Cardiff

Wales' capital, Cardiff, is Europe's youngest, and one of its fastest growing, capital cities. As well as rapidly growing into a financial and communications centre in recent years, Cardiff has transformed itself into a vibrant, cosmopolitan, modern city, worthy of its title - the youngest capital city in Europe. Many exciting projects are giving the city an air of dynamism and newfound confidence.

Cardiff's population swells in September with the infux of thousands of students to the Capital. The city can offer accommodation to suit any taste and pocket. It has restaurants providing fine fare from all over the world, reflecting the cosmopolitan nature of this former port and the tastes of its people.

The good news for students is that Cardiff has earned top honours in Cost-of-Living University League Table from the Royal Bank of Scotland Student Living Index 2006 - a league table which ranks Britain's major university towns by cost-of-living.

Students will find that the city is so compact that nothing is more than 15 minutes away, which means they can spend a more leisurely time exploring the city. Within the one square mile of Cardiff’s bustling city centre are the big three attractions: the Millennium Stadium, the National Museum and Cardiff Castle. These attractions sit alongside luxury hotels, a network of shopping malls and arcades, and a wide range of restaurants, bars and cafes.

The 74,000-seater stadium, Millennium Stadium, built in 1999, helped place Cardiff firmly on the world sporting map and has played host to the Rugby World Cup, artists such as Madonna, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, U2 and the Rolling Stones, as well as the FA Cup Final for six years.

Cardiff Castle is just around the corner from the stadium, but has been there for around 2000 years longer. A fort was first built in Cardiff by the Romans in AD55 and further fortifications were added by the Normans in the 11th Century. Then, in the late 19th Century, the 3rd Marquess of Bute spent a portion of his vast fortune on an extravagant refurbishment, transforming the castle interiors into a Gothic, mock-Medieval palace.

A couple of minutes walk from the castle is another surprising find; the National Museum Cardiff. As well as extensive museum displays the gallery boasts one of the finest collections of Impressionist paintings outside Paris, including works by Renoir, Monet and Cezanne, bequeathed to the gallery in the mid 20th century by two wealthy Welsh spinsters – the Davies sisters.

Plenty of shopping can also be squeezed in between visits to the attractions. Pedestrianised streets, undercover malls and a network of Victorian and Edwardian arcades ensure that it’s easy to get around the hundreds of brand name stores, designer boutiques and quirky gift shops - many of them with a
Welsh flavour.

A 10-minute journey south of the centre, on the hop-on hop-off tour bus by direct ‘Bendybus’ or by train, is Cardiff Bay, the capital’s newest development. One hundred years ago the docklands were the hub of the world’s coal industry, transporting millions of tonnes of coal across the globe. The docks were left to decay after the decline of the coal industry, but have now been reborn into a popular tourist attraction. The Bay boasts a 200 hectare freshwater lake for sailing and watersports; the five star St David’s Hotel and Spa, cuisine from around the world in the restaurants in Mermaid Quay, and the new home for Welsh National Opera – the Wales Millennium Centre.

The centre was inspired by the Welsh landscape, language and culture; much of it was built with Welsh materials and it provides a suitably impressive stage for Welsh opera singers such as Bryn Terfel and Katherine Jenkins, as well as a wide variety of international musicals, ballet, theatre and modern dance. The Bay is also home to the ‘Doctor Who Up Close’ exhibition, where visitors can see monsters, costumes and props from the BBC Wales series – much of which was filmed in and around Cardiff, and the area is one of the mains settings for the BBC’s adult Doctor Who spinoff – Torchwood.

Another short 15-minute drive from the Bay takes you out to the beautiful Vale of Glamorgan. Nestled here are championship standard golf courses at the Vale Hotel, acres of vineyards producing award winning Welsh wines, and one of Britain’s most interesting and ambitious museums - St. Fagans National History Museum.

The museum features a variety of historic buildings from across Wales – all of which were taken apart brick by brick and carefully reconstructed in the museum to present a view of life in Wales over the last 500 years. The museum village features a working bakery, blacksmiths, saddler, tea shop and store, and you are guaranteed to hear Welsh, the language of heaven, in everyday use.
After 24 hours in Cardiff there is still the rest of Wales to explore of course. Cardiff's main train station provides links north to the Brecon Beacons National Park, west to the Pembrokeshire Coast or east to the Wye Valley.

Sporting history
Cardiff has a long association with sport. In 1958 the city hosted the British Empire and Commonwealth Games, now known as just the Commonwealth games. The Empire swimming pool, however, was demolished to make way for the Millennium Stadium – which hosted the Rugby World Cup final in 1999.
The stadium again made sporting history in 2005, when Wales won the Six Nations Grand Slam Championship for the first time in over twenty years.