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The Wandering Bard's Tour of South Wales

Badge of ExcellenceCardiff, Wales

From $112.49

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

8 to 9 hours
Pickup offered
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

There's no better way to explore South Wales than in the company of a historian, and native Welsh speaker, who is passionate about the country. This tour, which provides a deeper insight into Welsh culture than any other, takes you to neolithic sites, Roman ruins, Norman castles, and into the atmospheric valleys that have so inspired Welsh culture.

Get an in-depth understanding of Welsh culture in the company of a local historian
Learn some Welsh words from your native guide
Hassle-free pickup and drop-off from your hotel
A small group means more attention from your guide

What's Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Driver/guide
Professional guide
Local guide
Tour escort/host

Drinks
Food and drinks, unless specified
Lunch

Meeting and Pickup

You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup

Meeting point

Hilton Cardiff
Kingsway, Greyfriars Rd, Cardiff CF10 3HH, UK
The tour will pick up outside the Hilton Hotel on the Taxi Rank.

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Start time

08:00 AM

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Pickup details

I pick up from Cardiff only. If you are staying outside of Cardiff you need to make your way to the centre to be picked up.

What To Expect

Caerphilly Castle

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Tintern Abbey

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Chepstow Castle

2 hours • Admission Ticket Not Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Most travelers can participate
Not wheelchair accessible
Infant seats available

Children must be accompanied by an adult
A maximum of 8 people per booking
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

237 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 237 reviews

Great days, castles, etc.

James_F, May 2024

Great days, castles, etc. highly recommended. Beautiful Day and great lunch stop in Chipstow. Gareth was a great guide.

Response from Host, May 2024

Thank you so much. I'm glad that you enjoyed the day

We wanted castles. We got castles!

HC_B, Apr 2024

We wanted castles. We got castles! There was a very good balance between climbing stairs (and more stairs) and resting, refreshing and enjoying beautiful scenery. Gareth's background as an educator shines in his narratives and the details he shares throughout the day. The itinerary is well planned with just the right amount of time to explore at each stop, and excellent recommendations for places to have lunch. Well worth the price.

Response from Host, May 2024

Thanks for this review. It is so kind of you to take the time to write it. Diolch yn fawr

Wonderful Day

Maggie_W, Apr 2024

We had a WONDERFUL tour with Gareth! He was so knowledgeable and took us to 4 beautiful locations in South Wales. He was flexible with pick up and drop off and we had the best day with him. I would recommend this tour to anybody!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you so much. I'm so happy that you all enjoyed

Great experience!

George_A, Apr 2024

Very nice experience, nice route and great guide! Highly recommend it! The guide was very professional, helfpul, interesting and his van very comfortable. Really respectful of his clients and the general guide compared to other ones. His professionalism needs to be pointed out!

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you so much. It's very kind of you. I'm so happy that you enjoyed.

An Abbey and Castles - Great Way to Spend a Day

Laura_H, Mar 2024

Gareth really knows his history, both ancient and modern. I loved learning not only about kings, castles, and monasteries, but also about the Welsh language and it's reemergence in Welsh education. The cost of admittance is not included in the tour, which is fine. I liked having over an hour at each stop, which was enough for me to see each edifice, but not quite enough to also visit the towns. I had thought that Gareth would walk us through the sites and share the history of them. While the audio guides included with the admittance are good, I usually prefer a live tour so I can ask questions and learn those odd details not usually included in pre-recorded guides. That said, I have no regrets regarding this tour. Overall, I recommend this tour. Gareth is knowledgeable, the sites are magnificent, and it is a great way to see quite a lot in only one day.

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thanks for the review. Thanks for giving potential customers a clear outline of what the day includes. I'm glad you enjoyed.

A great way to learn about Welsh history in one day!

Lauren_M, Mar 2024

Very fun tour! Gareth had a fun personality and definitely appeared to be knowledgeable in Welsh history and culture. We visited a few ruins including an abbey and 2 castles and a more recently built castle in South Wales. I did think we’d get guided tours at the locations but this is more of a guided ride to each location and he gives you time to roam around each place on your own. But we still really enjoyed it and would highly recommend!

Response from Host, Mar 2024

Thank you so much. I'm glad that you both enjoyed the tour. I don't guide people around the sites. I give as much information as possible on the way and then let people relax and enjoy when we arrive at each location.

An excellent tour experience

Judith_N, Feb 2024

Friendly guide, great sites and comfortable van.Time kept and gave us plenty of time too to buy gifts

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you Judith. I'm so happy that you enjoyed.

Amazing Castles

Robin_R, Dec 2023

We saw so many wonderful castles and an old Abbey. It was wonderful and so interesting. We loved Gareth. He was very knowledgeable and fun. I recommend this trip to everyone.

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Thank you guys. I'm so happy that you enjoyed the day. Diolch yn fawr.

New yorkers

Suzanne_M, Dec 2023

Gareth was great. Very patient and calm allowing us plenty of time to take pictures. He knew his history. Very pleasant tour to take on the sitesof South Wales in a day

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Thank you so much. I'm so happy that you both enjoyed the day.

Great Welsh tour!

Robert_G, Nov 2023

Our tour guide was great - friendly and knowledgeable. We appreciated the ride to various landmarks.

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Thank you so much for this. I'm so happy that you enjoyed the day.

So many awesome castles!

Allen_S, Nov 2023

Our guide met us at the appointed time and then navigated the city streets and country roads like the professional he is. All the while answering our questions and explaining a bit about the Welsh language. We always had plenty of time at each destination and never felt hurried. He even got us to most of the places between rain showers. A wonderful day out and a wonderful guide. I will recommend him highly to anyone visiting Cardiff.

Response from Host, Nov 2023

Thank you so much. I think I was a bit lucky avoiding the rain to be honest but I'm glad it worked that way. Safe travels.

An excellent castle tour around Cardiff

Alan_R, Oct 2023

Gareth was an exceptionally good host and made us feel well supported and well informed, all delivered with a fine sense of humour. Our castle tour was full of history, and Gareth filled in the blanks between sites. Highly recommended!!!

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thank you both. I'm glad that you enjoyed the day. It was interesting talking to you.

Great local owner/guide

Michael_G, Oct 2023

It was great having a local owner as guide rather than one of the larger your companies He brought a real local flavor to the tour. The timing of the tour and the stops was excellent.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

So happy that you enjoyed. It's very kind of you to leave this review.

Our guide was very...

Diana_K, Oct 2023

Our guide was very friendly & gave us a lot of history of the sights. Enjoyed the tour immensely. He was able to pick us up & drop us off at our hotel, which was wonderful.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Great stuff. Thanks so much for this review.

Great tour in South Wales

Arturo_M, Oct 2023

It was a great day in South Wales: the four places visited were beautiful and full of history (our guide explained us the history of Wales along the road and gave us enough time to visit the sites)

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thank you pal. It was nice to meet you. So happy that you enjoyed the day.

Great way to learn about Wales

Susan_S, Oct 2023

This was a very enlightening tour seeing the Abbey and three castles. Nice selection of sites. Gareth was very knowledgeable and willing to share the history and culture of Wales, both in the modern day and hundreds of years in the past. The Welsh cakes and water were a nice treat.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thank you for this review. I'm so happy that you enjoyed the day and my information along the way. Safe travels.

A wonderful trip back in time

Larry_S, Oct 2023

Tinturn Abbey is incredible, especially when there is virtually nobody else there - silent and dignified even it it’s current state. Gareth was also a wonderful host and guide. His knowledge of the local history helped us to understand the locations we visited.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thank you guys. I enjoyed the day a lot too. Thanks so much for the review.

Great day in South Wales

Joan_C, Oct 2023

Gareth gave us a well planned trip allowing enough time at each stop and providing some interesting conversation along the way. Great way to see the famous castles and abbey near Cardiff. He also communicated with us prior to trip about pickup point.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

Thank you both. It was my pleasure. I'm so grateful for this review.

Good way to see points of interest in Wales outside of Cardiff

James_W, Sep 2023

My wife and I enjoyed the tour. The group size was OK but the van was a little tight. The narration was adequate, but we would like to have heard more about the history of the area and the sights we visited, all of which were very much worth seeing.. Length of stops were adequate at each location, and the tour was a full day of activity.

Response from Host, Oct 2023

I'm glad that you enjoyed. My narration has always been reviewed very strongly on this platform. You obviously had a problem with it but I'm not going to change it because everyone else has been very happy with it. There is also not much I can do about the vehicle. It's designed to carry eight passengers. Nobody else has ever complained about the tightness.

A TOUR TO REMEMBER

mendozaors, Sep 2023

We had a wonderful day, a bit of rain at the start but very well organised and Gareth was the perfect guide.

Response from Host, Sep 2023

Thank you very much. I'm glad that you enjoyed despite the rain.

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