Porthcawl is on the South Wales coast about 30 km west of Cardiff and 20 km east of Swansea. The M4 motorway runs a short distance inland — leave at Junction 37 (Pyle) and follow signs south for about ten minutes.
There is no longer a railway station in Porthcawl itself; the branch line closed in 1963. The nearest stations are Pyle (about 5 km north, frequent buses connect) and Bridgend (12 km east, direct buses every half hour). Both are on the main London Paddington–Swansea line and reached easily from Cardiff in around 25 minutes.
Cardiff Airport is the closest, with limited European routes; most international visitors fly into Bristol or Heathrow and continue by train.