YHA Cardiff Central YHA

Bargain budget city breaks in the Welsh capital? We doubt you'll look much further than the award-winning YHA hostel, which has 320 beds split across a variety of en-suite rooms, all housed in a refurbished former hotel. It's on the edge of the city centre, 20-minute walking distance to the main sights and to Cardiff Bay, and there's also free on-site parking, which is a real bonus.

Rated 5-star by VisitWales, the rooms range from dorms and doubles to family-sized accommodation. Bedding is provided (though not towels), and there are also so-called 'premium rooms' which have all the sorts of things you would expect from a decent budget hotel, like beds instead of bunks, towels, toiletries, TV, hairdryers and the like. Basically, this makes the hostel entirely suitable for city breaks and business trips, since the whole vibe is effectively 'hotel' throughout.

Breakfast is extra, but is a good deal – a hot and cold buffet – and the bar stays open until late for guests, with a 24-hour reception too, so no worries about scurrying back early from a night out on the town. A self-catering kitchen helps keeps costs down for families and budget travellers, and the staff are invariably helpful for finding out how to get the best out of Cardiff during your stay.