Dylan Thomas’s ugly lovely town sits on a great sweep of bay, with the Mumbles and the beaches of Gower on its doorstep.
Swansea is the second largest city in Wales, standing on a wide, curving bay on the south coast. In the nineteenth century it was the centre of the world’s copper industry, and it became known as Copperopolis. It was badly bombed in the Second World War, and much of its centre was rebuilt.
Swansea was the birthplace of the poet Dylan Thomas, who famously called it an ugly, lovely town. Today it is a lively university city with a long seafront, a famous market and the beautiful Gower Peninsula on its doorstep. This guide covers six things to see and do.
1. The Gower Peninsula
The Gower Peninsula, just west of Swansea, was the first place in Britain to be named an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in 1956. It is a landscape of sandy bays, limestone cliffs, salt marshes and moorland. It is one of the most beautiful coastlines in Britain.
Rhossili Bay, at the western tip of Gower, is often voted one of the best beaches in Britain and the world. It is a huge sweep of golden sand beneath high cliffs. At its end, Worm’s Head, a tidal island shaped like a sea serpent, can be reached on foot at low tide, but check the tide times carefully.
Three Cliffs Bay, with its dramatic limestone cliffs and a ruined castle above, is one of the most photographed beaches in Wales. Oxwich Bay has a long sandy beach and woodland. Wild ponies graze on the commons.
Gower is perfect for walking, surfing and relaxing. Its roads are narrow and busy in summer. A car or a driver for the day makes it easy to explore the bays.
2. The Mumbles
The Mumbles is a seaside village at the western end of Swansea Bay, a short drive or bike ride from the city centre. It has a Victorian pier, a lifeboat station, cafés, ice cream parlours and pubs. It has been a favourite day out for generations.
The Mumbles has a special place in history. The Swansea and Mumbles Railway, which once ran along the bay, carried the world’s first fare paying passengers on a railway in 1807. It closed in 1960, but the route is now a cycle path.
Above the village stands Oystermouth Castle, a ruined Norman castle with views across the bay. It is open in summer. The pier has been restored.
The walk or cycle ride along the bay from Swansea to the Mumbles, about five miles, is one of the loveliest in Wales. It follows the promenade beside the sand. The village is also the gateway to Gower.
3. Dylan Thomas’s Swansea
Dylan Thomas, one of the most famous poets of the twentieth century, was born in Swansea in 1914. His works, including the play for voices Under Milk Wood and the poem Do not go gentle into that good night, are known around the world. Swansea is proud of him.
The house where he was born, on Cwmdonkin Drive in the Uplands area, has been restored to how it looked when he was a boy. You can visit on a guided tour and even stay the night. It gives a vivid picture of his early life.
The Dylan Thomas Centre, in the Maritime Quarter, has a free exhibition about his life and work, with manuscripts, letters and photographs. It also hosts events and readings. A statue of the poet stands in the marina nearby.
Cwmdonkin Park, near his birthplace, inspired some of his poems. The Dylan Thomas Boathouse, where he lived and wrote at Laugharne in Carmarthenshire, is about an hour away. Fans can follow a trail of places linked to him.
4. Swansea Market
Swansea Market is the largest indoor market in Wales, with a history going back centuries. It stands in the heart of the city centre, under a huge glass roof. It is one of the best places in Wales to try local food.
The market’s stalls sell fresh fish, meat, fruit and vegetables, as well as clothes and goods. Look out for cockles, gathered from the sands of Penclawdd on Gower, and laverbread, a traditional dish made from seaweed. Welsh cakes are cooked fresh on griddles.
The market has cafés where you can try a traditional Welsh breakfast, with cockles and laverbread. It is lively and friendly. The stallholders are happy to tell you about their produce.
The market is open most days of the week. It is a short walk from the station. It is a great place to feel the life of the city.
5. The National Waterfront Museum and the Maritime Quarter
The National Waterfront Museum, in the Maritime Quarter, tells the story of industry and innovation in Wales over the last three hundred years. It is free to enter. It is housed in a striking building that combines an old warehouse with modern glass and slate.
The museum has interactive displays about coal, copper, steel, railways and the people who worked in these industries. There are locomotives, engines and a replica of the world’s first steam locomotive to run on rails, built in Wales. It is great for families.
Swansea Museum, nearby, is the oldest museum in Wales, with a cabinet of curiosities feel, including an Egyptian mummy. The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, in the city centre, has a fine collection of art, and it is free. The Egypt Centre, at Swansea University, has the largest collection of Egyptian objects in Wales.
The Maritime Quarter, around the marina, has restaurants, bars and apartments beside the water. The beach is a short walk away. Swansea Arena, a large concert venue, is nearby.
6. Gardens and day trips
Clyne Gardens, on the edge of the bay near the Mumbles, is famous for its rhododendrons and azaleas, which bloom in a riot of colour in spring. It is free to visit. Singleton Park, nearby, has a botanical garden.
The National Botanic Garden of Wales, about forty minutes west, has the Great Glasshouse, a huge domed glasshouse designed by Norman Foster, full of plants from Mediterranean climates. The gardens are beautiful. There is also a bird of prey centre.
Aberdulais Falls, a waterfall once used to power industry, is looked after by the National Trust, about twenty minutes north east. The Brecon Beacons, known in Welsh as Bannau Brycheiniog, are about forty five minutes north. Carmarthenshire, to the west, has castles, beaches and gardens.
A car or a driver for the day is the easiest way to explore the gardens, the mountains and the coast around Swansea.
Where to eat and drink
Swansea is known for its seafood, especially Penclawdd cockles, and for laverbread, which is often served with bacon and cockles for breakfast. The Mumbles has lovely restaurants and ice cream parlours. Wind Street, in the city centre, is the heart of the nightlife.
Getting there and getting around
Swansea station is in the city centre, with direct trains to London Paddington in around three hours, and to Cardiff in under an hour. The M4 passes the northern edge of the city.
Cardiff Airport is about an hour away by road. A car booked ahead is the easiest way to travel between Swansea and the airport, and to explore Gower, the Mumbles and the countryside.
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