Places to visit around Merthyr Tydfil, from Morlais Castle
With nothing inside Merthyr Tydfil’s built-up area, the list has 5 places within 5 km of its edge. The mix takes in 2 museums, a castle and a heritage railway. Day-trippers head 23 km out to Caerphilly Castle.
The best known around Merthyr Tydfil
Behind Morlais Castle on the list are 2 museums, a heritage railway and an attraction.
CastleMorlais Castle1 km outside town, to the northHeritage railwayHeritage railwayBrecon Mountain Railway3.7 km outside town, to the northMuseumMuseumCyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery200 m outside town, to the westMuseumMuseumCynon Valley Museum & Gallery3.6 km outside town, to the southwestAttractionAttractionPontsarn Viaduct1 km outside town, to the northEach has a page of its own: what it is, who runs it, the weather month by month and what else is near it.
Where things are
The map puts most of the 5 to the north.
The dashed line is Merthyr Tydfil’s built-up area; orange marks its middle (where most people live). Numbers match the list below. © OpenStreetMap contributors · ONS built-up area 2022
How the list breaks down
The list holds 2 museums, a castle and a heritage railway.
Green: inside Merthyr Tydfil. Grey: within 5 km of its edge.
Each place in turn
Here are the 5 places within 5 km of its edge.
Brecon Mountain Railway
Narrow gauge tourist railway on the south side of the Brecon Beacons.
Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery
Museum in Merthyr Tydfil.
Cynon Valley Museum & Gallery
Museum in Aberdare, Wales, United Kingdom.
Close and well known first. Churches and listed buildings are on the History page, not here.
128 listed buildings and 7 scheduled monuments are on Merthyr Tydfil’s History page → · Parks, footpaths and green space in Merthyr Tydfil →
Further out, the best known
Caerphilly Castle, at 23 km, heads the 12 day trips.
MuseumNational Museum Cardiff33 km southeast · 373K visitors a year
CastleCardiff Castle33 km southeast
Castle · CadwCastell Coch26 km south
CathedralLlandaff Cathedral31 km south
Big drawMuseumSt Fagans Museum Visitor Centre31 km south · 610K visitors a year
CathedralBrecon Cathedral22 km north
Castle · CadwRaglan Castle37 km east
CathedralCardiff Metropolitan Cathedral34 km southeast
Castle · CadwCastell Coety29 km southwest
Castle · CadwY Castell Newydd31 km southwest
Castle · CadwCarreg Cennen Castle40 km westPlaces well known beyond Merthyr Tydfil (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.
Questions before you go to Merthyr Tydfil
What is there to see near Merthyr Tydfil?
No attraction is mapped inside Merthyr Tydfil itself. Within 5 km of it are Morlais Castle, Brecon Mountain Railway, Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery and Cynon Valley Museum & Gallery.
Does Merthyr Tydfil have a museum?
2 museums and galleries are in or within 5 km of Merthyr Tydfil: Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery and Cynon Valley Museum & Gallery.
Is there a National Trust or English Heritage property near Merthyr Tydfil?
None within 5 km. The nearest well-known one on our list is Caerphilly Castle (Cadw), 23 km southeast.
What are the best-known days out near Merthyr Tydfil?
Within 40 km: Caerphilly Castle (23 km), National Museum Cardiff (33 km), Cardiff Castle (33 km), Castell Coch (26 km).
Where are Merthyr Tydfil’s historic buildings listed?
Merthyr Tydfil has 128 listed buildings. 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 Merthyr Tydfil 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 (12)
- Morlais Castle: Gibbinskaren, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- National Museum Cardiff: Ham II, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cardiff Castle: Tevfik Teker, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castell Coch: Hchc2009, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Llandaff Cathedral: Bill Boaden, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- St Fagans Museum Visitor Centre: Sionk, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Brecon Cathedral: David Merrett from Daventry, England, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Raglan Castle: Tyssil, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral: Ham II, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Castell Coety: kenneth rees, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Y Castell Newydd: Alan Hughes, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Carreg Cennen Castle: Nigel Davies, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
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