Discover the Story of Wales
Map
Itineraries
Cymraeg
At National Museum Cardiff, see magnificent paintings, drawings, sculpture, silver and ceramics from Wales and across the world, including one of Europe’s best collections of Impressionist art. From Old Masters to contemporary art, you’re sure to find something to inspire you.
Cardiff Castle is one of Wales’ leading heritage attractions and a site of international significance. Located at the heart of the capital, within beautiful parklands, the Castle has nearly 2,000 years of history just waiting to be explored. Take a tour of the 19th century castle apartments to discover a Gothic Revival fantasy, created by the art-architect William Burges for the ultra-rich Third Marquess of Bute.
Chapter Arts Centre is a thriving venue in the Canton area of Cardiff, offering contemporary art in its gallery spaces, live performance, cinema and a bustling bar and café.
Ffotogallery situated at the heart of the city's cultural life, is the national photography agency for Wales with exhibitions and events in the gallery and projects elsewhere.
Regularly voted by the public as their favourite building in Wales - Castell Coch (the ‘Red Castle) , rises up from the ancient beech woods like a vision from a fairy tale. Its great towers with their unmistakable conical roofs only hint at the splendour within and the castle is a masterpiece in itself with highly decorated interiors and rich furnishings
Newport Museum and Art Gallery displays the story of Newport from prehistoric times to the 20th Century and temporary exhibitions always offer something new to explore.
Less than a mile to the east of Cardiff lies Gallery 39 – a gallery run by artists to display and promote contemporary visual arts.
Swansea Museum is the oldest museum in Wales and a fascinating treasure house of Swansea’s history. The collections contain all kinds of objects from an Egyptian mummy to a Welsh kitchen, displayed in six galleries. There are also many changing temporary exhibitions each year and the Museum is part of Art UK - a joint initiative between the BBC and other organisations and participating collections and museums from across the UK.
Glyn Vivian Art Gallery Founded in 1911, this handsome Edwardian gallery offers a broad range of visual arts from the original bequest of Richard Glynn Vivian (1835–1910) to art of the 21st century. In 1854, Richard Glynn Vivian inherited his share in the family’s famous Swansea copper works.
The Mission Gallery in Swansea is a small gallery that is packed with gorgeous treasures and stunning artwork and a designer-maker selling space. Full of Welsh/British artisans’ work. Affordable art, jewellery, accessories, homewares, books and gifts.
Cynon Valley Museum and Gallery has a unique and unrivalled collection telling the story of the Cynon Valley from prehistory to today. There are also two galleries which host regularly changing exhibitions, ranging from local artists' work to displays debating contemporary issues. There is a fantastic shop selling local artwork and products, and a cafe with a range of refreshments.
Looking further afield, why not head for Oriel y Parc Landscape Gallery And Visitor Centre at St Davids. Oriel y Parc is a unique collaboration between Amgueddfa Cymru and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority, in which services for visitors are joined by displays from the national collections to celebrate the landscape often featuring the work of Graham Sutherland.
www.pembrokeshirecoast.wales/oriel-y-parc
There’s a wealth of artworks located at Penrhyn Castle, Bangor including Rembrandt’s ‘Catrina Hooghsaet’ and Henry Hawkins’s ‘The Penrhyn Slate Quarry’.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/penrhyn-castle
Also in Bangor, take a trip to Storiel – a museum and art gallery housing a unique local collection and a changing programme of exhibitions.
At Plas Newydd on Anglesey - marvel at Rex Whistler’s magnificent mural masterpiece which tells the story of the unrequited love of a contractor and the Marquess’s daughter, woven into the colossal canvas. The painting's imagined setting of mountains, harbours, towns and people gives you an insight into a bygone era.
www.nationaltrust.org.uk/plas-newydd-country-house-and-gardens
Oriel Mon in Llangefni, is a museum and arts centre providing an introduction to the island's history and culture. The arts centre’s permanent collection includes works by a variety of much-loved Welsh artists including Charles F. Tunnicliffe and Sir Kyffin Williams.
In Llanrwst in the Conwy Valley - visit beautiful Oriel Ffin y Parc Gallery - a modern gallery established in 2010 which has quickly grown to become one of the most successful art galleries in Wales. Artists are diverse in their styles and subjects but share strong Welsh roots and connections and the site hosts twelve exhibitions a year.
The Royal Cambrian Academy, Conwy is a unique institution in Wales, an independent charity supporting Welsh art and artists, where art is encouraged, made, exhibited and debated. Work is exhibited and sold at the Gallery, and up-and-coming artists of quality are promoted. The Academy also mounts historical exhibitions and offers a lively venue for education, groups and classes.
Plas Glyn y Weddw at Llanbedrog was built in 1857 and an art gallery was established in the house in 1896. Today the gallery hosts exhibitions of local artists – wander through the beautiful house at leisure to see them.
