What to see in Cardigan, from Cardigan Castle on
Cardigan and its surroundings hold 2 castles, 2 museums and 2 attractions. Look within 5 km of its edge and the list grows by 4 beyond the 4 inside Cardigan’s built-up area. 2 of the places on the list are maintained by Cadw. Inside 1 km of the middle lie 4 of the places on the list. Beyond the town, the best known is Castell Henllys, 9.8 km off.
What Cardigan is known for
Then come an art gallery, a museum and an attraction, behind Cardigan Castle.
CastleCardigan Castlein townArt galleryArt galleryVlad-Art Galleryin townMuseumMuseumCastle Green Housein townAttractionAttractionRussian Cannonin town
Castle · CadwCastell Cilgerran / Cilgeran Castle2.6 km outside town, to the southeast
Abbey or priory · CadwSt Dogmaels Abbey700 m outside town, to the westEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
The lie of the land
On the map, most of the 4 sit to the southeast.
The dashed line is Cardigan’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
What is on offer
3 are castles or historic places; museums or galleries come next with 3.
Green: inside Cardigan. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
2 places are cared for by Cadw (Castell Cilgerran / Cilgeran Castle and St Dogmaels Abbey).
The places, one by one
It starts in town with 4 places and goes on to 4 within 5 km of its edge.
The 4 inside Cardigan come first, best known first; then the places within 5 km, close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
95 listed buildings and 3 scheduled monuments are on Cardigan’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Cardigan →
Beyond the town
Castell Henllys, at 9.8 km, heads the 12.
CastleCastell Newydd Emlyn14 km east
Castle · CadwCastell Talacharn38 km south
Castle · CadwCastell Llanhuadain31 km south
FortFoel Drygarn13 km south
MuseumAmgueddfa Wlân Cymru19 km east
Castle · CadwCastell Cas-wis32 km southwest
CastleCarmarthen Castle35 km southeast
MuseumAmgueddfa Sir Gâr - Carmarthenshire Museum36 km southeast · 13K visitors a year
CastlePicton Castle37 km southwest
MuseumPendine Museum of Speed39 km south · 34K visitors a year
Heritage railwayTeifi Valley Railway18 km eastPlaces well known beyond Cardigan (Wikipedia articles in several languages, published visitor counts, or a National Trust, English Heritage or Cadw property), close and famous first. Distances are straight lines from the middle of the town.
Common questions about Cardigan
What are the main attractions in Cardigan?
The best known inside Cardigan’s built-up area are Cardigan Castle, Vlad-Art Gallery, Castle Green House and Russian Cannon. In all, 4 places to visit are mapped inside the town, and 4 more within 5 km.
Does Cardigan have a museum?
3 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Cardigan: Vlad-Art Gallery, Castle Green House and Tom Mathias Museum.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Cardigan?
Yes. In or within 5 km of Cardigan, 2 places are cared for by Cadw (Castell Cilgerran / Cilgeran Castle and St Dogmaels Abbey).
What are the best-known days out near Cardigan?
Within 40 km: Castell Henllys (9.8 km), Castell Newydd Emlyn (14 km), Castell Talacharn (38 km), Castell Llanhuadain (31 km).
Where are Cardigan’s historic buildings listed?
Cardigan has 95 listed buildings, 1 of them Grade I. They are on its History page, from Cadw’s list, not repeated here.
How is this list made?
From OpenStreetMap (museums, galleries, zoos, theme parks and attractions, castles, forts and abbeys, and historic houses and gardens that are open to visitors) and Wikidata (what each place is, who runs it, its website and visitor counts). A place counts for Cardigan when it is inside the ONS 2022 built-up area, and as nearby within 5 km of its edge. Opening times and prices are not shown: check the official site.
Places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, Open Database Licence) and Wikidata (CC0), placed in the ONS 2022 built-up area (Open Government Licence v3.0). Visitor counts are the latest Wikidata gives, with their year.
Photos: each place’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (14)
- Cardigan Castle: Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castell Cilgerran / Cilgeran Castle: Waterborough, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Dogmaels Abbey: Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castell Newydd Emlyn: Steve Chapple, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castell Talacharn: Garth Newton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castell Llanhuadain: Liamohara at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, Wikimedia Commons
- Foel Drygarn: Dave Price, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Amgueddfa Wlân Cymru: David Gearing, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castell Cas-wis: Lucy Sheers, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carmarthen Castle: Llywelyn2000, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Amgueddfa Sir Gâr - Carmarthenshire Museum: Nilfanion, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Picton Castle: Morris, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Pendine Museum of Speed: Humphrey Bolton, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Teifi Valley Railway: mattbuck (category), CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.