Caerphilly (Caerffili in Welsh) isn’t just home to Britain’s second-largest castle and one of Europe’s finest medieval fortresses. It’s also the birthplace of legendary cheese, the gateway to the breathtaking valleys of South Wales, and a town that embodies the authentic, unpretentious Welsh spirit that’s increasingly hard to find in more touristy destinations.
After spending time here, I’ve come to appreciate that Caerphilly represents something special: a working Welsh town that hasn’t sold its soul to tourism, yet offers visitors genuine historical treasures and warm hospitality.
Why Caerphilly?
Let’s cut to the chase: you’re coming here for the castle. And what a castle it is. But stay a while, and you’ll discover a town with surprising depth. Caerphilly has cheese-making heritage and its position at the heart of Wales industrial valley communities. With its lovely country parks to its role as a fiercely proud Welsh language stronghold.
Caerphilly offers something that’s becoming rare: authenticity. This is a real Welsh town where locals go about their business, where Welsh is spoken in shops and cafés, where history isn’t just preserved but lived among.
Getting There
From Cardiff Trains run regularly from Cardiff Central to Caerphilly station, taking just 15-20 minutes with services every 30 minutes throughout the day. Tickets cost around £4-6 return. The journey cuts through the valleys, giving you a taste of South Wales’ dramatic landscape.
You can also catch trains from Cardiff Queen Street, Cathays, and Heath stations – handy if you’re staying in different parts of Cardiff. Cardiff
By Car A straightforward 20-30 minute drive from Cardiff via the A469. There’s decent parking in the town centre and near the castle (around £3-6 for several hours). The drive takes you through increasingly hilly terrain as you leave Cardiff’s flatlands behind.
By Bus Regular bus services (routes 26, 27, 28) connect Cardiff and Caerphilly for around £4-5, taking 30-45 minutes depending on stops and traffic.
Caerphilly Castle: Britain’s Forgotten Giant
Right, let’s talk about the headline attraction. Caerphilly Castle is absolutely massive – covering 30 acres, it’s the largest castle in Wales and the second-largest in Britain after Windsor. Built between 1268 and 1271 by Norman lord Gilbert de Clare, it pioneered the concentric “walls within walls” design that would later be perfected at Conwy and Beaumaris.
What Makes It Extraordinary:
The Scale Walking up to Caerphilly Castle, you’re confronted with something genuinely imposing. The vast water defences (artificial lakes created specifically for the castle) surround the fortress, creating an almost mythical atmosphere. On misty mornings, it looks like something from Arthurian legend.
The Leaning Tower Caerphilly has its own “Leaning Tower” – and it leans more dramatically than Pisa’s! One of the towers tilts at about 10 degrees (Pisa is around 4 degrees) following Civil War damage in the 17th century. It’s both architecturally fascinating and slightly unnerving to stand beside.
The Great Hall Despite centuries of decay and Civil War slighting, significant portions of the castle survive. The Great Hall has been partially reconstructed, giving you a sense of medieval grandeur. Climb to the upper levels for spectacular views across the town and surrounding valleys.
The Water Defences Those vast lakes aren’t just decorative – they were cutting-edge medieval military engineering. The castle sits on an island created by damming local streams, making it virtually impregnable. Walk the paths around the lakes for different perspectives on this architectural marvel.
Practical Details:
- Entry: Around £9-11 for adults (prices vary seasonally)
- Managed by Cadw (Welsh heritage organization)
- Generally open daily 9:30am-5pm (summer), 10am-4pm (winter)
- Allow 2-3 hours to explore properly
- Audio guides available
- Dog-friendly in the grounds
Top Tip: Visit early morning on weekdays to have the place virtually to yourself. The castle photographed in morning mist with the water defences in the foreground is genuinely spectacular.
The Cheese: A Caerphilly Institution
You can’t visit Caerphilly without acknowledging its most famous export. Caerphilly cheese – a crumbly, mild white cheese – has been made here since the 1830s. Originally created as a lunch for Welsh miners (the salty cheese replaced salt lost through sweat), it became hugely popular across Britain.
While large-scale production moved elsewhere decades ago, local cheesemakers have revived the tradition. The Caerphilly Cheese Company and other artisan producers are keeping the heritage alive.
Where to Try It:
- Local delis and cafés often feature Caerphilly cheese
- The town hosts an annual Big Cheese Festival (late July) celebrating the heritage with food stalls, entertainers, and – naturally – lots of cheese
Beyond the Castle: Exploring Caerphilly
Caerphilly Town Centre The town centre is refreshingly unpretentious – a working Welsh market town rather than a tourist trap. The pedestrianised area around Cardiff Road has independent shops, charity shops, bakeries, and cafés.
Look out for:
- Welsh-language signs everywhere (Caerphilly has strong Welsh-language schools and communities)
- Traditional bakeries selling Welsh cakes and bara brith (fruit bread)
- The war memorial and civic spaces
- Morgan Jones Park – lovely Victorian park for a stroll
Caerphilly Market The indoor market (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday) is where locals shop for fresh produce, meat, fish, and household goods. It’s authentic Welsh market culture – not tourism-focused, but welcoming if you want to see real community life.
Llancaiach Fawr Manor About 15 minutes north of Caerphilly, this beautifully preserved Tudor manor house offers a completely different historical experience from the castle. Costumed interpreters stay in character as 1645 servants, giving you a genuine sense of 17th-century life. It’s quirky, educational, and surprisingly fun.
Entry around £7-9 for adults, family tickets available
Caerphilly’s Country Parks
Parc Penallta This is the revelation. Built on a former colliery site, Parc Penallta is 200 acres of reclaimed industrial land transformed into stunning parkland with walking trails, sculpture, and views that’ll take your breath away.
The climb to the summit rewards you with the “Miner’s Winding House” sculpture and 360-degree views across to Cardiff, the Severn Estuary, the Brecon Beacons, and the valleys. On clear days, you can see Somerset and Devon across the water.
Why It Matters: This park symbolises South Wales transformation. Industrial heritage acknowledged and celebrated, landscapes healed, communities given beautiful public spaces. It’s free, it’s spectacular, and hardly anyone outside the area knows about it.
Parc Cwm Darran Another reclaimed mining site, this park offers lakeside walks, visitor centre, café, and more gentle terrain than Penallta. Perfect for families with younger children.
The Valleys Gateway
Caerphilly sits at the threshold of the South Wales Valleys, that ribbon of former mining communities that snake northward into the mountains. The valleys have a fierce cultural identity, a proud working-class heritage, and some of Wales’ most dramatic landscapes.
From Caerphilly, you can easily explore:
- Rhymney Valley – stunning mountain scenery
- Sirhowy Valley – historic iron and coal communities
- Taff Valley – running north to Merthyr Tydfil and the Brecon Beacons
This is authentic Wales, not pretty villages prettified for tourists, but real communities with complex histories and warm people. If you want to understand Wales beyond Cardiff and the coast, the valleys are essential.
The Welsh Language in Caerphilly
Something special happens as you move from Cardiff into Caerphilly, Welsh becomes much more present. Signs are bilingual, you’ll hear Welsh spoken in shops and schools, and there’s genuine pride in the language.
Caerphilly has some of Wales best Welsh schools, and many families here are raising children bilingually. It’s a living, evolving Welsh culture rather than heritage preservation.
Useful Welsh phrases:
- “Bore da” (bore-eh dah) – Good morning
- “Diolch” (dee-olkh) – Thank you
- “Hwyl fawr” (hoo-il vow-r) – Goodbye
Locals appreciate visitors making the effort, even if your pronunciation is terrible.
Caerphilly’s Identity: Proud and Working-Class
Here’s what you need to understand about Caerphilly: this is a proud Welsh town. It’s not trying to be Cardiff. It’s not gentrified. It’s not full of artisan coffee shops and vintage stores.
What it is: genuine, unpretentious, and authentically Welsh. People work regular jobs, shop at regular shops, and live regular lives. The castle happens to be in their back garden, but they’re not defined by it.
There’s social deprivation here – the valleys were hit hard by industrial decline, and recovery is ongoing. But there’s also resilience, community spirit, and a determination to preserve Welsh culture and language.
As a visitor, respect this. You’re a guest in a living community, not a tourist attraction.
Practical Caerphilly
Best Time to Visit:
- Summer for the Big Cheese Festival (late July)
- Spring and autumn for lovely light on the castle and pleasant walking weather
- Winter for atmospheric castle visits with fewer crowds
How Long to Stay: A solid half-day covers the castle and town centre. A full day allows you to explore Parc Penallta and Llancaiach Fawr Manor. Consider Caerphilly as part of a valleys exploration trip rather than a standalone destination.
What to Bring:
- Walking shoes if exploring the parks
- Weatherproof layers (valleys weather can be unpredictable)
- Camera for the castle
- Welsh phrase book (locals appreciate the effort)
- Open mind about what “tourist destinations” should look like
Accommodation: Limited options in Caerphilly itself (a few B&Bs, the Castle View Hotel), but Cardiff is so close that most visitors base themselves there and day-trip to Caerphilly.
What Caerphilly Isn’t
Let’s be clear about expectations:
- This isn’t a pretty market town with boutique shops
- There’s limited nightlife (Cardiff’s 20 minutes away for that)
- Food options are basic rather than gourmet
- Some areas show visible signs of economic hardship
- It rains. A lot. Welcome to Wales.
What Caerphilly Is
But here’s what Caerphilly delivers:
- One of Britain’s greatest medieval castles, criminally under-visited
- Authentic Welsh culture and language
- Warm, unpretentious hospitality
- Gateway to stunning valley landscapes
- Real community spirit
- Proper Welsh cakes and cheese
- A chance to see Wales beyond the tourist trail
Travel to Caerphilly
Caerphilly won’t be everyone’s cup of tea (or paned o de, as they’d say in Welsh). It’s not polished like Penarth or fun like Barry. It doesn’t have Cardiff’s cosmopolitan buzz or Snowdonia’s dramatic mountains.
What it does have is one of Europe’s greatest medieval fortresses sitting in the middle of a working Welsh town where people still speak Welsh, where valleys culture runs deep, and where you’re welcomed as a visitor rather than processed as a tourist.
Caerphilly Castle ranks among the most impressive, yet remains remarkably uncrowded. That alone makes the trip worthwhile.
But stay a while longer. Climb Parc Penallta for those valley views. Buy Welsh cakes from a local bakery. Listen to Welsh being spoken around you. Feel the weight of industrial heritage and the resilience of valley communities.
This is Wales – not the Wales of tourist brochures and castles-and-daffodils clichés, but the real, complex, proud, working Wales that created the modern nation.