As a foreigner living in Wales I was very surprised to find a museum of this size with a very good collection. All of this was due to the work of the Davies sisters that gathered an enormous collection and then donated it to the museum.

This is one of the best cultural spots on Cardiff and the fact that surprised me was to find artworks from well known artists, such as Van Gogh (it was my very first one), Cezanne, Monet, Rodin, Botticelli, among others. And this is only the art collection of the museum that spreads to 7 rooms. The museum possesses a very big natural exhibition, that encompasses all the natural life around Wales, including a very large (vegetarian) Whale that roams around Wales’ coastline. You can also find the historic ancestors of the Welsh people and their founders alongside to a huge of Celtic crosses.

The National Museum of Wales also hosts several temporary exhibitions throughout the year, past ones were the Sketches of Leonardo da Vinci, Dinosaurs and the Impressionist paintings.

The museum facilities, include lockers to leave your belongings (you only have to put a pound on there and you’ll have it back afterwards), a souvenir shop, a learning center and a restaurant.

The building is situated right in the middle of Cardiff’s Civic center, it is next to the all imposing City Hall and only 5 minutes away from the busy Queen Street. During the Winter you will certainly pass by the Cardiff Winterland, an entertaining center that only opens in December for the Xmas holidays and really adds color and warmth to the city.

If you are in Cardiff, don’t miss it. It is an excellent place to be in when the weather is not all we wanted it to be and a great place to go when you are in Cardiff for the first time. Even if the sun shines you have a very welcoming garden in front of it, so don’t start on giving excuses to miss it.

On rainy days I always find myself standing in the art section of the museum staring at the small collection of Monet paintings they have on display, I could spend hours upon hours in here and never feel tired of staring into the fine collection of art pieces from various artists such as Manet, Carriere, Renoir and Pissarro! This Museum offers a must see collection of famous impressionistic paintings which will captivate your imagination. Also you can’t help but going to see the small but intriguing collection of dinosaur bones and other historical creatures they have on display. The Museum also offers day courses for children on geology, art and history. They also have a pretty impressive gift shop, it’s ideal to buy small birthday presents and children go nuts on all the souvenirs they have to offer!

The National Museum of Wales encompasses a number of sites across Wales, but this is the main classical museum site.

It's located in the main Civic Centre in Cardiff - an impressive set-piece of grand civic buildings adjacent to Cardiff's castle, just north of the city centre. It's worth a visit in its own right.

The museum comprises a seriously good art gallery, and exhibits depicting the history of Wales, covering archaeology, geology, natural history and industrial development.

The main draw is the collection of impressionist paintings: it's one of Europe's finest, including works by Monet, Van Gogh, Renoir, Cezanne, Corot, Pissarro and Millet. But the galleries include a wider range of works, including pieces by Gainsborough, Reynolds, Turner, Rodin, Botticelli, El Greco and a major 20th century collection featuring Augustus John, Josef Herman, Oskar Kokoschka, Stanley Spencer, Percy Wyndham Lewis, Frank Brangwyn, Eric Gill and J D Innes.

Other highlights in the museum include a collection of stone Celtic Crosses from across Wales, and a recreation of a mine (the Big Pit museum in Blaenavon - a real mine - is also part of the Museum of Wales).

Facilities include a restaurant and cafe, and the grand main hall hosts lunchtime classical concerts in the summer.