Things to do in Cardiff
This by all means is not going to be an exhaustive list. Cardiff, although a small city, still has a huge number of things to do. If you find yourself with a friend or parents to entertain for the weekend, these are just a few things which might help out. You can of course eat and shop on the high street in any city, and although Cardiff is a fairly young capital, it does have a collection of quirky Victorian shopping arcades to explore. Having a car may help to reach some of the other attractions.
Things to do and places to go in Cardiff
Shopping
OK, so shopping seems rather obvious but how many visitors have a factory outlet like Bridgend Factory Outlet McArthur Glen near their home town? You can find it at junction 36 on the M4, about 20 minutes outside Cardiff. There is Ikea in Grangetown, the efficient Swedish furniture store which casts a mysterious spell over anyone who enters, forcing them to come back again and again for £9.99 bookshelves and £1.99 packets of smoked salmon. Also the five Victorian shopping arcades in the city centre filled with quirky shops (such as the Apple Centre).
Tourist sights and attractions
We won't mention too many of these here because there are a hundred other websites suggesting what you can do in Cardiff and Wales. I'll mention a few like fairy tale Castell Coch just up the A470 out of Cardiff, Cardiff Castle, Cardiff Bay (although I can't work out what the attraction is - go and see how much has been spent on doing up the Bay and putting up sculptures and water features. But the only thing you can really do there is eat at one of many restaurants). In the Bay is also the Senedd, home of the National Assembly for Wales, the Millennium Centre, and the Norwegian Church Arts Centre.
There is the National Museum and Gallery, the architecture of Cathays Park (this spring there are peregrine falcons nesting on the City Hall and ravens on the University main building), Chapter Arts Centre in Canton, Roath Park with it's lake, boats and visiting birds (including great crested grebes for the bird watchers) and Bute Park next to Cardiff Castle. The arboretum looks good in spring and autumn if you fancy a walk through it. Llandaff Cathedral and the National Museum of Welsh Life (St Fagan's) are in the North and West of the city respectively.
Cadw website - responsible for looking after many of Wales' historic buildings, ancient monuments, historic parks and gardens, landscapes and underwater archaeology. Lots of castles!
National Museum Wales website - you can find details of venues such as St. Fagans, one of the most popular attractions in Wales, and the National Museum and Gallery.
Cinemas
Odeon - UCI Cardiff, Red Dragon Centre, Hemingway Road, Cardiff, CF10 4JY, 0871 22 44 007
Cineworld - Mary Ann Street, Cardiff, CF10, 0871 200 2000
Vue - Millennium Plaza, Wood Street, Cardiff, CF10 1LA, 08712 240 240
Away days
Many, many places to visit within easy distance of Cardiff. Again, there are a great many websites to show these. The Gower Penninsula, Brecon, the Roman ruins at Caerleon, the show caves at Dan-yr-Ogof, Caerphilly Castle, Oxwich Bay in the Vale of Glamorgan (voted the best beach in the UK), the market towns of Abergavenny and Crickhowell (both reachable by public transport), the National Botanic Garden of Wales (fair way from Cardiff though), the pier at Penarth (someone else's suggestion), Raglan Castle on the A449, Ogmore by Sea, the source of the Taf. The enormous car showrooms at junction 24 by Newport. The list is endless.
Visit Wales might give you a few more ideas of things to do.