Newport

Located in the south-east of Wales, Newport is Wales’s newest city, having gained city status in 2003. It has a long history, dating back some 2000 years to early celtic settlement. The city’s Welsh name is Casnewydd or Casnewydd-ar-Wysg (New castle on the (river) Usk) in its full form. The castle is now a ruin on the banks of the Usk.

The city is in the middle of a major redevelopment in time to host golf’s Ryder Cup in 2010. The bi-annual golfing contest between Europe and the USA, the biggest event in the sport, will take place on a purpose-built course at the Celtic Manor Resort, on the outskirts of the city. This is also home the annual Wales Open golf championships.

Nearby Caerleon has some of the most extensive Roman remains found in northern Europe and the National Roman Legion Museum (website: http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/caerleon/)

Cardiff

Wales’s Capital city, Cardiff is also in the south-east of the country, on the coast of the estuary of the river Severn. The city itself sits at the confluence of 3 smaller rivers, the Rhymney, the Ely and the Taf. It is the largest city in Wales with a population of around 309,000.

People have lived in what is now Cardiff since prehistory, but the settlement of Cardiff itself has Roman origins. When the Romans arrived in Wales, they built a fort at the lowest point that the River Taf could be forded around which a small settlement grew. After the Romans left, the fort fell into ruins and Irish and Viking raiders raided the coast of south Wales. Around 500 years after the Romans departed, as the Normans began their conquest of Wales, they also recognised the strategic importance of the site and built a castle on the site of the Roman fort. Cardiff and its castle were largely destroyed by the Welsh rebel Owain Glynd?r in 1404, and for the following few centuries, Cardiff was a small fishing port arrayed around the decaying castle until the industrial revolution changed the town of Cardiff’s fortunes.

The late 18th century saw the building of a canal connecting Cardiff to the coal mining areas of the South Wales valleys, just to the north of Cardiff. The building of docks and railways in the 19th century saw a huge expansion of the town to become a city, as the port of Cardiff was used to export, firstly iron, and then coal mined from beneath the valleys overseas. Cardiff became the biggest coal exporting port in the world, and the trade paid for the restoration of the castle and the construction of the fine civic buildings of the civic centre; Cardiff City Hall, the National Museum of Wales and Cardiff University. Cardiff officially became a city in 1905. After World War II, the coal export trade wound down and the city began to re-invent itself.

Cardiff was recognised as Wales’s capital city in 1955, beating competition from Aberystwyth and Caernarfon. The National Assembly for Wales was established here in 1999. The regeneration of the old docks in Cardiff Bay as an exciting waterfront development and the construction of such buildings the Millennium Stadium, the Wales Millennium Centre and the new National Assembly debating chamber have given the city a self-confidence that belies its size. It now has the attitude and outlook of a modern European capital city and is still growing.

Swansea

Most famous as the birthplace of Wales’s most internationally renowned writer, Dylan Thomas, Swansea is a city by the sea. Situated on the broad sweep of Swansea Bay, and adjacent to the beautiful Gower peninsula, Swansea has much to offer as a tourist destination. Granted city status in 1969, it is Wales second city.

Swansea is home to the ational Waterfront Museum, a ￡30 million visitor attraction that pushes the boundaries of technology in an interactive interpretation of Wales's industry and innovation. 15 exciting themed display areas include a showcase for new technologies in science, manufacturing and medicine - including ground breaking Welsh inventions. With high impact graphics and interactive opportunities throughout the displays, this is a must-see attraction! This new landmark building is a fusion of Welsh slate, glass and steel with a canopied street of cafes and shops overlooking the marina waterfront. What's more, it's only a stone's throw away from Swansea Museum, the oldest museum in Wales.

Swansea’s waterfront is currently in the middle of an exciting redevelopment that will be home to a host of new office and residential properties including Wales’s tallest building.

Aberystwyth

The largest town and “capital” of mid Wales, Aberystwyth is a summer seaside resort and a bustling university town, as well as being home to the National Library of Wales.

Evidence of Aberystwyth’s ancient history is found at the nearby Pen-Dinas fort. This massive iron age structure is over 2000 years old and commands great views over the town. Aberystwyth, in common with many Welsh towns , has a ruined castle dating from the 12th century.

The National Library of Wales, founded in 1907 is where many of the greatest literary treasures of Wales and the other Celtic countries are securely stored. Including the illuminated "Black Book of Carmarthen", the oldest surviving manuscript written in the Welsh language.

A worthwhile detour would be inland towards Devil's Bridge, situated high in the foothills of the Pumlumon mountain range, twelve miles east of Aberystwyth. The village has three claims to fame: the three bridges, the great little narrow gauge steam railway that climbs through the verdant Vale of Rheidol from Aberystwyth, and the cascading waterfalls of the river Mynach.

http://www.wonderful-wales.co.uk/places.htm