The surrounding towns and villages are Pentyrch and Radyr to the west, Taff's Well and Caerphilly to the north, and Rhiwbina and Whitchurch to the south.

Many consider Tongwynlais as the entrance to the South Wales Valleys from Cardiff,[citation needed] with its famous landmark, Castell Coch, on a hillside.

To the north of the village is Fforest Fawr, a forest of about 100 hectares (250 acres) run by Natural Resources Wales.

It was built on top of the ruins of a 13th-century castle thought to have belonged to Ifor Bach, a local Welsh ruler.

[citation needed] Tongwynlais Brass Band has been in existence since the 19th century and continues to compete in national competitions as well as performing concerts.

[citation needed] Castell Coch Choral Society also does a lot of charitable work and has recently performed in the Czech Republic.

[citation needed] The Welsh glam metal band Tigertailz named a song on Disc 1 of their Thrill Pistol album "Tongwynlais Fly".