Swansea Vacations And Places To Visit

Of all the places in Wales many consider the county of Swansea the prettiest. The county is in the south west region of the country and includes the Gower peninsula and the Mumbles. In the following article I introduce the reader to some of the many things that account for Swansea being an excellent place in which to take a vacation.

Swansea City

Sadly large areas of Swansea were devastated during the German air raids of WWII which resulted in the loss of much of the older city. While many would look at such an event as devastating the people of Swansea took the opportunity to redevelop the city and this development has continued right up to the present day making the city completely different to earlier times. Nearly everyone is in agreement that the work has been a vast improvement and if earlier inhabitants, such as Dylan Thomas who called the city his "ugly, lovely town", would not recognise the place.

One of the areas which has changed most drastically is along the seafront and the docks. Superb world class museums reside in this part of Swansea such as the National Waterfront Museum. Other superb museums found in the Maritime Quarter are the Dylan Thomas Centre and the Swansea Museum but you will also discover a host of cafes, coffee bars and shops as well as the fantastic LC leisure Complex. The LC is an excellent place to take the kids as it has such things as a climbing wall and a play area as well as the usual gym equipment.

Nightlife In Swansea

Wind Street and Kingsway are renowned for being the centre of Swansea's nightlife. In these districts you will find an exciting mix of restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs and clubs. Restaurants of note include the excellent La Brasseria which offers excellent Mediterranean and French cuisine (found on Wind Street).

At 46 The Kingsway you will find the wonderful, Latin American Cafe Mambo. In the evenings it becomes an incredibly lively venue but during the daytime it has a more laid back attitude and is a perfect place to have a light meal or snack.

If you like good old English pubs then two are well worth a visit. the No Sign Bar on Wind Street and, the oldest pub in Swansea, the Cross Keys Inn. Built in the Eighteenth Century the Cross Keys can be found on Mary Street.

Swansea, The County

The wealth of first class visitor attractions and wild nightlife help make the city of Swansea an extremely popular vacation destination for young folk (or those young at heart). If you would like to take a more relaxing vacation then I suggest that you take a look at the county (rather than the city) where you will find such places as the renowned Gower peninsula and the stunning Mumbles.

The main reason why the Gower Peninsula is known so widely is that it is here that you will find what many consider to be the United Kingdom's finest beaches, Three Cliffs Bay. Rather than being a single beach the bay sports a selection and this whole coastline is littered with well known beaches, such as Rhossili Bay, and a multitude of lesser known smaller coves. The Gower Peninsula is also where you will find Swansea's best castles, Weobly Castle, Penrice Castle and Pennard Castle.

Further to the mentioned three castles you may also wish to visit the area of Oystermouth and Oystermouth Castle. This part of Swansea is quickly being encroached upon by the city and it is very much treated as a suburb for those in the city who can afford to live there. Offshore are two small islets called The Mumbles and the name is now used for the whole area in preference to the correct name of Oystermouth. Walking along the seafront you will notice that the Mumbles has all of the attributes of a typical seaside resort.

Article Source: TravelFreeGuides.com

About the Author

Want to find out more about hotels in Swansea, then visit Karl Fraser's site which has the most comprehensive listings of Swansea bed and breakfast.

by: Andrew Kelly

Total views: 6 Word Count: 684 Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2010 Time: 1:29 PM - 0 comments

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