"Small enough to be friendly and big enough to entertain"
Lonely Planet (Travel Guidebook)

Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, has something to offer everyone. It is a modern cosmopolitan city well known for its lively evening entertainment.

In addition to its excellent shopping facilities, pubs and restaurants, Cardiff is also home to the Millennium Stadium which is famous for hosting large sporting events.

Cardiff also has a historic past with a wonderful castle set in the heart of the centre, several museums, a Victorian market, and Edwardian arcades.

South of the city centre, Cardiff Bay is one of Europe's most attractive waterfront developments, with a number of trendy bars, restaurants and shops. In Cardiff Bay you will also find the National Assembly for Wales and the fabulous Wales Millennium Centre; home of the Welsh National Opera. Another new development in Cardiff Bay is the International Sports Village which among its facilities offers a 50-metre swimming pool, an ice-rink as well as an Olympic standard canoeing and white-water rafting course. It is likely that some events for the London Olympics in 2012 will take place in Cardiff.

Cardiff is an important university city and home to three universities with over 43,000 students. It provides an ideal environment for studying. As a visitor to the city, you will receive a warm welcome from people well-known for their hospitality.


Facts about Cardiff

• The population of Cardiff is 340,000
• Cardiff is a university city with over 43,000 students.
• Good location:
  Only 2 hours from central London by train.
• Easy to navigate:
  The centre is very compact with excellent public transport links.
• A shopper's paradise:
  Modern shopping centres and 7 Victorian and Edwardian arcades
• Close to Brecon Beacons National Park and the wonderful scenery and beaches of the Gower Peninsula.

Navigating the city

Cardiff city centre has a lot to discover in a relatively small area and is ideal to explore on foot. The city also has an excellent bus network and has recently introduced a "bike hire scheme" which allows people to pick up a bike from 10 locations around the city centre and Cardiff Bay. Some areas of Cardiff are also served by local rail.

www.keepingcardiffmoving.co.uk/
www.cardiffbus.com/