Cars, Cardiff and Parking

Cardiff is accessible via the M4, the main motorway connecting the capital of London to Cardiff ( according to wiki.answers.com -"about 2 hours 30 minutes if you drive like a granny" - but Wikipedia claim 3 hours although rather dependant on which area of London your traveling from) and carries straight on through to Swansea.

Cars arriving from the East: Leave the M4 at junction 32 and follow the A470 (1st exit at roundabout) into the centre of Cardiff.

Arriving from the West: Leave the M4 at junction 33 and join the A4232 (3rd exit at roundabout). You can then either exit the A4232 at the next roundabout and follow signs for Cardiff city centre, or alternatively, stay on the A4232 and it will eventually lead you to Cardiff Bay.

Drivers Arriving from the South West: Drive North along the M5 motorway and then follow signs for South Wales and the M4.

Cars from the Midlands and North: Head for the M50 motorway (junction 8 on the M5 motorway) and then onto the A40 (signposted South Wales, Monmouth). Continue along the A40 until you reach Monmouth when the road becomes the A449. Continue along the A449 until you reach the Coldra roundabout. Here you should take the 5th exit to join the M4.

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Tips:

• Don't forget the bridge charges a toll to cross (cash only)! This is £5.40 at the moment for a car and usually increases by 10p each year.
• St Mary's Street which is one of the main most central streets in Cardiff has recently become almost entirely pedestrianised as older maps may still show this as being a drivable road, its best to plan around this.

Other car parks:

Castle Mews Car Park (short stay 08:00-18:00)

North Road Car Park (long stay 08:00-18:00)

Havannah Street Car Park (24 hours)

The Barrage Car Park (24 hours, 3 hours Maxium stay)

Further information on these can be found on http://www.cardiff.gov.uk/content.asp?nav=2870%2C4048%2C4194%2C4255&parent_directory_id=2865

BBC Traffic Webcams for South Wales:

"Beat the jams with these traffic cams - they cover the M4 from the Second Severn Crossing to Kenfig and other major routes in South East Wales. Select a camera for one of the key locations below or see the full list on the right hand side."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/travel/trafficcams.shtml

Article sources:

http://www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk/index/race_day_parking.htm
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_far_is_it_from_London_to_cardiff
http://www.cardiff.gov.uk/content.asp?nav=2870%2C4048%2C4194%2C4255&parent_directory_id=2865
http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/travel/trafficcams.shtml