Why go
Cardiff Market (Marchnad Caerdydd), also called Central Market, is the city’s indoor Victorian market and, as Visit Cardiff puts it, the beating heart of Cardiff. There has been a market here in one form or another since the 1700s, and it has stood on the same site for more than a century. Under one great glass roof, local independent traders sell everything from fresh fish and fruit and vegetables to traditional Welsh food, artisan coffee and street food, vintage clothing and second-hand records. It is free to wander, central and a good stop for lunch.
What to see
- Welsh cakes. Griddle-cooked fruit cakes made fresh at the market; Visit Cardiff says not to leave without one.
- Food stalls. Fresh fish, meat, bread and produce, plus street food and coffee for an easy lunch.
- Records, vintage and curiosities. Second-hand vinyl, vintage clothing and odd stalls, from pet shops to, according to Visit Cardiff, a psychic medium.
- The building. Look up at the glass roof and the old features that survive from the days when livestock was penned outside.
Plan your visit
The market is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 5pm and closed on Sundays; individual stalls keep their own hours, so the morning is the best time for fresh food. There are two entrances, one on St Mary Street and one on Trinity Street beside St John’s Church, where there are seats outside. It is a pedestrian area; Cardiff Central station and the bus interchange are a few minutes’ walk away.
Tickets
Free to enter.
Christmas
From Thursday 12 November to Wednesday 23 December 2026 the wooden stalls of the Cardiff Christmas Market line Trinity Street, St John Street, Working Street and Hills Street, right outside the market’s Trinity Street door.
Nearby
The Morgan and Royal arcades open off St Mary Street opposite, and Cardiff Castle is at the top of the street.