Weekend Guide to Swansea Bay

I recently had an amazing weekend thanks to Visit Swansea Bay and found that this beautiful Welsh, coastal city has all the ingredients for one awesome weekend! If you’re looking for a city break that combines adventure sports, incredible views, beaches, art, history, culture and fabulous foodie spots, then Swansea Bay is the weekend break for you! Here is a guide for everything you need to know to have one epic weekend in Swansea Bay.

How to get there

If you have a car and prefer a more scenic route, the journey is 4 hours from Manchester and 3 and half hours from London. There is ample parking pretty much everywhere you go too, either in the city centre or if you head into Mumbles for a drive down the coast.

If you don’t have a car or prefer to chill on the train, there are regular services (that take the same length of time as driving) from London Paddington Station and Manchester Piccadilly Station. There are no changes from these stations and the trains run every half an hour on week nights until 7pm and then every hour until 11pm after that. Sunday services are every hour and run until 8.30pm.

Where to stay

If you love to stay central to the action without breaking the bank when you travel (like me!), you will love the Dragon Hotel. It is around a 7 minute walk away from everything you could need during your stay…train station, city centre shopping, the museums and the waterpark. It’s also only a 7 minute walk away from the bus station where you will find regular services to take you into Mumbles, making it perfectly located.

Not only is it fabulously located but it is affordable and stylish, with prices starting from only £70 per night. The bright and spacious bedrooms include a big comfy bed, ensuite bathroom and complimentary toiletries, air-conditioning, flat screen TV, tea and coffee making facilities, large wardrobes and most importantly free wifi!

You can also add breakfast to your booking, which I highly recommend as it will really set you up for the day and caters for every breakfast type (even us veggies!), with everything from cereal and fresh fruit to fry ups and warm pastries.

If you plan on taking a little more for relaxation during your stay, the Dragon Hotel also has a brasserie with fine dining and a leisure club with an indoor pool, saunas, fitness centre and spa treatment rooms.  

What to do

There are endless things to do in Swansea Bay, from adventure activities like paddle boarding and indoor surfing to taking relaxing strolls along the coast and sampling delicious local food with a 360 view from Wales’ tallest tower. There is something for everyone in Swansea Bay and plenty to keep you occupied for the weekend. Check out my last post, 10 awesome things to do in Swansea Bay for my full list of recommendations on what to do and my weekend vlog for a behind the scenes look of everything I got up to ;)

Where to eat

Did you know that Swansea Bay is a secret foodie paradise? I know I didn’t! There are two lunch spots in particular that are must visits. The first is Verdi’s, which is a beautiful family run Italian cafe and ice cream parlour that looks out right onto Swansea Bay.

It has all your classic Italian favourites including pasta, pizza and gelato. I had a large, tasty portion of cheesy arrabbiata pasta with some ice cream for dessert. Try the Turkish Delight gelato, it’s to die for! It’s the perfect pit stop whilst exploring Mumbles or en route for a coastal walk along Bracelet Bay.

Another great lunch spot, which is an excellent choice whilst you are checking out some of Swansea’s museums and having a walk down by Swansea Marina is Cafe TwoCann. The cafe has a really warm and friendly vibe to it. With its exposed brick walls and marina views, it really is a wonderful place to eat, especially as it is a grade 2 listed building that was originally the docks grain store (which makes it even cooler!).

The food is also delicious and you can really taste the difference in the home cooked meals here made with fresh local ingredients. Their three course lunch is a real treat, I started with a spicy vegetable soup, a pesto pasta for my main and arguably the best (and most artistic) lemon meringue I’ve ever had. Let’s just take a moment for that lemon meringue…

If I lived in Swansea, I would definitely be making Cafe TwoCann my weekly brunch treat!

Have you ever been to Swansea Bay or would like to spend a weekend of adventure there? Let me know below :)

 

 

Disclaimer: I was invited by Visit Swansea Bay to review fun activities and restaurants for the weekend but as always my opinions are all my own and would only recommend activities and places I think you’ll love.