The City of Newport (Welsh: Casnewydd) is in the historic county of Monmouthshire, South Wales and stands at the mouth of the River Usk. It is a busy industrial and commercial centre.
Get in
By car
The M4 motorway skirts Newport to the North. It connects to Cardiff and Swansea to the West and London, via the Severn Bridge, to the East. This is used by the National Express and other coach companies to connect to the London (2hrs), Bristol (45 mins), and Cardiff (35 mins) airports and the rest of the UK.
By train
1 Newport railway station is on the main line between London Paddington and South Wales. It is also the junction of the main line to the West Midlands. Train companies that serve Newport are Arriva Trains Wales, Cross Country and First Great Western. Journey times by rail include London 1 hr 45 min, Birmingham 1 hr 45 min, Bristol 35 min, Cardiff 15 min.
By plane
The closest airports are Cardiff and Bristol.
Get around
The local bus services are provided by Newport Transport. They cover all parts of the city and there are also routes to nearby Cwmbran and Cardiff. From April to September open-top sightseeing tours by bus last 75 min. Every 90 min from the Bus Station.
See
- 1 Fourteen Locks Canal Visitor Centre, Cwm Ln, Rogerstone, ☏ +44 1633 892167. High Cross. Open Easter to late Sep, closed Tuesday & Wednesday. Free admission.
- 2 Newport Museum & Art Gallery (John Frost Square), ☏ +44 1633 840064.
- 3 Newport Castle. 14th-century ruins on the banks of the River Usk.
- 4 Roman Legionary Museum, Caerleon, ☏ +44 1633 423134. M-Sa 10:00-17:00, Su 14:00-17:00.
- 5 Caerleon Roman Fortress, Caerleon, NP18 1AE, ☏ +44 1633 422518. Headquarters of the 2nd Legion Augusta in from AD 75. Remains include bath house, barrack blocks and an amphitheatre. Free.
- 6 Somerton TARDIS (Between Acacia Ave. and Somerton Crescent). An old-fashioned police box which is a Cadw listed structure. Its name refers to its similarity in appearance to the time travel craft from the Doctor Who television series.
- 7 St Woolos Cathedral. Stow Hill.
- 8 Tredegar House, NP10 8YW, ☏ +44 1633 815880, tredegar@nationaltrust.org.uk. And Country Park. 17th-century mansion and 90-acre park. Park and Woodland Walk open 09:00 to dusk all year. House is open for tours from Easter to September, W–Su including Bank Holidays 11:30–16.00.
- 9 Transporter Bridge. The symbol of Newport.
- 10 Newport Ship. Remains of a 15th-century sailing vessel
- Penhow Castle (9 miles along the A48 towards Chepstow, on the right), ☏ +44 1633 400800.
Do
- 1 Newport Fugitives Cricket Club, High Cross Rd, Rogerstone, NP10 9AE, ☏ +44 1633 895297. 7:00-11:00. Cricket & social club for members and non-members.
- 2 Newport Golf Club, Great Oaks Park, Rogerstone, NP10 9FX (M4, J27), ☏ +44 1633 892643. Wales' premier parkland golf club. Open to non-members.
Newport has several sport teams. They all play at the city's Rodney Parade stadium.
- 3 Rodney Parade, Rodney Parade, Rodney Rd, NP19 0UU.
- 4 Newport Gwent Dragons (Dreigiau), ☏ +44 1633 670690. The Dragons, a fully professional team, play in the Magners League alongside teams from Wales, Scotland and Ireland. They also compete in the Europe-wide Heineken Cup or European Challenge Cup (depending on performance) as well as the Anglo-Welsh Cup alongside Welsh and English teams.
- Newport Rugby Club (Clwb Rygbi Casnewydd), ☏ +44 1633 670690. One of the most famous rugby clubs in Wales; now a semi-professional side playing in the Welsh Premier Division.
- Newport County FC (Clwb Pêl-droed Sir Casnewydd), Newport International Sports Village, ☏ +44 1633 662262. County play football in League Two, the fourth tier of Anglo-Welsh football.
Buy
Eat
- The Waterloo Hotel, 113 Alexandra Road (Just off the A48 near Newport Transporter Bridge), ☏ +44 1633 264266. The Waterloo Hotel has 21 luxury en-suite bedrooms all of an excellent standard. The bedrooms are complimented by a superb restaurant offering a wide range of freshly-prepared Bristish and European dishes.
Drink
- Revolution, 8-11 Griffin St.
- Lloyds No.1- The Queen's Hotel, 19 Bridge St. A trendy bar run by wetherspoons with a friendly atmosphere.
- The Meze Lounge, 6 Market St. An alternative/Rock club, enjoyed even by those that do not enjoy the genre of music, great drinks, great prices and great atmosphere.
- Reflex 80s Bar, 43-44 High St. An 80s bar with a friendly atmosphere, and good choice of drinks.
Sleep
- 1 Celtic Manor Resort Hotel, ☏ +44 1633 413000, bookings@celtic-manor.com. Coldra Woods. Rooms from £190.
- Hilton Hotel, Chepstow Road, Langstone.
- 2 Holiday Inn, The Coldra (M4 J24), ☏ +44 1633 412777.
- Express by Holiday Inn, Celtic Springs, Cleppa Park. Rooms from £70.
- Knoll Guesthouse, 145 Stow Hill.
- West Usk Lighthouse, Lighthouse Road, ☏ +44 1633 810126, lighthouse1@tesco.net. A great lighthouse at the mouth of the rivers Usk and Severn; built in 1821 to a unique specification. All the rooms are wedge-shaped, with a roof garden, lantern room and an internal wishing well! They are also individually furnished, with emphasis on relaxation. from £160.
Stay safe
Whilst Newport is a relatively safe city, like many others, crime can occur. Usually, you will encounter no problems, however at times the city centre can be intimidating and conflict between locals is not an uncommon sight.
Newport is rough at night. Non-locals may be intimidated at night by thuggish behaviour. Stay in groups, as the more yobbish kind will start a fight over something as small as accidentally being bumped into. In bars such as the Meze Lounge and Lloyds Queens Hotel you will be much safer than places such as Revolution.
While you may be intimidated, your personal safety in Newport on the whole is not really at risk. In the unlikely event that a threatening situation occurs, it is best to simply move on and avoid offending anybody. Most people you meet will be friendly! Newport is the roughest city in Wales, but there are only six cities.
Go next
Map of places with Wikivoyage articles nearby
- Go to Blaenafon for the Big Pit National Coal Museum.
- Cwmcarn Forest Drive, ☏ +44 1495 272001, cwmcarn-vc@caerphilly.gov.uk. Nantgarn Road, Cwmcarn, Crosskeys., Forest Drive open Mar-Easter 11:00-18:00, Easter to Aug 11:00-19:00, Sep 11:00-18:00, Oct 11:00-17:00, Nov 11:00-17:00 (weekends only). Visitor Centre and Campsite open Easter-Sep M-Th 09:00-17:00 and F-M 09:00-18:00, Oct-Easter Sa-Th 09:00-17:00 and F 09:00-16:30. (Call for Christmas opening hours).
- Caerwent - the remains of a Roman city, 12 miles along the A48, towards Chepstow.
- Usk
- Chepstow
Routes through Newport |
Swansea ← Cardiff ← | W E | → Caldicot → Bristol |
Cardiff ← | W E | → Caldicot → Chepstow |
Birmingham ← Usk ← | N S | → merges with |
Pontypool ← Cwmbran ← | N S | → END |