Swansea has a lot to offer and holds a wealth of historic landmarks for locals and tourists to enjoy. There's plenty of iconic landmarks to visit and see in the city such as Dylan Thomas's birthplace, Gower Peninsula, Oystermouth castle and many more.
But what do those who have visited really think of the landmarks? We headed over to consumer comparison site TripAdvisor to find what people are saying about Swansea landmarks, positive and negative. The list is sorted by traveller favourites, with things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data, which included reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity. G et Swansea stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter .
Read more: The ten best beaches in Wales according to people on Tripadvisor
1. Gower
The Gower Peninsula is very popular on TripAdvisor with 1,833 of the 2,069 reviews rated 'excellent' and 197 of the reviews rated 'very good'.
One user who loved their visit said: "Really lovely part of the world! Glad we got to experience it as there are some truly stunning areas. Would definitely like to go back again to explore the places we did not manage to visit, and also return to places such as Rhossili and Mumbles! Would definitely recommend to everyone!"
Another added: "A very beautiful coastline with a mixture of sandy and stony beaches some of the roads are narrow and windy which in holiday season are crowded. Plenty of very pretty villages with some great pubs. The Gower is a fab place to visit with some super places to go and see."
Other's weren't too keen, one visitor said: "Absolutely horrible place to visit. Non-stop rain and overpriced places to stay. Should have gone to London instead."
Another added: "Muddy beaches, exorbitant parking charges, lack of informative signage. Hated it and never want to see it again. Other areas in Wales are much better."
2. Mumbles Pier
Mumbles Pier is one of Swansea's oldest and most famous landmarks. On TripAdvisor 248 of the 572 reviews are 'excellent' and 19 of the reviews are 'poor'.
One visitor said: "Mumbles Pier is a lovely little place to visit. We visited in November, so it was pretty chilly but we enjoyed walking down the Pier and to the beach! It has an arcade where we stopped for about half an hour, it was clean and all the staff were pleasant. Lovely views of the lighthouse and an overall nice place to visit!"
Another added: "Mumbles pier is a very beautiful part of the world. They are obviously in the middle of restorations at the moment but I think it will be amazing when it’s done . There is an arcade and bowling for the family [and] a place for fish and chips. And the RNLI lifeboat station right at the end of the pier with a little shop. What a view from the platform. Loved it"
Others said: "Not the most exciting pier on the planet but worth a visit just to support the RNLI with a shop purchase. Good places to eat."
This visitor wasn't happy and commented: "What a let down. Nothing to see and nothing to do. If you are thinking of visiting here, save your car park money and go somewhere, anywhere else. There is nothing to see and nothing to do here. We walked from one end to the other and despite our best efforts, the kids died of boredom, and so did we!! Go to 3 cliffs bay instead! Awful."
3. Oystermouth Castle
Oystermouth Castle sits majestically on the hill in Mumbles with stunning views overlooking Swansea Bay. On TripAdvisor, 187 of the 374 reviews are 'excellent' and 37 of the reviews are 'average'.
One user said: "Very welcoming staff and lots to look at. We really love the 'double wall' where you can really feel that you are inside the castle. We visit every time we are in the area."
Another added: "Lovely little walk around the castle & nice view over Mumbles. Was very disappointed with the amount of dog poo on the grassed areas. Had to stop my dog from walking on the grass as there was so many piles of dog poo, I was afraid my dog would step in it. Most of the poo was from bigger breeds. Come on dog owners, please pick up after your dog, it's not very pleasant for other visitors to have to put up with your laziness and selfish attitude."
Another visitor commented: "This is up a very steep hill. Although very well-kept clean and tidy surrounded by nice green land. The castle gave very little information of where you where standing and what the room looked like and what it was used for.
One castle lover wasn't too pleased, they said: Have travelled the south coast of England (Battle of Hastings) some of the audio tours give you an insight to the life in castle. Oystermouth you were left guessing."
4. Dylan Thomas' Birthplace
This house is where the late Welsh poet Dylan Thomas was born and lived with his family for the first 23 years of his life. On TripAdvisor, 208 of the 244 reviews are 'excellent' and three of the reviews are 'poor'.
A happy visitor said: "A great place to visit with an excellent knowledgeable guide. All you need to know about Dylan. Very good original items in the building."
Another added: "We had a fabulous experience with our visit to Dylan's Birthplace. Geoff was really insightful and shared his journey with the amazing restoration from grotty student digs back to a true reflection of how the house would have been in Dylan's day. A true labour of love; heart, soul and pocket invested and it reflects! Such great attention to detail, simple but interesting little anecdotes recorded in each room. An absolute must for anyone interested in Dylan, poetry, or indeed Swansea. To see the tiny room he wrote the largest body of his work in, quite astonishing. Highly recommend."
One user commented: "There is a bus from Swansea the 5 which takes you up the hill to the house, we went thinking the house would be open, but it was closed with a notice giving a phone number to ring. Unfortunately the person answering the phone was at a meeting so could not open the house, so please check before going."
One added: "I asked a local business about this museum. They phoned on my behalf, but the answerphone service wasn't working. My B&B had a flyer advertising its opening times, but when I got there, after a fairly steep climb, the place was closed and there was no helpful advice on display. I expect the place is manned by volunteers and maybe there was staff sickness. Who knows? I headed for the Dylan Thomas Centre in the Marina, which was excellent."
4. Liberty Stadium
Liberty Stadium is the home stadium of Swansea City football club and the Ospreys rugby team. On TripAdvisor, 55 of the 174 reviews are 'excellent' and 24 of the reviews are 'terrible'.
One football fan said: "I do enjoy an evening game when I'm ground hopping. It's a little further from the city centre than I'd like when you're walking, but a number of places to eat and drink once your there. It's a fairly new ground so the overall experience was very good."
Another added: "We went to the Ospreys vs Dragons game and had a great experience in the hospitality suite. The food was lovely and the drinks were both reasonably priced and accessible. The staff were fantastic and helped us with all our needs. The atmosphere and entertainment pre-match were superb and it was nice to mingle with the players after the game."
Someone who wasn't happy with the facilities said: "The Killers were great. Unfortunately poor and bordering on amateur organisation took the shine off a great night. Not enough toilets for standing spectators. The queues for the toilets meant a lot of people urinating all over the place! Not nice, however you shouldn’t need to worry about going to the loo during a concert. Especially not at a football ground with plenty of toilets...that you aren’t allowed to use."
One visitor wasn't happy with the beer, they said: "It really annoys me when I go anywhere and you pay top prices for rubbish. Beer is warm bar staff are not trained and don't know what a tidy pint looks like let alone how to pour a pint. Don't drink in the Liberty and go to a local pub like The Coopers and have a great atmosphere, quality beer and at a reasonable price."
5. Swansea Castle
Swansea Castle is located in the city centre of Swansea, and was founded by Henry de Beaumont in 1107 as the caput of the lordship of Gower. On TripAdvisor, seven of the 71 reviews are 'excellent' and 24 of the reviews are 'terrible'.
One visitor said: "Driving through Swansea, we stopped off to admire the pretty castle ruins of Swansea Castle. Whilst there isn't a lot to see, what remains is dramatic against the modern skyline of Swansea city centre. A nice way to spend an hour."
One person who enjoyed their visit said: "The ruins of Swansea Castle are certainly worth a look and there is a good seating area where you can watch the world go by."
Another added: "Ruins in the middle of town. Fun to see, but not much there. Worth a look if you're in the area like we were, but not worth going out of the way to see."
One visitor said: "An average review because yes it's a ruin. I have lost count of the number of times I've passed the castle, and not really taken the time to so much as photograph it. Built hundreds of years ago this castle was bombed during the second world war. Despite it's ruins it is still a part of the history of Swansea, but don't expect to impressed by it."
6. Oxford Street
Oxford Street is one of the main shopping areas in Swansea, On TripAdvisor, there are only four reviews for this landmark, two of the reviews are 'average' and two are 'poor'.
One Swansea resident said: "Lived here all my life. Love the Gower but the city centre now is not what it was in the 60s and 70s. It was thriving with a choice of delightful shops. It pains me to say this but now it just looks like anywhere town with the usual Marks and Sparks, Sports Direct, Topshop (recognise them?) a Poundland a few banks and card shops. The Market is a welcome relief. Further down is getting worse with closures and a few charity shops and betting offices. I long for the old days back but they are not coming. I rarely visit and parking and costs are a nightmare. Get the bus out to Mumbles and beyond."
One visitor wasn't impressed by their visit, they said: "What a shame this street is a bit like every other street in the UK and appears to be filled with empty shops. It does look a little run down and could do with a freshen up"
Another added: "As with the majority of the city centre Oxford Street is starting to look tired - pretty much what you would expect! Until a regeneration is carried out there isn't much more to say."
7. Swansea Botanical Gardens
The Botanical Gardens is one of Wales' premier plant collections, with herbaceous borders and large glasshouses. On TripAdvisor, four of the seven reviews are 'excellent' and one of the reviews is 'average'.
One visitor commented: "Small but perfectly formed, with zoned glasshouses, long borders and some small gardens focusing on individual species. I was particularly impressed at the range of hostas as when I try these I am just feeding the slugs. There is a plant shop open two days a week but we didn't visit. It was beautifully quiet while we were there. Parking was fairly easy on the road by the park entrance, but I can imagine on sunny weekends it would be more of a challenge. We spent 90 minutes enjoying the gardens."
Another added: "The whole of Singleton Park is lovely but the botanical gardens are particularly nice to visit especially in spring or summer."
One visitor would have preferred their visit with a cuppa and cake, they said: "We went for a walk round the Botanical Gardens on a mid-week morning. We enjoyed the walk round the gardens, but could see that some of the beds were waiting to be planted for summer colour. There were some glass houses with a range of plants in. This is not a big garden, but we enjoyed our time looking at the plants. We also walked round the ornamental gardens further into Singleton Park, which we also enjoyed. It was a nice peaceful oasis. Only one thing spoilt it, there were signs up about a tea tent, and it was empty. We would have enjoyed a cuppa and cake or lunch. If the tea tent is not open it would be better to remove the signs at the entrances to the gardens. Overall we enjoyed the park."
8. Swansea indoor market
Swansea Market is the largest indoor market in Wales, selling local and Welsh produce. On TripAdvisor, 157 of the 262 reviews are 'excellent' and five of the reviews are 'poor'.
One visitor said: "Lots of stalls selling a load of varied items, loved the cake stall in the middle of the market. The fresh veg stalls had some real first class stuff for sale and at a great price. Had to laugh at Mike-o-Soft stall, but what a sound place to go, prices look very good as well. Nice hour or so in there with lots to look at and buy, with good prices!"
Another added: "A charming market in Swansea City centre. Some lovely little stalls offering local produce but as is the case with many local market there was a lot of not so good stalls. The Gower butcher had a fabulous selection of meats. Falafel stall was top notch."
One unhappy customer had an unfortunate incident in the market, and said: "In uniform sitting eating lunch half way through I had pigeon c**p down my shoulder and over the food I complained, passed to the market manager who had me fill a complaint book in I lost my lunch and covered in pigeon c**p so I don't shop in there. I met Prince Charles in there I wouldn't eat anything there again or buy food sorry to the stall holder but pigeons shouldn't be flying disease around a enclosed food market!"
9. National Waterfront Museum
The National Waterfront Museum in Swansea forms part of Amgueddfa Cymru, National Museum Wales. On TripAdvisor, 245 of the 564 reviews are 'excellent' and 90 of the reviews are 'average'.
One visitor said: "A lovely, well-presented, informative, modern and high tech approach to Wales' history. Lots of displays on the history of the area and of the country, including Swansea's seafaring legacy, and the contribution made by Wales and its people to the industrial revolution, and the coal and steel industries. A fantastic free museum."
Another added: "We visited the Swansea National Waterfront Museum, as they had a Science Festival on for kids. Excellent free to visit museum with the added bonus of the Science Festival on for kids, young and old alike. Lots of displays on technology and the local area in the museum. The festival kept the kids entertained for hours. A truly great museum."
One person wasn't too keen on their visit, they said: "You can see this museum in an hour. It is just not for me. Technology and transport themed, ok, but it gets boring."
Another added: "A nice way to spend an hour or so. Interactive displays as well as the play activities put on during the holiday times for younger children. Some of the displays change but a lot of them have been there for over eighteen months at least. Free entry."
10. Swansea Marina
Swansea Marina is located behind the Swansea barrage at the mouth of the River Tawe, with restaurants and bars within the area. On TripAdvisor, 211 of the 495 reviews are 'excellent' and seven of the reviews are 'terrible'.
One visitor said: "Beautiful place for a nice, relaxing walk at any time of the night. A few restaurants around where you can grab a quick meal or dine leisurely."
Another added: "A beautiful place, made even better with nice weather. A lovely walk around the different sites here like Dylan Thomas statue and a lovely cuppa. Very peaceful away from the busy places. Worth a walk around."
One user thought the area was average and said: "The Marina was nothing to shout about. The area was nice enough and close to the beach."
