Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Swansea Tourist Information Centre,
Plym-
outh Street (
&
01792/468321;
www.visitswanseabay.com), is open year-round
Monday to Saturday 9:30am to 5:30pm. From Easter to September, it's also open
Sunday 10am to 4pm.
GETTING AROUND
Swansea has a good bus network, with buses leaving the
bus station at the Quadrant Shopping Centre. Bus nos. 4, X12, X13, 25, and 404 go
to the rail station. (Information:
&
0870/608-2608;
www.firstgroup.com).
Exploring the Area
The Maritime Quarter
on South Dock is where historic buildings have found new
glory, where yachts and old sailing ships bob happily, and where new apartments,
shops, restaurants, and coffee bars have produced a vibrant area between the sea and
the heart of town. The
National Waterfront Museum
(
&
01792/638950;
www.waterfrontmuseum.co.uk) is a state-of-the art building in which you could hap-
pily spend hours, a wonderful example of how a waterfront warehouse can be turned
into a contemporary treasure trove. It explores how industrialization shaped Wales
and the people who live here. Huge screens show what life used to be like, and there's
a big collection of industrial equipment such as mine trucks, engines, carriages, and
so forth. It is open daily 10am to 5pm, with free admission.
The
Dylan Thomas Centre,
Somerset Place (
&
01792/463980;
www.dylan
thomas.com), pays tribute to the poet who was born in the city with its free Man and
Myth exhibition. It sells four “Dylan Thomas Trails” (£1.50 each), which direct you
to his birthplace, at 5 Cwmdonkin Dr. (now available to rent:
&
01792/405331;
www.5cwmdonkindrive.com), as well as to spots farther afield. The center also holds
many literary events. It is open daily 10am to 4:30pm, and has an excellent shop,
cafe, and restaurant. The
Dylan Thomas Theatre,
Gloucester Place
(
&
01792/473238;
www.dylanthomastheatre.org.uk), is the modern home of
Swansea Little Theatre, with which Thomas performed in the 1930s. Panels in the
foyer tell his story.
Swansea Museum,
Victoria Road (
&
01792/653763;
www.
swansea.gov.uk), is irresistibly old-fashioned. It's the oldest public museum in Wales
with glass cabinets full of artifacts, an Egyptian mummy, and countless other objects.
The Tramshed
features Swansea's last double-decker street tram, and there are
boats (tug, lightship) in the dock behind. It's open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm,
with free admission.
Glynn Vivian Art Gallery
GALLERY This unknown gem contains the
work of 20th-century Welsh artists Augustus John, his sister Gwen John, and others.
It was founded in 1911 by Richard Glynn Vivian, who made his fortune in copper,
and was tireless in his travels and art collecting. One highlight is Alfred Janes's por-
trait of Dylan Thomas, from 1964.
Alexandra Rd.
&
01792/516900.
www.swansea.gov.uk. Free admission. Tues-Sun 10am-5pm.
Mumbles
WALKWAY Once a fishing village, then a Victorian seaside resort, and
increasingly an upmarket haunt of the new breed of wealthy Welsh, Mumbles is a
stirring 4-mile walk along Swansea Bay. It has half a dozen highly rated restaurants
and several designer boutiques, but at heart it is still a jolly seaside village with gift
shops, cafes, and pubs, as well as a pier and a wonderful, sandy beach. There's a
branch of Swansea's finest, Joe's Ice Cream, award-winning stuff best sampled in
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