St Athan
South Wales Aviation Museum
The museum at St Athan; past Cardiff Airport.
Distances are straight-line miles from Cardiff city centre; roads add a quarter to a half. Prices are adult admission from the gazetteer survey.
Nearest first
Aviation museums within 30 miles of Cardiff
| Museum | Miles | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Wales Aviation MuseumBarry, Vale of Glamorgan | 12.0 | £10 | 73 | The resident Harrier and a growing VC10/Tornado-era collection, most with steps and open canopies. Kids exit wearing thousand-yard grins. |
| The Helicopter MuseumWeston-super-Mare, Somerset | 14.5 | £15 | 108 | G-LYNX, the modified Westland Lynx that took the absolute helicopter world speed record (249.09 mph) in 1986 and holds it still; parked… |
| Aerospace BristolBristol, Gloucestershire | 26.0 | £20 | 14 | Concorde G-BOAF, the last Concorde ever built and the last ever to fly (26 November 2003, into Filton, forever). You can board her.… |
From the city
Days out from Cardiff
The Helicopter Museum is 15 miles in a straight line but across the Bristol Channel. Aerospace Bristol is 26 miles out via the M4. Both English museums are larger, but each is over an hour by road. St Athan, west of Cardiff Airport, is the easy one.
Across the Severn
Aerospace Bristol → The Helicopter Museum
Over the Prince of Wales Bridge to Filton, then the M5 to Weston.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is the nearest aviation museum to Cardiff?
South Wales Aviation Museum. It is about 12 miles south-west at St Athan.
Is there a free aviation museum near Cardiff?
None is listed as free in our July 2026 snapshot. The cheapest is South Wales Aviation Museum at £10.
Is the Helicopter Museum near Cardiff?
It is 15 miles in a straight line, but across the Bristol Channel. By road it means the M4 over the Severn.