The City of Newport 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 center. It is home to the University of Wales Newport [1].
Road: 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.
Rail: Newport has a railway station 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 mins, Birmingham 1 hr 45 mins, Bristol 35 mins, Cardiff 15 mins.
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 mins. Every 90 mins from the Bus Station.
Fourteen Locks Canal Visitor Centre[2], High Cross. Open Easter to late Sep, closed Tuesday & Wednesday. Free admission. Tel: 01633 894802
Newport Museum & Art Gallery, John Frost Square, Tel: 01633 840064
The ruins of the 14C Newport Castle[3] on the banks of the River Usk.
Roman Legionary Museum, Caerleon[4]. Tel: 01633 423134. Open 10:00-17:00 Mon-Sat, 14:00-17:00 Sun.
Somerton TARDIS, Between Acacia Ave. and Somerton Crescent. An old fashioned police box that is an English Heritage listed structure. It's name refers to its similarity in appearance to the time travel craft from the Doctor Who television series.
Tredegar House and Country Park. 17C mansion and 90 acre park. Tel: 01633 815880. Park and Woodland Walk open 09:00 to dusk all year. House is open for tours from Easter to September, Wed–Sun inc Bank Holidays 11:30–16.00.
Newport Fugitives Cricket Club, High Cross Road, ☎ 01633 895297, [7]. 7:00-11:00. Cricket & Social Club for members and non-membersedit
Newport Golf Club, Great Oak, Rogerstone (M4, J27), ☎ 01633 892643, [8]. Wales' premier parkland golf club. Open to non-members.edit
Newport Gwent Dragons, Rodney Parade, ☎ 01633 670690, [9]. 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.edit
Newport Rugby Club, Rodney Parade, ☎ 01633 670690, [10]. One of the most famous rugby clubs in Wales; now a semi-professional side playing in the Welsh Premier Division.edit
Newport County Football Club, Newport International Sports Village, ☎ 01633 662262, [11]. Football & Social Club for members and non-membersedit
The Chandlery, 77-78 Lower Dock Street (Just off George Street Bridge in city centre), ☎ 01633 256 622, [12]. Husband and wife team Simon and Jane Newcombe opened The Chandlery in March 2002. This grade-two-listed building has been totally and sympathetically restored with the aid of the Heritage Lottery and Cadw funding.edit
The Waterloo Hotel, 113 Alexandra Road (Just off the A48 near Newport Transporter Bridge), ☎ 01633 264 266, [13]. The Waterloo Hotel was renovated in 2006 and 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.edit
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 80's Bar 43-44 High St. An 80's bar with a friendly atmosphere, and good choice of drinks.
Ibid Budget Newport Hotel, 164 Malpas Road, NP20 5PP NEWPORT, ☎ (+44)0163 385 9058, [16]. Ibis budget Hotel Newport is a low-cost hotel situated in central Newport. The ibis Newport hotel is close to the shopping and nightlife of Newport town centre. edit
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 slightly intimidating and conflict between locals is not an uncommon sight. Unfortunately, yobbish behaviour from deprived youths is on the rise in Newport. Unknown to them, this causes problems for the city's reputation and even economy.
Newport's rough reputation is unfortunately very accurate at night. Non locals may find themselves extremely intimidated at night as thuggish behaviour is on the rise, the best way to avoid trouble at night in Newport is to always stay in groups, as the more yobbish kind will start a fight over something as small as accidently being bumped into. Note that in certain bars such as the Meze Lounge and Lloyds Queens Hotel you will be much safer than places such as Revolution.
Visitors should be aware that 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. Rest assured that the problems described above lie mainly within the youths of the city, and most people you meet will be friendly!! Newport is without a doubt the roughest city in Wales... but remember we only have 6!!
