City Center

The city center of Swansea can be divided not just into the urban core, located south of Swansea train station, east of Dillwyn Street, and north of Victoria Road, but also the Maritime Quarter, revolving around Swansea Marina and the Tawe Basin, which is connected to both the River Tawe and Swansea Bay. There are also the neighborhoods of Brunswick and Sandfields, with few points of interest but still very close to the urban core (less than a mile away). These neighborhoods are situated between the city center and the Maritime Quarter to their east, and Singleton Park to their west.

Swansea City Centre

The majority of the sights located in Swansea`s city center, an area about an eighth of a square mile in size roughly bounded by Swansea Castle and the Strand to the east, Victoria Road to the south, Dillwyn Street to the west, and De La Beche Street to the north. Some of the sights you can see in this area include one of Swansea`s top attractions, Swansea Castle, which dates from the 12th century. Others include Wind Street, the epicenter of nightlife in Swansea; St. Mary`s Church; Swansea Indoor Market, the largest indoor market building in Wales; and the Swansea Grand Theatre. Quadrant Shopping Centre anchors a large portion of the city center.

Maritime Quarter

Within just twenty years, from 1985 to 2005, the docklands area of Swansea was revitalized and gentrified to become an area of history and culture. The Tawe Basin is home to such art galleries as Attic Gallery and Mission Gallery; as well as the state-of-the-art Swansea Marina; the Dylan Thomas Theatre; Swansea Museum, the oldest museum in Wales; and the National Waterfront Museum. Many museums and galleries are located along Burrows Place and Gloucester Place. Trawler Road is the road on the southern side of the Tawe Basin; on the northern side it is called Victoria Quay and Anchor Court.

Brunswick and Sandfields

Brunswick and Sandfields are the areas east of the city center but west of Singleton Park. It`s perhaps best-known to tourists as the place where Swansea Beach is located. You can access Swansea Beach from the city center and the maritime quarter by driving west on the A4067 motorway (Oystermouth Road).

Outskirts

West of town there are suburbs and towns such as Uplands and Brynmill, where writer and poet Dylan Thomas`s birthplace is located (at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive). West of Brynmill along the A4067 motorway (Oystermouth Road), you will drive past Swansea University on your way south toward Black Pill and Clyne Castle and Gardens. Soon the name of the road will change to Mumbles Road as it connects Black Pill to West Cross and finally to The Mumbles, a popular seaside suburb with charm of its own apart from Swansea. The outskirts also include the areas about 4-5 miles north and east of Swansea, where there are few points of interest and some varying types of accommodation. It is hemmed in by the M4 motorway which connects Swansea with Cardiff and Newport.