Swansea, Wales' City by the Sea and birthplace of Dylan Thomas and Catherine Zeta Jones, is a lively and vibrant maritime city and regional shopping centre. The City of Swansea is well known for its energetic nightlife with a wide range of clubs, bars and restaurants to suit every age and taste. The Wind Street area has become the modern café quarter by day, and by night, is the liveliest street in the city!
Swansea has the largest indoor market in Wales where you can sample and buy many of the local delicacies such as cockles and laverbread, and of course, traditional Welsh cakes. Locally caught fresh fish can also be bought along with local souvenirs including Welsh ladies, rugby shirts and lovespoons. Other indoor attractions include a state of the art casino, a variety of theatres and cinemas and the Parc Tawe leisure complex with the ten-pin bowling arena and tropical hot house Plantasia.
The city has an award winning Marina and Maritime Quarter, which is home to the new National Waterfront Museum, a £30 million attraction which pushes the boundaries of technology in an interactive interpretation of Wales' industry and innovation. 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 in Wales!
Swansea also has top-of-the-range sporting facilities such as the Wales National Pool, Wales' only Olympic size swimming pool, and the fantastic new Liberty Stadium, a 20,000 seat venue home of Swansea City Football Club and the Neath - Swansea Ospreys Rugby Team. This city by the sea also lends itself well to all manner of outdoor activities and water sports and is a fantastic base from which to visit the many and varied golf courses in the South Wales area.
For those looking to escape the city, the Victorian resort of Mumbles is only a stones throw away and offers a fantastic array of attractions, including a pier, traditional boutiques, craft shops and ice-cream parlours. Mumbles is known as the 'Gateway to Gower', Britain's first Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Gower Peninsula extends West of Mumbles in a succession of stunning coastal and rural sceneries. To the East, the 'Waterfall Country' at Afan and the Vale of Neath is a haven for walkers and bikers alike.
