Travel Advice for Wales v New Zealand at Principality Stadium

Heading to the rugby this autumn?

This November, the Principality Stadium in Cardiff will host three back-to-back weekends of international rugby as part of the 2026 Autumn Internationals. Whoever you’re cheering for, we’re here to get you to the game and home again, smoothly and safely.

What’s on?

Match	KO	Date	Location
Wales v New Zealand	14:10	Saturday 14th November	Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Wales v Australia	20:10	Saturday 21st November	Principality Stadium, Cardiff

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

Find out about road closures and travel advice for Wales v New Zealand on Saturday 14th November.

Anyone attending is strongly advised to plan their journey in advance. Please pay attention to listed prohibited items at the Principality Stadium – HERE, in particular the bag policy (no large bags permitted), before travelling into the city.

The M4 motorway is expected to be very busy due to these rugby matches – so please plan ahead – and avoid the congestion in Cardiff by using the park & ride 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 go to the HERE, or @TrafficWalesS on Twitter and Facebook.

Those attending the rugby match are strongly advised to plan their journey and get in early.  Please pay attention to the prohibited items listed at HERE, in particular the bag policy (no large bags permitted) before travelling into the city.

Road closures

There will be a full city centre road closure from 10am to 6:15pm.

From 7am, Scott Road and Park Street will be closed because of the need to prepare Gate 5 and protect queuing fans.

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

• Kingsway, from its junction with North Road to its junction with Duke Street.
• Cowbridge Road East, from its junction with Cathedral Road to its junction with Westgate Street.
• Tudor Street, from its junction with Clare Road to its junction with Wood Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted via Fitzhammon Embankment).
• Plantagenet Street and Beauchamp Street from their junctions with Despenser Place to their junctions with Tudor Street (access for residents and traders will be permitted).

The following roads will be closed in their entirety: 

• Duke Street, 
• Castle St, 
• 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 the junction with Newport Road to the junction with Churchill Way will be access for buses only from 3:30pm to 5pm. This is to help make sure there is reliable access for buses to Churchill Way.

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

Roads affected include:​

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

Additionally, Penarth Road will be closed 30 minutes before the match finishes and up to an hour after the final whistle, on safety grounds for train passengers arriving and departing from the train station.

TRAINS

An accessibility queue will be available at both Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street stations.

Great Western Railway (GWR)

GWR will run extra 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. The car parks at Cardiff Central Station will be closed.​ Passengers can park at the multi-storey car park at Central Quay.

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. A queueing system will be in place outside Cardiff Central to help people board trains safely.

​If you are travelling from further afield, check connecting services HERE. 
 

Transport for Wales (TfW)

TfW will provide extra capacity where possible on routes to and from Cardiff. 

A full queuing system will be in place with passengers travelling to the Valleys or the Vale of Glamorgan directed to Cardiff Queen Street Station after the match. All other queues including Ebbw Vale and Maesteg will be at Cardiff Central Station. 

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

For more information, go HERE. 
 

​Ticketing and pay as you go

Pay as you go is available on TfW and CrossCountry services across the South Wales Metro network (not valid on GWR services).

Find out ​more HERE.

Park & Ride facilities

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

The city centre drop-off point is Tresillian Way.

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

Please pre-book park and ride – HERE on the JustPark website to guarantee a space. 

You can also pay by card on the day. Cash payments are not accepted

Civic Centre Event Day Parking (Cars and Coaches)

Civic Centre

Parking for cars and coaches.

• Getting there: Exit Junction 32 off the M4, head south on the A470 towards the city centre and follow signage to the Civic Centre.
• Cost: £20 for cars and £30 for coaches. Card or pre-book only. Cash payments are not accepted.
• Parking time: The car park will open at 8am and close at midnight. 
   

Sophia Gardens​

Parking for cars.​

• Getting there: Exit junction 32 off the M4.
• Cost: £20 for cars. Card or pre-book only. Cash payments are not accepted.
• ​Parking time: The car park will open at 8am and close at midnight.

​Sophia Gardens car park will be staffed until 7pm. 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.
 

Shopping parking

City centre car parks are also available:

• North Road Car Parks
• St David’s Shopping Centre
• John Lewis
• Capitol Shopping Centre
• NCP (Adam Street, Dumfries Place and Greyfriars Road)

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: HERE

For Cardiff Bus services, please visit: HERE

For NAT services, please visit: HERE

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 match, 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 closures for each match.