By Kingfisher Visitor Guides
You will be surprised how much you can pack into 48 hours in Newport. Take some inspiration from our weekend guide.
Day one
All good days start with a great breakfast, so, fuel up for a busy day of sight-seeing by grabbing a full breakfast at The Secret Garden Café on Charles Street – a popular eatery with rustic décor. Alternatively, check out the super-stylish Parc Pantry, in Malpas, for pancake stacks, avocado on toast and more. Both serve fabulous vegetarian and vegan options, too.
Now you’re fuelled up, it’s time to learn a bit more about the city you’re in. Make Newport Museum and Art Gallery your first stop – it’s less than a five-minute walk away. The museum’s collections offer a fascinating glimpse into the city’s history: from the Prehistoric era through to the Industrial Revolution. There are also collections dedicated to the Chartist movement and the Transporter Bridge.
Fuel-up on a hearty breakfast before heading out for a day of exploring Newport
Having brushed up on local history, head to the gallery area for a taste of Newport’s cultural heritage. You’ll find hundreds of artworks there, including oil paintings and pottery. Peckish? Grab lunch at Friars Walk – just a three-minute walk away. Whether you’re craving a Wagamama or food with a French twist, à la Bistrot Pierre, you’ll find it there.
After lunch, take time to unearth the area’s retail delights: clothing, sportswear and homeware brands await. Just across the plaza, you’ll also find the Kingsway Centre, with additional shops and, if you’re feeling particularly energetic, then you could venture north of the Kingsway Centre onto High Street to check out the city’s Victorian shopping arcade, the Market Arcade. Shop until you drop, or at least until your stomach lets you know it’s dinner time, before stopping at Sixteen Brasserie for a sophisticated meal served in stylish surrounds. You’ve earned it.
Day two
Today is all about exploring Newport’s great outdoors. Head straight to Grade 2-listed, Green Flag award-winning Belle Vue Park to start your day right. This beautiful Victorian public park was gifted to the people of the city by Lord Tredegar and built in 1894 and has been entertaining residents with its bandstand, pavilion and landscaped grounds ever since.
After walking around the park and exploring the grounds, savour the views (and a snack) while taking a strategic snack and drink stop at the tearooms on the pavilion. With your appetite whet for Newport’s parkland offerings, it’s time to make the short drive over to the National Trust’s Tredegar House – a 17th-century mansion on the outskirts of the city that was home to one of Wales’ wealthiest families, the Morgans, for more than 500 years before Lord Tredegar.
Take a trip to the fascinating Tredegar House
The house has been lovingly restored and is great fun to explore – put on a shadow puppet performance and dress up in the New Parlour, spot the animal faces in the oak panel carvings and keep your eyes peeled for pictures of the previous owner’s eccentric and exotic pets. Outside, there are three formal walled gardens to explore – the orchard garden, cedar garden and orangery garden – with secretive pathways. And beyond the gardens lies more than 90 acres of parkland, including woodland and a serpentine lake.
If all that exploring has left you feeling peckish, stop at the tea room for cake, snacks or both. Delicious.
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