Glamorgan House

Barry Island Pleasure Park is an amusement park on the coast of the Vale of Glamorgan, about 10 miles south west of Cardiff. It sits opposite the sandy beachfront and has fairground rides, games and stalls, and food outlets. Rides range from high-energy thrill rides to classic ones the whole family can share, and you pay for what you ride using tokens.

National Museum Cardiff is Wales's national museum of art and natural history, housed in a grand building in the civic centre of Cathays Park. Admission is free, kept so by Welsh Government funding, though some exhibitions, events and activities may be charged for.

Tip: Book a free day ticket in advance to get key visit information and updates. There is a car park behind the museum off Museum Avenue, or Cathays station is about a 5 minute walk.

Castell Coch, Welsh for "red castle", is a 19th-century Gothic Revival castle above the village of Tongwynlais. Its conical-roofed towers rise out of the ancient beech woods of Fforest Fawr, and it has often been voted a favourite building in Wales. The architect William Burges rebuilt it for the third Marquess of Bute on the remains of a 13th-century fortress built by Gilbert de Clare.

Tip: The castle car park is free during site opening hours, and booking online saves 5% on tickets. Check Cadw's visitor notice for conservation work first.

Caerphilly Castle is the largest castle in Wales and the second-largest in the UK. Gilbert de Clare began it in 1268, and its concentric rings of walls, large twin-towered gatehouses and wide artificial lakes inspired Edward I's castles in North Wales. Historian Allen Brown called its water defences "the most elaborate water defences in all Britain".

St Fagans Castle is an Elizabethan mansion in Cardiff, built around 1580 in the shape of an 'E'. It gets its name from the Norman motte and bailey castle that once stood here, and part of the medieval boundary wall still surrounds the house. The house is Grade I listed and sits in the grounds of St Fagans National Museum of History.

Tip: The first floor has been temporarily closed to visitors, so check which parts of the castle are open before you go.

Techniquest is a science discovery centre in Cardiff Bay, built around a hands-on approach to science. The exhibition space has over 100 interactive exhibits, and there is also a science theatre and a planetarium. The building was the UK's first purpose-built science discovery centre, and the steel framework of the original building can still be seen.

Tip: Capacity is limited, so book ahead online, even if you have an Annual Pass.

Insole Court is a Victorian Gothic mansion in Llandaff, Cardiff, built for the coal-mining businessman James Harvey Insole. It was later remodelled in a Gothic Revival style reminiscent of William Burges's work at Cardiff Castle, and it has a neo-Gothic tower that once held a smoking room right at the top.

Tip: Ring 029 2116 7920 before you go to check which rooms are available and whether the house is closed on your day.

This landmark in Cardiff Bay was built in 1868 as a church and base for Norwegian sailors, when Cardiff's docks were among the world's biggest coal exporters. It was later dismantled, preserved and rebuilt on its current site, and now works as an arts centre with a gallery and regular exhibitions and events. Roald Dahl was baptised here, and the Dahl Gallery room commemorates him.

Tip: Opening hours can vary with private events and weather, so ring ahead to confirm before you travel.