Why Cardiff 

A cosmopolitan city and Europe’s youngest capital, Cardiff is an ideal place to spend your university years.

Offering everything you would expect from a capital city - major sporting events at the Millennium Stadium, hundreds of different pubs, bars and clubs, world-class entertainment, arts and theatre, shops ranging from vintage boutiques to vast big-name high-street favourites, and chic waterside bars and restaurants in Cardiff Bay.

All the sights of the city are also just under an hour away from the spectacular natural beauty of the Brecon Beacons, and the famous unspoilt beaches of the Gower Peninsular. Small enough to be friendly, easy to get around, and relatively inexpensive, but big enough to offer all the best bits of living in a major city - you can’t beat being a student in Cardiff.

Cardiff is one of the best value University cities, according to The Royal Bank of Scotland's Student Living Index.
Top of the league two years ago (2007) and still in the top three – that’s consistent value!  A combination of relatively low living costs and rent and higher weekly earnings from part-time work have kept Cardiff at the top of the value table. 
 
The Index ranks Britain's major university towns by plotting average student expenditure on living and housing costs against income from term-time employment.
The research, conducted in 26 British university towns reveals that in a single academic year,  going to Cardiff could mean the average student is more than £2,400 better off. Find out more about Cardiff on a budget here.

From cosy live music venues to 1,000 capacity super-clubs, Cardiff's club scene is lively and varied.
Cardiff’s weekend nightlife scene centres around the city centre, Mermaid Quay in Cardiff Bay, and in the student areas of Cathays and Roath. Choose from a wide range of bars, pubs and clubs, and when the weather’s right, enjoy a drink on the outdoor terraces of Mill Lane or the Brewery 1/4.

 

International acts including Madonna, U2 and Robbie Williams have all performed in Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, and bands often stop off at large venues such as the Cardiff International Arena and Cardiff University Students Union as part of their UK tours. If you want to watch up and coming local bands and musicians, however, then head for the smaller live music venues such as the famous Clwb Ifor Bach, or the Cardiff Barfly. For more information on Cardiff's pubs and clubs click here.

Cardiff hosts a range of international and regional events, attracting people of all ages and tastes. From world famous artists, international sporting events, to local food & drink festivals, there will always be something to keep you busy.

To download a leaflet which lists the key events in the city and Cardiff Bay in 2008 click here (2,100 kb, pdf)
or for a more inclusive look at Cardiff's event highlights, click here.

Cardiff is a designated Centre of Culture with world class performance venues that attract thousands of visitors each year. The Wales Millennium Centre, St David’s Hall and the New Theatre look after the big set pieces in the performing arts. Chapter Arts Centre, The Point music venue and the Sherman Theatre offer an alternative buzz. FInd out more.

Whether it’s the charm of the Victorian arcades, the exclusivity of the City’s boutiques, the bustling indoor market, or the glossy high street brands of St David’s Centre, Cardiff has it in the bag. This and the advent of St David's 2, Cardiff's fantastic new city centre retail development opening in 2009, has helped Cardiff build a reputation as one of the UK’s top shopping destinations. The development, a £675m private investment will include over 100 new stores, 21 cafes, bars & restaurants, enhanced public spaces, modernisation of the existing St David's Shopping Centre and 304 luxury residential apartments. The development will provide Cardiff with a new Central Library, a 4-storey John Lewis department store and 4000 jobs in retail and leisure. Find out more