Swansea: Getting there & around

Wales has an international airport at Cardiff, but Air Wales, about 8km (5mi) west of Swansea, has direct flights to/from Amsterdam, Dublin and London. To get to the airport by car follow the A483 then A4118. Bus 18 to Parkmill stops at the airport Monday to Saturday, and Bus 48 will take you there on Sunday.

By sea, Swansea Cork Ferries sail to/from Cork in Ireland several times a week. The terminus is across the River Tawe.

There are several bus services. First does the 1hr Cardiff-Swansea Shuttle each day, while National Express bus 201 goes direct to/from Heathrow (4.5hr) and Gatwick (5.5hr). There are no border controls between England and Wales. However, if you're driving to South Wales on the M4 motorway you'll have to pay a toll as you enter the country over the Severn Bridge (but it's free to leave!) Trains from Swansea run via Cardiff (1hr) on the main line to Paddington (3hr). Swansea is the southern terminus for the gorgeous Heart of Wales line, which runs across the Gower, skirts the Brecon Beacons and crosses southern Mid-Wales passing through Llandeilo, Llandovery and Llanwrtyd.

The compact city centre clusters around Castle Sq and the pedestrianised Oxford St on the west bank of the River Tawe, with the redeveloped docklands of the Maritime Quarter to its southeast.

The bus station and neighbouring tourist office are on the western edge of the city centre, next to the Quadrant shopping centre. The train station is 600m north of Castle Sq along Castle St and High St.

Swansea Cycle Centre (ph 0792 655 440) hires out bikes. If you want a car, Avis and Europcar have local offices. For bus travel, First Cymru has daily services between Swansea and Oystermouth stations. During the summer, the Swansea Bay Rider, a toytown-train, runs between Swansea and the Mumbles.