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Home News Travel Advice for the Wales Autumn Internationals at Principality Stadium

Travel Advice for the Wales Autumn Internationals at Principality Stadium

Thursday, 8 October 2026

 

A series of road closures will be put in place in Cardiff city centre for the Wales Autumn International matches at Principality Stadium this November.

The fixtures are:

  • Saturday 7 November – Wales v Japan, kick-off 4.40pm
    Road closures: 12.30pm to 9pm
    Station Terrace restrictions: 6.15pm to 7.45pm
  • Saturday 14 November – Wales v New Zealand, kick-off 2.10pm
    Road closures: 10am to 6.15pm
    Station Terrace restrictions: 3.30pm to 5pm
  • Saturday 21 November – Wales v Australia, kick-off 8.10pm
    Road closures: 4pm to midnight
    Station Terrace restrictions: 9pm to 10.30pm

The M4 motorway is expected to be very busy on all three match days, so visitors are advised to plan ahead and avoid congestion in Cardiff by using the park and ride service at the car park by the Vindico Arena on International Drive in the Sports Village, CF11 0JS.

For up-to-date traffic information on the motorway and trunk roads, visit the Traffic Wales website or follow @TrafficWalesS on X and Facebook.

Those attending any of the matches are strongly advised to plan their journey and arrive early. Please check the prohibited items list at Principality Stadium, particularly the bag policy, before travelling into the city.

All those attending these events and wishing to park their vehicle, or book the park & ride are strongly recommended to pre-book through the following link: https://www.justpark.com/uk/event-parking/cardiff-council

Road Closures

From 7am on each event day, Scott Road and Park Street will be closed to allow preparations at Gate 5 and to protect queuing fans.

The following roads will be closed as part of the full city-centre road closure during each event:

  • Kingsway, from North Road to Duke Street.
  • Cowbridge Road East, from Cathedral Road to Westgate Street.
  • Tudor Street, from Clare Road to Wood Street (resident and trader access via Fitzhammon Embankment will be maintained).
  • Plantagenet Street and Beauchamp Street between Despenser Place and Tudor Street (resident and trader access maintained).
  • Duke Street, Castle Street, High Street, St Mary Street, Caroline Street, Wood Street, Central Square, Westgate Street, Quay Street, Guildhall Place, Golate, Park Street, Havelock Street and Scott Road.
  • Station Terrace and Guildford Street, from Newport Road to Churchill Way, will be restricted to buses only during the closure periods to maintain access to bus satellite stops.

Additionally, Penarth Road will close approximately 30 minutes before the end of each match and remain closed for up to one hour after the final whistle to help manage rail passenger movements safely.

Civic Centre Access

Access to part of the Civic Centre will be controlled throughout the day, with entry permitted only for event parking, limited commuter parking, loading activities and access to private car parks.

Roads affected include:

  • King Edward VII Avenue
  • Museum Avenue
  • City Hall Road
  • College Road
  • Gorsedd Gardens Road

Trains

Great Western Railway (GWR)

GWR will run additional services to and from Cardiff Central for the Autumn Internationals.

Extra trains will operate between Cardiff and Swansea, Newport, Bristol and London; with plenty of parking available at station car parks.

All trains before matches will be reservation only, so customers should book seats in advance to avoid disappointment.

Trains immediately following the internationals are expected to be very busy and a queueing system will be in place outside Cardiff Central to help people board trains safely.

Those travelling from further afield should check connecting services at www.gwr.com/check.

Transport for Wales (TfW) will provide additional capacity where possible on routes to and from Cardiff for the Autumn Nations Championship fixtures.

A full queuing system will be in place for all three fixtures with passengers travelling to the Valleys or the Vale of Glamorgan directed to Cardiff Queen Street station after each fixture. All other queues including Ebbw Vale and Maesteg will be at Cardiff Central station. An accessibility queue will be available at either station.

All travelling fans are encouraged to plan ahead and allow plenty of time for their journey as conflicting football events is also taking place, with services expected to be busy.

Cardiff Bus Interchange station will be closed in line with local road closures and as preparations begin for the Cardiff Central enhancements programme the station car parks are permanently closed. Passengers can park at the multi-storey car park at Central Quay.

Pre and post-event revenue checks will take place at Cardiff Central, passengers should purchase their rail ticket before entering a queuing system.

A reminder that pay as you go is currently available on TfW and Cross Country services across the South Wales Metro network (Not available on Great Western Railway [GWR] services).

Passengers using pay as you go payment method should tap in at their departure station and then tap out using same payment method via the dedicated pay as you go revenue lanes when exiting at Cardiff Central. Transport for Wales volunteers will be available to assist with tapping in and out.

For more information visit – Nations Championship | Transport for Wales

Park & Ride facilities

The event park & ride facilities will be using the car park by Vindico Arena on International Drive in the Sports Village, Cardiff Bay – CF11 0JS.

The drop of point in the city centre is Tresillian Way

  • Saturday 7 November – Wales v Japan.

The first bus will leave at 10am, with the last bus leaving at 8pm.

  • Saturday 14 November – Wales v New Zealand.

The first bus will leave at 10am, with the last bus leaving at 6pm

  • Saturday 21 November – Wales v Australia

The fist bus will leave at 12 noon, with the last bus leaving at 10pm.

The park & ride facility can be pre-booked through the following link: https://www.justpark.com/uk/event-parking/cardiff-council

Alternatively, payment can be made by card on the day, but cash payments will not be accepted.

Civic Centre Event Day Parking (Cars and Coaches)

All those attending these events and wishing to park their vehicle are strongly recommended to pre-book through the following link: https://www.justpark.com/uk/event-parking/cardiff-council

Getting there: Exit Junction 32 of the M4, head south on the A470 towards the city centre and follow signage to the civic centre.

Cost: £20 payable on the day for cars and £30 for coaches – Card or pre-book only. Cash payments will not be accepted.

Parking time: The car park will open at 8am and closes at 12 Midnight.

Event Day Parking at Sophia Gardens

All those attending these events and wishing to park their vehicle are strongly recommended to pre-book through the following link: https://www.justpark.com/uk/event-parking/cardiff-council

Getting there: Exit junction 32 off the M4

Cost: £20 for cars and £30 for coaches – Card or pre-book only. Cash payments will not be accepted.

Parking time: Car park opens at 8.00am and closes at 12 midnight.

Please note: Sophia Gardens car park will be staffed until 7.00pm all vehicles are left on site at the owner’s risk. Cardiff Council will not be held responsible for any theft or damage to motor vehicles or personal possessions. Any vehicles left in the car park after closing time will be fined.

Bus

Local buses:

Bus services will be diverted while the city centre road closures are in place

Please visit the relevant bus operator’s website for more information about your specific bus routes.

For Stagecoach services, please visit: Welcome to Stagecoach (stagecoachbus.com)

For Cardiff Bus services, please visit: https://www.cardiffbus.com/principality-stadium

For NAT services, please visit: https://www.natgroup.co.uk/

National Express:
 
National Express coaches will use Sophia Gardens as usual.

Can you cycle or walk?

The cycleways and the pop-up cycleways within the road closure area will remain open for cyclists to use during the event, but due to the number of people expected to attend the rugby matches, we ask all cyclists to take due care and attention.

The road closures apply to all motor vehicles of any kind, but not to bicycles with pedals.

Those who live locally in Cardiff may want to travel by bicycle or walk. Research shows us that 52% of car trips made in the Welsh capital are less than 5km. This is a distance that can be comfortably cycled in 20 minutes.

We also know that 28% of Cardiff residents who currently do not cycle would like to do so.

When the roads are congested this makes cycling an even more attractive option as travel by bicycle would be quicker than a car during rush hours or during big events.

Shopping Parking

City centre car parks are also available: North Road Car Parks, St David’s Shopping Centre, John Lewis, Capitol Shopping Centre, and NCP (Adam Street, Dumfries Place and Greyfriars Road).

Disabled parking

Disabled drivers are advised to use Sophia Gardens. Disabled parking is also available at various private car parks.

Please check individual websites for availability.

Taxis

St Mary Street taxi rank will close in line with the road closure times for each event.