Barry Island for 2 Days Staycation | Weekend in Barry Island Wales
As a resident of Barry Island, I know local tips, diamonds to visit and how to get the very best out of a Barry Island for 2 days staycation.
Barry Island is a (former) island, steeped in entertainment history such as Butlins, Barry Island Pleasure Park, numerous night venues, arcades and famous Gavin & Stacey. In this itinerary, you will see the top things to do in Barry Island including the local hangouts and best doughnuts in South Wales.
Enjoy your weekend in Barry Island Wales!
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How to Get to Barry Island
Just 20 minutes outside of Wales’ capital city of Cardiff, Barry Island South Wales is the place for you!
By Car, Cardiff to Barry Island is just 20 minutes (in good traffic so on a hot day, count about 40 minutes). The Barry Island postcode is CF62.
By Train, the direct line runs from Merthyr Tydfil, through Cardiff Central to Barry Island (the final stop) in 30 minutes for just over £5.
By Bus, the 94 is the main Cardiff Bus that runs Barry Island to Cardiff but allow around an hour for this.
By Air: Cardiff International Airport is actually closer to Barry than Cardiff. Here you can book your transfer from the airport to your Barry accommodation.
Where To Stay Near Barry Island
There is only a handful of accommodation in Barry Island unless you opt to stay in Cardiff and get the 30-minute train to Barry. I’ve listed the closest options here as there aren’t actually hotels in Barry Island.
If you want to stay on Barry Island, there’s just one option which is Gail’s Guest House, a bed and breakfast located in the residential area of Barry Island, a stone’s throw away from everything on this Barry staycation itinerary.
Previously known as the Mount Sorell, the best option for Barry Island hotels is The Mount Rooms. This accommodation is just a 5 minute drive to Barry Island or about a 20 minute walk. This is the one of the closest hotels near Barry Island beach.
For places to stay in Barry close to Cardiff Airport (actually located in Barry) is Celtic International Hotel with budget prices but accessible only by car to Barry Island about 15 minutes away.
For a brand new type of accommodation, try Goodstay Barry. Book Goodstay by Urban Space which is on the Waterfront development and with the new road leading to Barry Island, it’s just a 5/10 minute walk to the Island.
Note: camping in Barry Island is allowed but there aren’t many good options because of the unpredictable waves and weather for Barry Island!
Use booking.com to find other options for places to stay in Barry Island in the box below:
Booking.comBarry Island Holidays – Day 1
Morning
Beginning your weekend in Barry Island, head to Whitmore and Jackson for breakfast/brunch in a cool place or if it’s nice, on chairs outside. They also do a classical British Afternoon tea for your staycation Wales!
After breakfast, it’s time to hit the famous Whitmore Bay beach, the most popular of things to do in Barry Island! If you’re on the beach with your back to the sea, every wall is numbered and easy to find friends/know where you’re sitting and either end are Eastern/Western Shelters. I like sitting by the Eastern Shelter personally.
Rent a deck chair, build some sandcastles, go for a swim!
Barry Island beach postcode – CF62 5TQ
Wall 1 
Rent a Deck Chair Here
Afternoon – Things to do in Barry Island
Midday/1pm is the hottest part of the day which means the best time to relax with a sweet treat! Get some Ice Cream or a Dessert at Zio’s Gelateria located under the shelter with gorgeous views of the beach.
Right in the centre of the promenade is an activity enjoyed by people of all ages: mini-golf! This one, Smugglers Cove, is pirate-themed so grab a club and get competitive!
Barry Island Gavin & Stacey
You can’t visit Barry Island for a day trip without enjoying everything Gavin & Stacey and is the main thing searched for what to do in Barry Island.
Near Zio’s is where you’ll find Nessa’s Slots, you can take a picture with the cast at Marco’s Cafe (where we’ll visit for coffee tomorrow) and Dave Coaches’ bus stop.
Living on Barry Island, I watched them filming scenes and met the cast. I’ve written the ultimate guide to Gavin & Stacey filming locations in Barry with insider tips.
You can book a guided Gavin & Stacey tour with Viator or Get Your Guide below:
Best Place for Fish and Chips Barry Island
We’ve seen chippies come and go on Barry Island, from wrapped in newspaper to today’s polystyrene cups. There’s lots of places selling fish and chips on Barry Island but in my opinion these are the best:
- Boofy’s under the shelter and another place visited in Gavin and Stacey. Also recently visited by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
- O’Sheas (next door to Boofy’s) for takeaway Barry Island fish and chips.
- Finnegan’s Inn Chippy is, hands down, the best place on Barry Island for fish and chips and Finnegan’s Inn is the best Barry Island restaurants.
Related Post: Goodsheds Barry Food
Evening
Get some drinks/slushes at Finnegan’s Inn beer garden and watch the world go by at the entrance of Barry Island at night. Finnegan’s Inn is also the pub next to Barry Island train station so perfect if you’re waiting for your next train.
For an evening stroll, walk from Barry Island to Friar’s Point or the Harbour where you can gaze at a lovely sunset to end your first day of Barry Island weekend.
Tip: If you need a Barry taxi number, try A2B on 01446 747500 or 1st Line on 01446 722888.
Read Next: 13 Things to Do in Cardiff, Wales
Barry Island Staycation for 2 Days – Day 2
Morning – What to Do in Barry Island
Start another morning at Barry Island which is the quietest time of day with a coffee at Marcos (where Stacey worked in series 3 of Gavin & Stacey).
Be sure to grab the best doughnuts on Barry Island from a little shop nestled between the arcades. Buy three for £1 and when they come warm, they’re proper lush! You cannot spend a weekend in Barry Island without trying these doughnuts!!
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Jacksons Bay Barry
The second morning of your Barry Island staycation takes you to a local secret called Jackson’s Bay. It’s a treasure and take it from me, you’ll appreciate knowing about this bay because it’s way less crowded than Barry Island beach. Also, even if Barry Island weather is taking a turn for the worse, there’s still an air about Jackson’s that makes you want to stay.
The coastal walk is lovely to reach from the main beach and this smaller beach is less-crowded and you’ll feel like you’ve seen more than meets the eye of the Island.
How to Get to Jackon’s Bay
- Start on Barry’s main beach and walk on the promenade, under Eastern shelter, past the colourful beach huts until you reach a coastal path.
- Walk the path that has a small incline and at the top you’ll reach Nell’s Point.
- From here, walk on the path with the ocean directly on your right.
- Follow the path as far as it goes and you’ll reach glorious Jackon’s Bay!
From Jackson’s Bay, you can see Flat Holm and Steep Holm which you can also visit on a longer Barry Island staycation.
This Cardiff & Vale Guided Tour visits Barry Island and 11 other places of interest!
Afternoon in Barry Island
Barry Island Fair – One of the Best Barry Island Things to Do
Welcome to Barry Island Pleasure Park!
The fairground and Barry Island are almost synonymous so going on the rides is an unmissable thing to do on a Barry Island weekend. You can buy tokens and spend hours of fun looking at the view over Barry while screaming from the thrill of course! Unfortunately, Barry Island log flume is no longer with us 🙁
Tip: The Barry Island theme park is also so fun to enjoy at nighttime. The full view of Barry as the sun sets is a lush way to end your weekend in Barry Island.
Barry Island Arcades
There are so many arcades to choose from on Barry Island too and will probably take up a large chunk of your day from the tuppenny pushers to dance mat to air hockey to the grabbers! I love the arcades and have spent my whole childhood enjoying Carousel, Dimes and Caesar’s Place to name a few of the popular Barry arcades.
Cocktails on Barry Island and Evening Meal
You can relax after a long weekend in Barry Island activities by enjoying a cocktail and some food.
- Try Rumba for an afternoon cocktail overlooking the Island in the old Dolphin pub. Next door they have Teddy T’s which is an American-style diner where you can get tea.
- You can get a slush at Enzo’s, a small bar near that doughnut place I keep going on about.
- Visit Finnegan’s Inn for a sit-down meal to end your 2 Day Staycation in Barry Island.
Snacks & Souvenirs
I’ve already mentioned the doughnuts you have to try but other snacks to try in Barry Island include crab-sticks from the local seafood bar, a burger from Piccolo, ice-cream from Cadwaladers and of course, candy floss!
Stay local by shopping at the Barrybados Shop called The Beach Hut. Get a Barry Island stick-a-rock, BarryBados towel and to keep social distancing, a Nessa’s ‘Oh, Back Off’ t-shirt!
There you have it, a weekend in Barry Island itinerary written by a local! Thanks for reading, hope you love the Island as much as I do!
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