January in Cardiff — the hardest end of the year
Hardest · 4.2/10January averages 5°C (41°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rainfall runs 74 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 8.1 hours of daylight.
It scores 4.2/10 here, 10th of 12 months, against 9/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on mid-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a packable rain layer.
Flexible dates? June scores 4.8 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
February in Cardiff — the hardest end of the year
Hardest · 4.3/10February averages 7°C (44°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rainfall runs 94 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 9.6 hours of daylight.
It scores 4.3/10 here, 9th of 12 months, against 9/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a packable rain layer.
Flexible dates? June scores 4.7 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
March in Cardiff: expect compromises
Hardest · 4.8/10Expect 7°C (45°F) in March. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
101 mm of rain signals a properly wet month, with only about 3 days with 6+ hours of sunshine to count on — build indoor options into the schedule.
That is 4.8/10 on the same scale — 8th of 12 months, versus 9/10 for the best month here.
Expect low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
If your dates are flexible, June is materially better in Cardiff — 4.2 points higher on the same scale.
April in Cardiff — middling scores, decent value
Trade-offs · 6.8/10April averages 9°C (48°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
Rainfall runs 64 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 12 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 13.6 hours of daylight.
It scores 6.8/10 here, 5th of 12 months, against 9/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for mid-season pricing, with crowds are moderate.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a packable rain layer.
Flexible dates? June scores 2.2 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
May holds up well in Cardiff — 4th best month
Good · 8/10Temperatures hover around 13°C (55°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
Budget for roughly 71 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 22 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 15.4 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 8/10 on the same scale — 4th of 12 months, versus 9/10 for the best month here.
Budget for mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer.
June in Cardiff — the year's strongest window
Best window · 9/10June averages 15°C (60°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Rainfall runs 49 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 26 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 16.4 hours of daylight.
On our climate-comfort scale this is the top-ranked month of the year for Cardiff at 9/10 — the reference point every other month on this page is measured against.
Plan for peak pricing, with crowds are moderate. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer.
July in Cardiff: strong conditions, 3rd of 12
Good · 8.2/10July averages 17°C (62°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
Rainfall runs 77 mm, so plan one flexible day in three; you still get about 20 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 16 hours of daylight.
It scores 8.2/10 here, 3rd of 12 months, against 9/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on peak pricing, with this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer.
August in Cardiff — one of the year's strongest windows (2nd)
Best window · 8.5/10Temperatures hover around 17°C (63°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
Budget for roughly 54 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 16 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 14.4 hours of daylight to work around it.
On our climate-comfort scale this is one of the strongest months of the year for Cardiff at 8.5/10 (2nd of 12), just behind June at 9/10.
Budget for peak pricing, and this is one of the busiest months here. You are paying the year's highest rates for the year's best conditions — book early or shift a few weeks either side.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer.
September in Cardiff: mixed conditions, plan around the weather
Trade-offs · 6.7/10Temperatures hover around 15°C (60°F) — the kind of month where neither heat nor cold forces the schedule.
Budget for roughly 96 mm of rain this month — a flexible day or two helps — with about 6 days with 6+ hours of sunshine and 12.4 hours of daylight to work around it.
That is 6.7/10 on the same scale — 6th of 12 months, versus 9/10 for the best month here.
Expect mid-season pricing, and crowds are moderate.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a packable rain layer.
If your dates are flexible, June is materially better in Cardiff — 2.3 points higher on the same scale.
October in Cardiff: mixed conditions, plan around the weather
Trade-offs · 5.1/10October averages 13°C (55°F), the range most people find easiest for walking a city all day without either overheating or losing daylight to weather.
At 116 mm this is a genuinely wet month: almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 5.1/10 here, 7th of 12 months, against 9/10 in the destination's best month.
Plan for low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack layers you can shed by midday plus one warm layer for the evening, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? June scores 3.9 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
November in Cardiff — off-season conditions
Hardest · 4.1/10November averages 9°C (48°F) — jacket weather. Comfortable for walking and museums, too cool for anything water-based.
At 121 mm this is a genuinely wet month: almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine in total, and outdoor plans need an indoor fallback.
It scores 4.1/10 here, 11th of 12 months, against 9/10 in the destination's best month.
Figure on low-season pricing, with crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
Flexible dates? June scores 4.9 points higher here — enough to change the trip.
December in Cardiff — off-season conditions
Hardest · 3.6/10Expect 7°C (44°F) in December. A good month for city streets, viewpoints and long meals; leave swimming for another season.
115 mm of rain signals a properly wet month, with only almost no days with 6+ hours of sunshine to count on — build indoor options into the schedule.
That is 3.6/10 on the same scale — 12th of 12 months, versus 9/10 for the best month here.
Expect low-season pricing, and crowds are light for this destination.
Pack a mid-weight jacket, long sleeves and shoes you can walk 15 km in, a proper rain shell rather than an umbrella.
If your dates are flexible, June is materially better in Cardiff — 5.4 points higher on the same scale.
