The glass roof and iron gallery
One Victorian hall from 1891 under glass and iron, with a wrought-iron balcony running round the walls; look up, this is the point of the visit.
The spot where you now buy a warm Welsh cake at the St Mary Street entrance is where the old town gaol kept its gallows. Cardiff Market went up in 1891 on the prison site, and a small plaque by the entrance recalls that Dic Penderyn, the labourer hanged here in August 1831 who became a Welsh folk hero, died on roughly this patch of pavement. Nothing about the cheerful hall today hints at it, which is part of the place's odd charm. What you get is a single great Victorian hall under a glass-and-iron roof, designed by the borough surveyor William Harpur and listed Grade II* since 1975. The ground floor is a grid of stalls; a wrought-iron balcony runs right round the walls, reached by narrow stairs; and an H. Samuel clock has hung over the central aisle since 1910 (the present one dates from 1963). Look up. The roof and the gallery are the real reason to come, more than anything for sale beneath them. This is where Cardiff buys its vegetables, meat and fish, not a bazaar staged for tourists, and that is precisely its merit. Around sixty independent traders: Ashton's the fishmonger, who claim to have been here since 1866, a bakery griddling Welsh cakes in front of you, a few street-food counters, second-hand records, hardware, haberdashery, phone repairs and a small cafe or two. A full circuit takes half an hour, an hour at most; the ground floor is flat and fine for pushchairs, the balcony is not. Halal food inside is limited, so stick to cakes, fruit and coffee and eat properly in the city centre afterwards. A roughly £6.5m restoration has been under way since summer 2024, covering the roof, the original windows, both entrances, the clock and a new 70-seat eating area, with works expected to run into 2026; the market stays open throughout, so expect some scaffolding. Entry is free, Monday to Saturday from 08:00 to 17:00, closed Sunday, and it pays to arrive before 16:00 as many stalls start packing up early. The castle is two minutes' walk, Cardiff Central station about seven. Best folded into a wander through the neighbouring Victorian arcades on a wet day, of which Cardiff has plenty.
One Victorian hall from 1891 under glass and iron, with a wrought-iron balcony running round the walls; look up, this is the point of the visit.
A bakery griddles Welsh cakes while you watch and hands them over warm, the cheapest and best souvenir Cardiff offers.
A clock has hung over the central aisle since 1910, and the St Mary Street entrance stands where the old gaol, on whose site the market was built, kept its gallows.
St Mary Street, Cardiff city centre CF10 1AU
Not a dedicated trip; treat it as a half-hour stop bundled with the castle and the Victorian arcades next door. The architecture is lovely and the atmosphere honestly local, but the goods are everyday and you will not find the antiques or crafts of London's big markets. With children it is good for the ground floor and a hot Welsh cake, nothing more.
Little. The market is mostly produce, fish, non-halal butchers and snacks, and the few street-food counters do not advertise halal status, so stick to Welsh cakes, fruit and coffee here and have your meal at the city-centre restaurants around St Mary Street and the castle, where several halal options exist.