The city centre in Cardiff is an area riddled with alleys and arcades, as well as a number of small shopping centres, including the Capitol, St. David's Centre and Queen's Arcade. Some of the main streets are:
Queen Street (Welsh Heol y Frenhines) - after which a local railway station is named (the station is actually on Station Street) - is the main pedestrianised shopping street in the city. The junctions at either end of the street look somewhat distorted, since until 1974 vehicular traffic was permitted along its length. It meets Newport Road at its eastern end, Duke Street at its western, and Park Place approximately half-way along. Further down Park Place is the New Theatre, the civic centre and a number of buildings owned by Cardiff University (most notably, several entire terraces). A local landmark is Principality House, head office of the Principality Building Society .
St. Mary Street (Heol y Santes Fair) and High Street (Stryd Mawr) - this length is the home of a number of bars and restaurants, including the Cardiff Hard Rock Cafe, as well as branches of many major banks. It is usually closed south of the junction with Wood Street at weekends, to allow the efflux from night clubs and pubs located in that part of the street to clear. The Prince Of Wales (a J D Wetherspoon establishment) is a particular problem, both due to its high capacity, and its main frontage onto Wood Street (which stays open).
The Hayes (Yr Aes) - this is where the local department stores Howells (part of the House Of Fraser group) can be found, and was previously the location of another department store, David Morgan. There is also the old library (now a pub and wine bar ), and a statue of John Batchelor. A well-known landmark both locally and nationally is St. David's Hall - a large concert hall and exhibition centre, which frequently houses major acts as well as opera productions by the Welsh National Opera company.
