Swansea’s the second-largest city in Wales and a county as well. Being a coastal town, its peripheries span as far as the glorious Gower Peninsula and is now a significant trading centre, industrial base and university town that draws huge tourist traffic for its vibrant culture, ‘best of the lot’ things to do and some top tourist places to visit in Swansea. The city evolved thanks to the export of copper, iron and coal, with copper being so important to its trade that earned the city its nickname, Copperopolis.

Gower is located in South Wales and projects outwards into the Bristol Channel, representing the most westerly portion of the ancient region of Glamorgan. Spread over 70 sq.miles and renowned for its coastline, the peninsula’s popular for walking trails and outdoor activities especially surfing, with many caves as well. Surrounded by the Lougher Estuary and the Swansea Bay to the north and the east respectively, the interiors are mostly common land and farmlands, with the populace residing in small communities and village and a bit of suburban development. In terms of sightseeing features, the Gower Peninsula has 6 castles, 4 beaches known for their high upkeep and 5 beaches for their pristine environment.

Now a leisure attraction for stay and dining experiences, Number 5, Cwmdonkin Drive was home to Dylan Thomas for 23 years of his life and known for about 2/3 of his work. It offers a staging of his life during the Edwardian Era and is a living museum uniquely connected to the renowned poet in Wales. Featured in Lonely Planet’s Great Britain Travel Guide for 2019, with 5-star self-catering accommodation options available, Dylan Thomas’ birthplace also figures as No. 3 of the 112 things to do and see in Swansea.

A grade II listed Victorian Structure that was established in 1898, the Mumbles Pier is a 255m long pier, situated in the north-west corner of Swansea Bay near the Mumbles Village and includes a fishing platform, a boathouse and a lifeboat slipway. Off late, the pier has witnessed a lot of structural changes and a large part of the pier has been fenced off to maintain its structure. The development plans of the Pier include setting a new hotel and spa centre, a new boardwalk that connects the Knab rock with the Pier and a conference & exhibition centre in the future. There’s an amusement arcade that includes 100 odd machines and a miniature Bowley alley on the upper tier.

A Norman Stone Castle in Wales, the Oystermouth Castle overlooks the Swansea Bay. Located splendidly on the Mumbles Hill with beautiful views of the bay, the castle still has parts that have been hidden away. With a rich ancient history, the castle features ancient graffiti as far back as the 14th century, a private stairwell between the banquet halls and the vaults and a glass bridge, which is 30 ft high. The castle has events scheduled throughout the year, also making it one of Wales’ best castles.

One of the largest urban parks in the city, the Singleton Park encompasses about 250 acres of land, with an ornamental garden situated near the entrance of the Swansea University as well as a fenced botanical garden in the park’s centre. A must-see for people of all age groups and abilities the Singleton Park has been the venue for numerous musical events, especially the proms in the park. There’s a boating lake with boats shaped like swans, along with a pub on the premise. There are other considerable structures in the park as well that accommodates the Swansea University Campus, Bishop Gore School, the Singleton Hospital and St. Mary’s Church.

The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery in Swansea is a public art gallery, located on Alexandra Road displaying a wide range of visual arts from Richard Glynn Vivian’s original inheritance, including other artworks by Old Masters, in addition to Swansea China and the international collection of porcelain. Paintings displayed in the gallery include artworks by Evan Walters, Claude Monet, Richard Wilson, Thomas Jones, Augustus John, Ivon Hitchens, Thomas Lawrence, Kyffin Williams and more.

With one of the largest collections of Egyptian antiques, the Egypt Centre has over 5000 items on display with most artifacts collected by Sir Henry Wellcome, the Royal Edinburgh Museum, the British Museum, Galleries of Wales, Cardiff, the Royal Albert Museum and some others. In addition to having two galleries, including the House of Life on the upper level that represents the daily lifestyle of the ancient Egyptians and the House of Death at the lower level along with a gift shop, the centre has a café as well adjacent to the museum.

A scenic urban park that features a playground, a discovery centre and a lake in addition to an outdoor classroom with state of the art facility, Brynmill Park offers an opportunity to its visitors to experience its ancient past and wildlife. It is also the city’s first informal park which went onto becoming its official park, listed as Grade II. Locally, the park developed along with the city and its reservoir provided water to Swansea, making it a significant feature of the city for its people.

Bracelet Bay is a small bay on Gower Peninsula’s southern end and is the first bay after Swansea Bay. Encompassing the Mumbles’ Head, its rocky coastline’s renowned for ice-cream escapades and is also award-winning. Ideal for a day picnic with breathtaking views of the Mumbles’ lighthouse, the Bracelet Bay is surrounded by limestone cliffs with a sandy beach & pebbly bay.

A hill located to the east of the city of Swansea, South Wales, the Kilvey Hill stands at 193m and categorized as a sub-Marilyn, with beautiful and panoramic views of the city centre at the top. With a number of residential areas sprinkled around the hill, there’s a Radio & TV transmitting station & a telecom Mast at the top of the hill and the area also is known for hosting numerous biking events. A refuge for the wildlife in the city, Kilvey Hill is an undeveloped woodland with a variety of heathland, pastures, marshland and forests.