National Museum Cardiff

National Museum Cardiff occupies an Edwardian building in Cathays Park, displaying art collections, natural history specimens, and archaeological finds from Wales. The galleries span several floors with large rooms for paintings, fossils, and objects dating back to the Bronze Age.

Construction began in 1912, but the First World War delayed completion until the official opening in 1922. The building became the primary cultural institution of Wales, housing the national collections ever since.

The second floor houses French Impressionist paintings by Monet, Renoir, and Cézanne alongside portraits by Welsh artists from the 18th century. Visitors walk through natural history rooms displaying taxidermied animals native to Wales, including seabirds and mammals once common along the coast.

The museum sits near Cardiff Castle and opens Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM with free admission. All floors have wheelchair access, and cloakrooms are located on the ground floor.

The Evolution of Wales exhibit displays geological specimens covering 4.6 billion years, from the Big Bang through the formation of the Welsh landscape. A large ground floor hall presents skeletons of prehistoric sea creatures that once swam in the oceans above present-day Wales.

Location: Cardiff

Location: Castle

Inception: 1912

Official opening: 1922

Elevation above the sea: 13.8 m

Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Operator: National Museum Wales

Part of: Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales

Address: Cathays Park

Opening Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10:00-17:00

Phone: +443001112333

Email: cardiff@museumwales.ac.uk

Website: https://museum.wales/cardiff

GPS coordinates: 51.48558,-3.17713

Latest update: December 5, 2025 22:27