The National Museum has three main focusses: animal life, palaeontology and art. The largest hall was called Evolution of Wales, covering the geology and palaeontology of Wales up until the end of the ice ages, which was very interesting. At the start, they show examples of the oldest rocks on earth, in the UK and in Wales and from that point, you walk through section by section in chronological order, seeing examples of life forms that lived in Wales. The natural life section shows the plant and animal life in various habitats in Wales, as well as some examples from further afield. Finally, the art galleries on the upper floor has a good selection of historical art - I'm not a great fan of modern art, so it is always a shame for me when space is taken away from expertly produced items of beauty to display things of "originality" instead. Although some of the galleries were closed for repair, there was still plenty of nice things to see up here, including a collection of ceramics. We spent about two hours here, the museum is free of charge.

This is one not to miss if you’re visiting Cardiff with kids in tow! We were greeted at the door by a really friendly and helpful member of staff, who took the time to talk us through the exhibits and recommended the best route for the limited time we had. The Natural History galleries were spectacular and so interesting. Dinosaurs, wolves, earthquakes, sea shells, a whale skeleton, a shark ready to eat its prey. The depiction of the coal forests - swamps that once covered South Wales - was fascinating. It’s not often that this type of museums showcases something so locally specific. It was a couple of hours very well spent. This combines the attractive slickness of a modern museum with all the natural history elements that children have always been interested in.

The paintings and sculptures are thoughtfully and sensitively displayed, and I enjoyed 2 hrs plus of total immersion! The downstairs was overrun with kids but looked great too. There’s a good shop and cafe as you’d expect!

All round a fantastic museum with a world classic Arts gallery filled with local and international pieces from some of the world most renowned Artists. The Musuems Architecture is grand, opulent and gives a real sense of space as you wonder around. The natural history, Geology and animal sections are very well put together and don't look tired. Cafe in the central aatrium is lovely

Beautiful building, evolution of Wales and natural history sections interesting but in need of updating with more scope for interactive exhibits. Cafe and Oriel restaurant both disappointing - no food in the Oriel restaurant just before 12 and no menu in the foyer restaurant with an odd display of sandwiches with no descriptions. There could also be better signposting as to what’s on near the main entrance.

This is a beautiful building with a fascinating museum. The museum is free to visit but sometimes special exhibitions inside are paid. There are natural history as well as art exhibits here and one can easily spend two to three hours taking it all in.

Congratulations to the NMW for the Art of the Selfie exhibition. Although and understandably, relatively small in number, the pieces chosen form an interesting, diverse and inspiring collection. Many may well go solely to see the Vincent Van Gogh painting which is sited opposite the door and is the first piece to be seen on entering the room. Siting it so does tend to remove any aspect of anticipation for the visitor but that shouldn't detract from the experience. For what it's worth, I found my first visit to the exhibition to be almost an emotional experience. No matter how many times I had seen the painting on some sort of screen or in a magazine etc, seeing it in person and being able to get close enough to see the detail, intricacy and intimacy of the brush strokes, provoked a response in me that was something I wasn't prepared for. And, as much as I found the Van Gogh wonderful, I found the Francis Bacon painting unexpectedly breathtaking and beautiful. Hope that all doesn't sound too pompous or precious!

I always love to see every towns Art Museum and Gallery and this was no disappoint. With art spanning from 1900 to modern, there was something for everyone. I hope it doesn’t close. Cardiff is a large Welsh city, it doesn’t really have much going for it as a tourist destination, but this and the castle and a quick visit to a Cardiff Bay can justify spending a day there.

Excellent museum and art gallery with wonderful displays. But avoid cafe at all costs. Truly terrible. Bought what was described as a cheese and coleslaw sandwich and all I could taste was the cheap margarine spread. Neither the cheese or coleslaw tasted of anything.

Top job of showcasing the Welsh experience in the context of the UK and the world. Perfectly curated. The Natural History Museum is the downstairs and the Art galleries are up. Sweet assortment of French Impressionists and a lovely painting by Van Gogh that I was not familiar with. See photo. Zoom in and see how Van Gogh captured the falling rain! The Welsh mining and the Valleys concentration in many galleries is educational for a non-Welsh person.