Swansea

Swansea (Welsh: Abertawe) is a city on Wales's south coast.

Understand

Swansea is Wales' second largest city, with a population of over 250,000. During medieval times, Swansea was a prosperous market town, and later it gained a certain prominence as a spa resort. It was during the industrial revolution, however, that the city flourished and its population grew. The city was also home to the world's first passenger railway, the Mumbles Train, which bumped and bounced along five miles of Swansea foreshore, linking the city center with the suburb of Mumbles. Much of the city's architectural heritage was lost through war time bombing. However, the abundance of parks, stunning coastal scenery, varied cultural events and wide sandy beaches have preserved Swansea's place as a major tourist destination.

Famous faces

Swansea's rich and diverse history has created a city of character and depth, and this has proved to be very fertile ground for producing well known personalities. In the literary world, Dylan Thomas is Swansea's most famous son, and inscriptions of his verse can been seen throughout the city. The actress Catherine Zeta-Jones was also born and raised here, and maintains close links with the city, and the singer Bonnie Tyler, who produced a number of hits, is also a Swansea girl and still lives in the city. Sir Harry Seacombe, who entertained the country for decades, hails from Swansea's East Side, and also in the entertainment world, the TV film producer Russel T. Davies has his roots in the city, as does actor-turned singer Steve Balsamo. In the upper echelons of religion and politics, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, former deputy-prime minister, Sir Michael Heseltine, and current leader of the Conservative Party, Michael Howard, were all born in Swansea, while the city's most famous contribution to the sporting world was the soccer legend, John Charles - the gentle giant.

The city's most loved character, however, is undoubtedly Jack - the black retriever. During his seven years of life he rescued no less than twenty-seven people from drowning in the murky waters of Swansea docks, and there is a small memorial in honour of this little hero on the foreshore near the St. Helen's Stadium.

Get in

Swansea is served by a regional airport, a car ferry linking the city with Cork in Ireland, the M4 and express train and bus services to London and the Midlands.

Get around

Buses: Buses connecting all suburbs of Swansea and the Gower Peninsula depart from the Quadrant bus station. There are connecting links from Swansea train station.

Internet Cafes

• City Center: 1 Kingsway (corner of Kingsway and Princess Way).
• Uplands: 50 Uplands Crescent.

See

• The ruins of Swansea Castle
• The Dylan Thomas Centre, dedicated to the author and poet regarded as the city's greatest son (01792 463980).
• The Marina
• The Glyn Vivian Art Gallery, Mansel street (01792 655006).
• Swansea Museum, Marina (01792 653763).
• Plantasia, Parc Tawe (01792 474555) - hot house in the city, complete with three different climate zones and exotic butterflies.
• The former fishing village of Mumbles, at the western end of Swansea Bay. The quaint streets, a 12th century castle, fashionable boutiques and excellent restaurants make this suburb of Swansea a must-see destination. The promenade at Mumbles gives a great view over Swansea Bay.
• Rhossili beach at sunset - it is absolutely breathtaking. There is also an excellent National Trust gift shop located near the car park.
• Three Cliffs Bay, a great place to take a stroll through woods and watch the wild ponies galloping on the beach.

Do

• The calm waters of Swansea Bay are ideal for watersports.
• The rougher swell of Llangennith make this bay one of the premier surfing spots in the U.K.

Theater

• The Grand, Singleton Street - Swansea's main theater, with everything from pantomime to opera (01792 475715).
• The Taliesin, University Campus, Singleton Park - experimental (01792 296883).
• The Dylan Thomas Theater, Marina - home to the Swansea Little Theater group (01792 473238).
• The Dylan Thomas Centre, Marina - specializing in plays produced by the bard himself (01792 463980).

Learn

Swansea is home to two universities: University of Wales, Swansea, (which has over 10,000 students) and Swansea Institute, which incorporates the city's famous centre for study of stained glass design.

Buy

Welsh love spoons, carved in wood and traditionally given as gifts between lovers. Also woven cloth in traditional Welsh designs.

The Quadrant Centre and Oxford Street are the main shopping areas, but there is also the central market.

Books

New - Waterstones, Oxford Street & University; Borders, Parc Fforestfach Shopping Mall. Second Hand - Dylan's, King Edward Road; Dylan Thomas Centre, Marina - good selections of local poetry and history.

Eat

Wind Street for theme bars and quality international cuisine. Quality Chinese food on High Street and Princess Way. St.Helen's Road for take away and sit down Indian (also quality restaurants on Walter Road and off the Mumbles Road at Blackpill), Italian, Turkish and Indonesian. Cheap and excellent vegetarian on Cradock Street, off Kingsway Circle. The Environment Centre, Pier street, Marina offers cheap and excellent fair trade coffee and snacks.

Mumbles Road in Mumbles has a wide range of restaurants. Check out Verdi's on Mumbles sea front for great views over a cappuccino. A visit to Swansea, however, is never complete without a Joe's Italian, award-winning ice-cream - parlours on St. Helen's Road, near the Guildhall, and Mumbles Road, Mumbles.

Try Lava bread, a purée made from seaweed, rolled in oatmeal and lightly fried, served with breakfast. Available in cans and vacuum packed from Swansea market.

Drink

The city's main watering hole is on Wind Street (appropriately pronounced Wine), which is also the home to many of the city's best restaurants. The Kingsway is the centre of night life.

Sleep

There is a whole row of B&Bs on the sea-facing Oystermouth Road, and on Mumbles Road, Mumbles. The area's only youth hostel is located in Port Eyon, Gower (01792 391623).

Budget

• Dolphin, Whitewalls.
• Premier Lodge Hotel, Salubrious Place (off Wind Street).
• Beaumont Hotel, 72 Walter Road (01792 643956) .

Mid-range

• Grand, High Street (opposite Swansea Station).
• Holiday Inn, Kingsway Circle (080 4009078).
• Marriot, Marina (0870 4007282).
• Ramada Jarvis, Phoenix way, Enterprise Zone (01792 310330).

Splurge

• Morgan's, Adelaide Street (01792 484848).
• Fairyhill, Fairyhill, Gower (01792 390139).

Get out

Other places of interest in the Swansea area

• The entire Gower Peninsula, the first area in Britain to be designated an "area of outstanding natural beauty". The scenery is stunning.
• The wide sandy bays of Langland, Caswell and Oxwich are perfect for swimming and are popular with families with young children. Most of the bays are connected by cliff paths, and hikers can enjoy spectacular walks throughout the year.

External links

• Swansea Tourist Office
• Pictures of Swansea