tredegar-house
Just to the west of Cardiff is >https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/dyffryn-gardens
Of course, there is more to Wales than just Cardiff. https://www.visitwales.com
If you are just dropping off the car, why are you going all the way to Cardiff? Bath or Bristol are closer to the Cotswolds than Cardiff.
Use the official rail site:
And it will link you to the operator of the train. You can buy directly from them.
I can recommend the Hotel Indigo.
I must admit I was also thinking the same thing - why Cardiff and just for one night...
There is no direct train between Cardiff and York. You will have to change - most probably at Bristol Parkway (but it may also be either Manchester Picadilly or Birmingham New Street depending on what time you leave).
Book each leg as a separate ticket as it will work out a LOT cheaper than buying as a single ticket.
The National Rail website DOES NOT always tell you the cheapest way to buy tickets from a to b. Neither does buying the tickets direct from the train company - in this case Cross Country Trains. Some times the train companies do have special offers that may not appear on other websites.
