Outside Yr Hen Lyfrgell

Yr Hen Lyfrgell

Cardiff


Croeso (welcome) to a bastion of the Welsh language in the overwhelmingly English-speaking capital. Cardiff's beautiful Old Library has been converted into a showcase for all things Cymraeg, with an excellent gift shop, a cafe and Welsh-language lessons. Everyone's welcome, even if the only Welsh you can muster is a timid bore da (good morning). While you're here, check out the gorgeous Victorian tiles lining the library's original entrance and call into the Cardiff Story museum.

There's also a left-luggage desk (each piece £5 to £10 per day, collection by 3.30pm the following day).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cardiff attractions

1. Cardiff Story

This excellent little museum uses interactive displays, free audio guides, video footage and everyday objects to tell the story of Cardiff’s…

2. St John the Baptist Church

0.06 MILES

A graceful Gothic tower rises from this 15th-century church, its delicate stonework looking almost like filigree. Along with the castle keep, this is one…

3. Cardiff Castle

0.19 MILES

There's a medieval keep at its heart, but it's the later additions to Cardiff Castle that really capture the imagination. In Victorian times, extravagant…

4. Principality Stadium

0.26 MILES

Also known as Millennium Stadium ('Principality' is the current naming-rights sponsor), this spectacular venue squats like a stranded spaceship on the…

5. Animal Wall

0.29 MILES

This section of wall on Bute Park's southern edge is topped with stone figures of lions, seals, bears and other creatures. In the 1930s they were the…

6. Gorsedd Stones

0.32 MILES

This stone circle was erected in 1978 when Cardiff hosted the National Eisteddfod. Such so-called gorsedd stones are found all over Wales where…

7. Bute Park

0.32 MILES

Flanked by the castle and the River Taff, Bute Park was donated to the city along with the castle in 1947. With Sophia Gardens, Pontcanna Fields and…

8. National Museum Cardiff

0.4 MILES

Devoted mainly to natural history and art, this grand neoclassical building is the centrepiece of the seven institutions dotted around the country that…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "wales/cardiff-caerdydd/attractions/yr-hen-lyfrgell/a/poi-sig/1537699/360956",
      "destination": "Cardiff",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Wales",
      "city": "Cardiff",
      "position": "superzone"
    }