Cardiff Private Dark History Tour

The Cardiff Dark Side Tour shows you the other side of the Welsh capital. Cardiff is a city renowned for its castle and its rugby stadium, built on the success of the Bute family and the coal exporting industry. However, it has a darker edge that one doesn't see today, one of hangings, executions, graveyards and disease, for example. Even the most innocuous locations of central Cardiff that we walk by every day may have been the location of execution or slum.

1. 1

   Stop 1

   20 min

   We start in the middle of modern Cardiff's most central street. Today an upmarket shopping area, but historically Cardiff's infamous housing courts spread out from this street, as with them came disease.

2. 2

   Stop 2

   15 min

   While a major department store today, the site has historically been the location of a chapel, as well as an execution site.

3. 3

   Cardiff Market

   15 min

   Cardiff Central Market is the heart and soul of daily city life today. There's a long history of markets in Cardiff, but the current incarnation infamous for more than it seems.

4. 4

   Stop 4

   30 min

   Womanby is a rare example of a norse-named street in the Welsh Capital, so it dates back up to 1,000 years. In that time this street has been synonymous with immigration, prostitution, crime and slums.

5. 5

   Cardiff Castle

   20 min

   Cardiff Castle is the centrepiece of the city and the oldest building in Cardiff. It serves as both the most haunted building in the city as well as previously serving as the main prison in the town.

6. 6

   St John's Church

   20 min

   Cardiff's second oldest building, it has been a centrepiece of the town throughout its history, associated with hauntings, graveyards and much more.

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.