Clickity clicks, Gallery 66. Situated in the arcades of town, Gallery 66 is a framing specialist…read morewith art and photo's for sale too. I do love this shop as it feels you've stepped back in time upon entering and sells some fabulous art. It's almost as if this could be put on a ye olde Victorian tour of Cardiff. You may be able to make out the paintings of the galaxy in the pic, I bought one of them. The detail on them are fantastic and is reasonably priced (Under £70), the person who served me as well was so lovely that the whole experience from entering to leaving with my fine painting was an absolute joy. Please visit this place, especially if your visiting Cardiff and want to get a real feel of the culture this city has to offer.

Gallery 66 is possibly my favourite shop in The Royal Arcade. Set up in 1975 by Eva Walters, the…read morebusiness has a firm footing in the customised interior design marketplace. Offering picture framing of varying qualities and style, ranging from conventional frames, canvass stretching to box frames, as well as original artwork and prints sourced from around the globe, signed limited edition prints, in addition to local artwork including commissions, if you are looking for something specifically tailored to your tastes. Gallery 66 is a progressive business that has definitely kept up with the times. These days it provides full-time employment for Dan, (Eva's son, who wasn't even born when the business was launched), an immensely talented artist who works in the medium of print, digitally reworking iconic images, embellishing the original concepts with intelligent and creative adaptations, ultimately creating new and original artwork. Music seems to be a key influence, with album covers and portraits of legendary artists providing much of the inspiration for his work. There's also a very definite interest in graffiti, particularly the work of Banksy. Nina, Eva's daughter is also often in the shop. She comes in to help out when she has time off from pursuing her career as a teaching assistant. Being a family business the service levels are second to none. Eva is a vivacious, smart business woman who really knows her stuff. If you have a space on your wall that needs filling, this is where you need to come!

The Albany Gallery is a great little commercial gallery that is located above Zio Peppino on the…read moreAlbany Road. There is every reason to visit Albany Gallery at any time of the year, but there's presently an even more compelling reason to make the effort to go there. The current exhibition will be on for the duration of the summer, and features work from some of the best of contemporary Welsh artists. And it's excellent! There are circa. 70 different artists exhibiting, who specialise in all different kinds of media and subject. Prices for work exhibited vary dramatically, starting at incredibly affordable prices. Now is definitely the time to buy fine art. The art market has not been this depressed in a long time, and with galleries exerting pressure on the artists to keep their work affordable, prices have dipped or remained static for a while. It's difficult for an artist to discount their work as it devalues the pieces that have been sold previously, and so there is an unwritten obligation borne by each artist to protect the commercial interests of existing patrons. Nevertheless, galleries are going out of business left, right and centre, and those that remain are doing al they can to preserve the market. Keeping prices affordable is one of the key means of doing this. Artists tend to increase the sale price of their work on a regular basis. It is common to see considerable price increases within a short space of time. Each successful exhibition, of which an artist will have several a year, will prompt them to review the value of their work. A successful exhibition at a high profile gallery that has been met with critical approval in the media may cause an artist to add a nought to their sale price, taking the value fo their work from £500 per piece to £1,500 for example. This means that price increases have been seriously inhibited owing to the fact that the art market has remained relatively static throughout the duration of the recession. Therefore, prices should rocket once the market has stabilised once more, making any investment today a good one. Obviously you have got to buy right, so it pays to know what you are doing, but quite often buyers can make a killing just by buying what they like... (if they like it, it usually follows that other people do too, and demand ultimately regulates the market).

I definatly think this is one of the best galleries we have here in Cardiff. I was introduced to it…read moreby my art teacher and have been a few times when I like the sound of an exhibition the have on. Of course any gallery is only as good as its exhibitions and their website is very good at letting you know whats on when and shows you the kind of art they do. I love the fact that it shows the very best of contemporary British artists. It even hosted an exhibition by the late Kyffin Williams who is arguably one of Wales greatest artists. You can't help but feel inspired and the staff are very approachable and happy to talk to you about the pieces.

Sitting within the confines of St David's 2, the only thing I could afford to buy in this store is…read morea copy of The Fine Art Preview which cost me £2.50. If you're just passing by and don't have £500 or more burning a hole in your pocket then you may well simply pass on by without a second glance. However, if you have an eye for art, or simply know what you like, if something catches your eye whilst walking by, you may find yourself drawn inside for a closer look. I found myself gazing at one of the pieces in the window for around 15 minutes before I realised. When I did realise how long I'd been entangled, I felt obliged to venture inside and see what else they had to offer. Inside I expected to find snobbery and judgement but this simply isn't true. The staff there appeared very down to earth, very willing to just talk about art and to provide as much information for you as they can offer to you. I didn't feel out of place at all, in fact, if I had the money I dare say I would have walked out of there with more than just a magazine. This is a place for all art lovers to visit even if your wallet doesn't meet their price range. I think they have an impressive gallery and are probably highly overlooked, too easily disregarded in the retail environment they are surrounded by.

Inside of the huge new shopping complex of the city centre of Cardiff there's a little art gallery…read morefull of pretty pricey paintings. It's called the Blue Dot Gallery and it's got a wide variety of art available. There's water painting, traditional landscapes, more modern artistic techniques, work by local artists, sculptures, and work by Rolf Harris. You heard correct. The Rolfmeister himself. The art isn't cheap, some pieces can be a few grand, but if you are on the look-out for some art then there are some available for a couple of hundred pound. Now, for the likes of me that is an extortionate amount to pay for anything that isn't, oh I don't know, extra money. But it's not bad value, I suppose. They also offer an option for some pieces to be paid for over a longer period on an interest free basis.

This museum is the perfect price. Free! It is a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours. There…read moreis lots of natural history as well as cultural history. Everything is in both English and Welsh. The natural history area had videos ad well as exhibits detailing the geographic history of the region. The Art of the Selfie exhibit had a small cost which was quite fair. Van Gogh's Self Portrait was the main draw, but they also had Rembrandt and other artists. In the other rooms, there were so many artifacts. Rooms within rooms and beyond, you can lose hours reading about everything on display.

it was a pretty good experience, but no one warned me that the bloody dinosaurs are getting starved…read morebecause they are literally just bones. animal mistreatment is NOT a joke I want to support, I cannot believe the STATE of this museum. Good value for money as its free. Cool stones and a selection of STARVED AND DEAD animals. and the service was poor because they encourage this. the toilets are good for kids, AND OTHER THINGS.

Capsule Artt Gallery is a new gallery offering contemporary art from urban clothing designers Acid…read moreCasuals. It's new, it's different and is offers some exceptional fresh talent from across Wales. It's definitely worth checking out if you like more of the modern arts and viewing the younger side of how artist perceive things.

I don't claim to be any sort of expert of Art but I certainly enjoy visiting exhibitions and…read morefinding new inspirations. Off the Wall takes its place in a beautiful old Victorian building and holds modern contemporary exhibitions, or sales if you can afford it. The atmosphere isn't at all stuffy and everyone is given a warm welcome. I've been to a couple of exhibitions and really enjoyed the selection of works on display. This would be a great place for anyone looking for some art work for their homes, or for investment and if there's nothing on display that you fancy the staff will try and find you something to your taste. Lovely place to visit, if a bit out of the way from the main shopping area.

Cardiffs newest gallery for contemporary art introduces a disparate range of modern, urban,…read morecollectable, edgy artwork to shake up the established roster of South Wales galleries by bringing something different to the walls of south wales. From Jamie Reids 'never mind the bollocks' screen print for the (in)famous Sex Pistols, through to well known names such as Peter Blake (Sgt Pepper Beatles album cover fame) and Welsh establishment hero Kyffin Williams the gallery also seeks to support the new with work from the freshest talent around and all with a visually intersting slant, and prices to suit a wide range of budgets. Located in Llandaff with lots of restaurants and coffee houses nearby, offthewall is worth a visit or go to their online galleryfirst to get a feel before you explore the work a first hand.

This is one of Wales's leading private, commercial art galleries, housed in a 19th century extended…read moretownhouse and specialising mainly in showcasing well known Welsh artists or Wales-based artists, both past and contemporary. The exhibition space is split across three levels, with a purpose built extension, and holds monthly solo exhibition in the Main Gallery alongside a changing temporary exhibition of art work across the remaining two floors - incorporating paintings, sculptures and prints. The gallery is currently holding its Summer Exhibition, then from 12 August there's an exhibition of new paintings by Sigrid Muller, running until 4 September. The website offers full details of what's coming up, but generally you can expect to see works by highly respected and well-established Welsh artists such as Gwilym Prichard, Shani Rhys James and Kevin Sinnott, as well as some of the best works by the younger generation of Wales's artists. Alongside these contemporary works, the gallery features work by past, 20th century leading Welsh artists such as Sir Cedric Morris, John Piper, Graham Sutherland, Gwen John, Augustus John, Ceri Richards, David Jones, Josef Herman, Peter Prendergast and Sir Kyffin Williams. It's a lovely, light exhibition space, and well worth a regular visit if you love discovering art both old and new.

Established in 1989, Martin Tinney is a private commercial art gallery in a central Cardiff…read moretownhouse location. They have gained themselves a good reputation for showing some of the best known Welsh and Wales-based artists across their three floors of exhibition space. Artists who have been exhibited in the space include Harry Holland, Sally Moore, Gwilym Prichard, Shani Rhys James, Kevin Sinnott, Evelyn Williams, Gwen John, Augustus John, Ceri Richards, David Jones, Sir Cedric Morris, John Piper, Graham Sutherland, Josef Herman, Peter Prendergast and Sir Kyffin Williams. The emphasis is on quality portraiture and landscape by leading names, and, as a commercial gallery you will not see the innovation of the newer artist-led gallery spaces such as TactileBosch, G39 and Swansea's Elysium Gallery. Less exciting, in my eyes then, certainly, but still worth a regular visit. There are monthly solo exhibitions in the main gallery, and a constantly changing exhibition of paintings, prints and sculpture on the other two gallery floors. The gallery also have an archive of work in their store, which may be viewed on request. Bonus Points? An Arts Council of Wales interest-free credit scheme is available for purchase of work by living artists.

If the regular Carling/Carlsberg/Stella-style options at your local bar are boring your palette,…read moredon't hesitate to head to The Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival, the Campaign For Real Ale's flagship annual three-day drinking fest in Wales. Always rolling out a list of barrelled British ales as long as your arm, with understandable emphasis on Welsh brewers, plus many German beers, every year brings a handful of comedic names - try ordering past example Pheasant Plucker after a couple of pints without accidentally insulting the serving staff. The cider and perry options are plentiful and strong, too. The festivalgoers vary from 14-pint-a-night rugby fan types to stereotypical beardy real ale enthusiasts and though admission is charged that does get you freebies (at the 2010 festival, for example, it was a fiver in with a free beer glass, and under 26s got complimentary beer tokens). The earlier you get there, the better the availability - arrive late on the last day and chances are stocks of most popular drinks will have been drained already. The downsides: the food choices could do with improving, although live entertainment/music will take your mind off any rumbling stomachs. And the venue, Cardiff International Arena, is somewhat grim and lit like a school assembly hall; you'll certainly be left wishing they had an outdoor beer garden. For anybody in doubt over the middling mark: the beer, ciders and perry ranges are as imaginative as such tipples come, it's just the venue makes it more likely that alcohol's depressing qualities will win out if you spend too much time there - and running for 12 hours every day, a serious drinking session is certainly on the cards for those who can last the pace.