Cardiff (Welsh, Caerdydd) is the capital of Wales and is located in the south of the country. Though it had a reputation of being a rough, industrial city, Cardiff has changed dramatically in recent years. It is now a lively and modern capital city, gaining popularity with tourists interested in its history and culture. Once overlooked as it is now one of the United Kingdom's tourism hotspots, Cardiff has a little bit of everything. Summer is by far the best time to visit, as many of the attractions are outdoors.
Understand
Cardiff is located on the south coast of the south Wales plain, with a shoreline on the Bristol Channel. Cardiff is quite a flat city, a characteristic that helped it become one of the world's leading ports in the transport of coal from the rugged south Wales Valleys.
City
Cardiff's city center is located more in the southern portion of the city just north of Cardiff Bay. It is bounded by the historic civic centre and university buildings to the north and by the River Taff to the west.
History
Cardiff was proclaimed a city in 1905, and then made capital city of Wales in 1955. Given that it was always historically smaller than cities and towns such as Merthyr and Swansea it has achieved a meteoric rise to become the capital city today.
Profile
Cardiff has always had a strong sporting and cultural presence given that it was capital city and therefore plays host to most Welsh sporting events, especially since the opening of the Millenium Stadium. In fact one of the city's charms is when it plays host to matches and the atmosphere can be extraordinary.
However in the past it was quite a gritty and industrial city with manufacturing and industry playing a huge role in the city given that its ports were once the most important in the world. Notable milestones where when Cardiff Bay was the first area of modern Britain to be thought of as a multicultural area given the huge part immigrants played in the city's ports, and the world's first 'million pound' deal was also signed at the Bay's own Coal Exchange building.
In recent years however the city has moved away from its industrial past and been enriched by such developments as the cultural Cardiff Bay barrage area which now hosts famous and striking landmarks such as the National Assembly for Wales and the spectacular Wales Millenium Centre building. Massive investments have also been made throughout other parts of the city such as the in opening of the Millenium Stadium.
When to go
Cardiff is best to visit during late spring to early autumn as the warm weather adds to the city's pleasures, and allows maximum experience of all the sites and areas of the city, as most of the attractions are outdoor oriented.
Get in
By plane
The main airport is Cardiff International Airport. This is the only major airport in Wales and is situated some 12 miles to the south-west of the city in the Vale of Glamorgan. The airport is served by a number of airlines including low-costbmibaby which operates a number of domestic and foreign destinations and other airlines including Flybe, KLM and Thomsonfly. Domestic services operate daily to Manchester, Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh but the European route network isn't well developed at the moment although Amsterdam, Paris, Barcelona, Dublin and many other holiday routes such as Faro and Alicante, operate daily. Toronto and Vancouver are also available direct.
There are regular bus services from the city centre to the airport. Alternatively, you can also get to the airport using a rail service to Rhoose Cardiff International Airport Station, which is closer to the airport and on local rail lines where there are shuttle buses to the airport and there are frequent services to Cardiff Central.
It is often easier to fly to an airport in England such as Bristol International, which is only one hour away or even one of the London airports when visiting South Wales, as a greater range of airlines and cities flown from are available from there.
By train
Cardiff Central station is a major hub for many services and is in an ideal location being very close to the main city centre attractions and is in close proximity to Cardiff Bay. Arriva Trains Wales operate the vast majority of inter-Wales services with regular departures from Cardiff Central to the South Wales Valleys, Swansea, and a frequent service to North Wales. They also operate regularly to Manchester and Birmingham making Cardiff ideal to visit via rail. All inter-city travel is via Cardiff Central while Cardiff Queen Street station located near the eastern end of the city centre is the hub for Cardiff's Valley Lines services, connecting the centre of the city with the suburbs and commuter towns. Both stations are controlled by ticket barriers, so you will need a ticket to enter or leave the platforms. Ticket machines are located in the entrance of both stations and in Central station there are many maps that will help you plan your journey.
Cardiff Central is two hours from London Paddington by train. Trains depart half hourly during the day and are operated by First Great Western. These services also continue to Swansea. First Great Western run a service from Cardiff to Portsmouth Harbour via Newport.
Rail service provides quick and easy links to other interesting areas (such as Glamorgan and West Wales), making Cardiff a pleasant and cheaper place to use as a home base while exploring the surrounding areas.
The city itself has around 22 train stations located within its boundaries, with travel to North Cardiff especially accessible. While the system is not as comprehensive as other metro systems, travel to tourist attractions such as Cardiff Bay, Castell Coch and Barry Island can be easily and cost effectively reached by train.
By car
From London and the South East of England, Cardiff is most swiftly reached by taking the M4 motorway west across the Severn Bridge and into Wales. Journey times from Central London to Cardiff are usually 3 hours, although visitors from Heathrow could shave up to an hour off this time. Don't forget the bridge charges a toll to cross (cash only)! This is £5.10 at the moment for a car and usually increases by 10p each year. The M4 is also the main artery linking Cardiff with West Wales including Swansea, while the A470 road mainly links Cardiff with the South Wales Valleys. Travelling from North or Central England and Scotland the M50 links the M5 motorway with Wales and continues down to south Wales eventually linking with the M4.
Within Cardiff it is cheaper to find a train station and continue onto the city centre via train, as car parking within the city, although plentyful, can be notoriously expensive. However getting around the city in car is pretty simple, and even within the city centre it is quite easy moving around, although its best to restrict entering the city centre area during off-peak times as congestion can occur quite readily. Generally though the city centre is pretty compact and its much easier and cheaper to move around on foot.
By bus
National Express operate regular services to and from most major cities in England and Wales with Cardiff Central bus station, which is located in the forecourt of Central railway station making it quite easy to switch between train and bus.In addition MegaBus offer a regular service to London.
Get around
By Bus
Cardiff Bus offer a comprehensive network of services across the city, to the nearby City of Newport and to destinations in the Vale of Glamorgan. Fares could be seen as a little exorbitant given the unreliability of some of their services but nonetheless you won't have to wait anymore than around 10minutes for a bus to turn up. Some of their services run even more frequently usually around every 7/8mins (Monday-Saturday) on services to the east of the city. The central bus station is located in Central Square, in the forecourt of Central railway station, and maps are readily availabe that will help you plan your journey.Tickets are based on a zone system, but a 'Day to Go' ticket costs just 3 and offers unlimited travel across their network all day. Cardiff Bus also operate a frequent 'Baycar' service between the city centre and Cardiff Bay, which makes it easy to get between the main attractions, and is good value if you don't want to walk. Stagecoach also offer regular routes linking nearby towns, mainly in the South Wales Valleys, with the city centre.
Open top sightseeing buses operate regularly during the summer season but are extortionately priced at approximately £15 per person.
On train
It can be quite cost-effective, quick, and easy to visit areas with a local train station such as Llandaf Cathedral or Penarth Pier as services leave from both Cardiff Central or Queen St stations so check on maps for train services if you'd rather this than the bus.
On foot
Cardiff and especially the central area are pretty compact with the main attractions being quite close to each other making getting around on foot quite easy. Most sights are signposted to help you guide your way around the city centre and the bay.
On waterbus
For a different experience the River Taff Waterbus runs regularly during the summer season between the Millenium Stadium and Cardiff Bay. Tickets cost around 4 and are available to buy online.
See
Landmarks
Museums and Galleries
Do
Queen St is the major pedestrianised shopping street which is a five block shopping district that is closed to cars, so it is easy to walk from shop to shop. All the usual suspects, such as Marks and Spencer, Boots, Virgin, Topshop, etc. are here.
The Hayes is a nice peaceful area with more smaller shops with access to all the arcades and other side streets. The huge Howells department store is also on the Hayes.
The Central market is a must for anyone looking for a find whether it be arts and crafts or food.
Festivals and Events
Cardiff isn't well known for its festivals, but they are increasingly contributing to its development as a major tourist attraction and as most of them are concentrated in the summer months it ideal to visit then to make sure that you experience all the attractions and the festivals as an added bonus. Unlike Edinburgh, Cardiff is still pretty cost effective during the summer months so its ideal for those who don't want to go all out!
More information on other events can be found at www.cardiff-festival.com
Cinema
Cardiff has some of the best theatre and cinema in Wales and even across the UK, covering huge range including mainstream films, foreign and theatre.
Concerts
The Cardiff International Arena plays host to major bands and artists throughout the year. More information can be found at www.cia.co.uk.
Look out for events at the Millennium Stadium too.
Smaller gigs can be seen at many venues across the city including Barfly, The Point, Callaghans, Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff Students Union,and Buffalo Bar.
More 'sedate' concerts are frequently held at St Davids Hall and The Welsh Millennium Centre
Buy
Eat
Things are getting better in Cardiff for eating and it can be very difficult to book a table in the better restaurants on a Friday or Saturday evening. A useful guide to Cardiff Restaurants can be found at Cardiff Eating. As a rule of thumb Mermaid Quay and the city centre are jam packed full of a varied contrast of eateries so you can experience many different tastes within a small area.
Top End
Castell Restaurant in the Angel Hotel
The Armless Dragon
Benedictos
Le Gallois - Roughly translated from French it means "The Welsh". This is a fantastic gourmet restaurant specialising in bringing Gallic flair to traditional Welsh food such as cockles and lavabread. Expect to pay somewhere around £40 per head.
Middle
Cibo Italian Café on Pontcanna Street (at the non-city-centre end of Cathedral Road). Great little café-restaurant with superb food. Can get busy - booking strongly recommended. Expect to spend about 8-12 GBP for a main course.
Brazz (Cardiff Bay) serves good food, and is a stylish place to sit.
The Goat Major pub has some very good bar style food in an authentic Welsh atmosphere. Try the Welsh faggots (a type of meat ball) in peppercorn gravy.
Tenkaichi on City Road is great if you want fresh noodles and sushi.
Low End
The Prince of Wales - a great city centre location offering great food all day at some good prices considering its very central location.
There are lots of little Mom and Pop eateries with reasonable, plentiful and quite tasty takes on the Full English breakfast, sandwiches, fish and chips, etc.
Cafés
Café Mao is worth seeking out on Whitchurch road. Very good quality sandwiches for similar prices elsewhere.
City Canteen on Mount Stuart Sq is also worth a look
Drink
Cardiff is a place to drink, favoured by Stag and Hen Parties from all over the UK. St Mary St contains many pubs and clubs and becomes wild, exciting and sometimes dangerous on Friday and Saturday nights. There are numerous clubs only a block from the train station that are bumping into the wee hours.
For a quieter drink seek out Floyds above the clothing store.
If coffee is your drink of choice, there are at least six Starbucks outlets or try out Coffee #1 a local chain of coffee shops, Wood Street (neer Central Station) and on Albany Road.
Sleep
Bear in mind it can be very difficult to find rooms available when the Millenium Stadium is hosting events, especially when Wales play in rugby or football, so plan around the dates or plan early as it will be much cheaper.
Budget
Middle Range
Top End
Learn
Cardiff is home to around 30,000 students studying in various colleges and universities across the city.
Get out
Culture
:See List of cultural venues in Cardiff
Cardiff has a strong and varied culture, with sites varying from the historical Cardiff Castle and out of town Castell Coch to the more modern Wales Millennium Centre and Cardiff Bay which have raised the cities cultural profile considerably as a major tourist destination in the UK. It is also one of the UK's principal tourist destinations after London and Edinburgh, attracting over 11 million tourists in 2005. Cardiff was a finalist in the European Capital of Culture 2008.
Attractions
Cardiff is home to Cardiff Castle, the National Assembly for Wales, St. David's Hall, the National Museum and Gallery, and Cathays Park (including municipal buildings modelled on those in New Delhi), and the Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral. The Welsh National Opera moved into the Wales Millennium Centre in November 2004.
Cardiff Castle is a major tourist attraction in the city and is situated in the heart of the city centre, near to the main shopping streets of Queen St and St Mary's St.
Other major tourist attractions are the Cardiff Bay regeneration sites which include the recently opened Wales Millennium Centre and the National Assembly for Wales and many other cultural and sites of interest including the Cardiff Bay Barrage and the famous Coal Exchange. The New Theatre was founded in 1906 and completely refurbished in the 1980s. Until the opening of the Wales Millennium Centre in 2004, it was the premier venue in Wales for touring theatre and dance companies, and is located in the city centre.
Other venues which are popular for gigs include Cardiff International Arena and the Millennium Stadium.
Festivals
The Big Weekend Festival, is held annually in late July/August in the city centre and is the place for many theme park events, rides and regularly attracts annually over 200,000 visitors. The annual Cardiff Festival claims to be the UK's largest free outdoor festival and plays host to a range of different festivals including the Children's Festival that takes place in the grounds of Cardiff Castle.
Cardiff hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1883, 1899, 1938, 1960 and 1978, and is set to host it again in 2008. Cardiff is unique in Wales in having two permanent stone circles used by the Gorsedd of Bards during Eisteddfodau. The original circle stands in Gorsedd Gardens in front of the National Museum while its 1978 replacement is situated in Bute Park.
Every other year, Cardiff plays host to the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, a world renowned event on the Opera Calendar.
Cardiff Philatelic Society is the oldest Philatelic Society in Wales. It was formed in 1899.
The city now hosts The Cardiff Design Festival and began showcasing the best of Welsh design during the summer of 2005. Since then the festival has grown into a diverse range of designers exhibiting their wares at the 2006 portable exhibition.
Parks
Cardiff's centre is a particularly green one with Bute Park, formerly the castle grounds, extending northwards from the top of one of Cardiff's main shopping street (Queen Street); when combined with the adjacent Llandaff Fields to the north west it produces a massive open space skirting the river Taff. The popular name of Taffy, for the Welshman abroad has its origins in the name of the river. Other popular parks include Roath Park in the north, donated to the city by the 3rd Marquess of Bute in 1887 and which includes a very popular boating lake; Victoria Park, Cardiff's first official park; and Thompson's Park, formerly home to an aviary removed in the 1970s.
It is possible to cycle from Cardiff to Brecon almost completely off road on the Taff Trail, a cycle route which follows the River Taff and many of the old disused railways of the Glamorganshire valleys.
In 2006 Cardiff won the prestigious Entente Floral award for large cities the beauty of its parks and floral displays.
Music and nightlife
The Cardiff music scene is established and wide-ranging. It is the home to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Welsh National Opera. It has produced several leading acts itself and, as a Capital City, has acted as a springboard for numerous Welsh bands to go and become famous both nationally and internationally. These include Charlotte Church, The Automatic, Catatonia, Super Furry Animals, Jem, Funeral for a Friend, Lostprophets, Bullet for My Valentine, Stereophonics, Manic Street Preachers, Budgie, and Shakin Stevens among others.
Cardiff has a strong nightlife, well established in the UK, let alone Wales, and is home to many bars, pubs and clubs. Most clubs and bars are situated in the city centre, especially St Mary's St, and more recently Cardiff Bay has built up a strong night scene. The Brewery Quarter on St. Mary's Street is a recently developed venue for bars and restaurant with a central courtyard. Charles' St. is also a popular part of town, known for its gay clubs and bars, namely "Exit", "Club X" and "Pulse", rivalling Brighton for its UK gay scene.
Media
Cardiff is the base for a number of national tv broadcasters including BBC Wales, ITV1 Wales, S4C, and Capital TV - Cardiff's own local television service. The main local newspaper, the South Wales Echo and the national paper the Western Mail are based in the Western Mail and Echo building in the city centre. Red Dragon FM is the main radio stations serving South Wales, is based in the Atlantic Wharf. A number of other radio stations also serve and are based in Cardiff including Real Radio, BBC Radio Wales and BBC Radio Cymru.
Cardiff has been repeatedly mentioned in the revival (2005-) of the BBC TV programme Doctor Who, the series having been chiefly filmed in and around the city (it is made for the BBC network by BBC Wales). The mentions are a bit tongue-in-cheek, of the "So, after 900 years travelling time and space I'm going to die... in Cardiff !" variety – the show's producer and chief writer, Russell T Davis, is from Swansea. The 2006 spin-off show, Torchwood, is also filmed in Cardiff and set in the real-life modern city (as was one episode of Doctor Who: "Boom Town"). It has been claimed that 1 out of 5 tourists to Cardiff choose to visit after seeing it on TV (The Sun, Monday 17 April 2006).
There are also a number of magazines based in the city including Jazz UK, Buzz magazine and Primary Times.
Sports
The city has a regional rugby union team, the Cardiff Blues, who play in the Celtic League at their Cardiff Arms Park stadium. Cardiff also has several amateur rugby clubs too.
Cardiff has one main professional football club, Cardiff City F.C. who currently play in the English Coca-Cola Championship and are also known locally as the Bluebirds. Their current stadium is Ninian Park located to the south of the city, however a new stadium is currently under construction in nearby Leckwith, which is due to be opened in 2009. Cardiff has numerous smaller clubs such as Grange Harlequins A.F.C. and Ely Rangers A.F.C. who all play in the Welsh Football System.
Cardiff also has a county cricket side, Glamorgan CCC, who play at the city centre's Sophia Gardens ground, and will undergo a multi-million pound improvement in time to host a Test Match as part of The Ashes in 2009. Cardiff also plays host to a rugby league side, Cardiff Demons and a professional ice-hockey team, the Cardiff Devils. The Cardiff Marathon takes place in the city every October and attracts several thousand participants and spectators.
Cardiff is the principal home of the sport of Welsh or British Baseball, and hosts the annual England-Wales international game every four years, usually at Roath Park.
Cardiff hosted the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The Wales Empire Swimming Pool was demolished to make way for the Millennium Stadium. The pool is Swansea will remain as the Welsh National Pool until the 50 metre replacement pool will be built in Cardiff Bay as part of the International Sports Village. Of the venues used for the Games only the cycling track at Maindy remains. Cardiff also plays host to motorsport's World Rally Championship as part of Wales Rally GB.
The city also features an international sporting venue, the 74,500 capacity Millennium Stadium, where the Welsh rugby team and the Welsh national football team plays. The 1999 Rugby Union World Cup final was held at the Millennium Stadium, and also doubles up as a venue for other concerts and festivals. The first ever indoor special stages of the World Rally Championship were held at the Millennium Stadium in September 2005.
Government and politics
Cardiff is host to the National Assembly for Wales, which is situated in Cardiff Bay. The building which is now known as the Senedd (parliament in Welsh) was opened on March 1 2006, by the Queen. The executive and civil servants of the Welsh Assembly Government are based in Cardiff's Cathays Park while the Assembly Members, the Assembly Parliamentary Service and Ministerial support staff are based in Cardiff Bay.
Cardiff City Council is based at County Hall in Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff Bay.
Cardiff elects 4 AM's to the Welsh Assembly and 4 MP's to the UK Parliament. There is also an electoral region for Cardiff, South Wales Central, that provides top-up seats to parties in the Assembly. Cardiff is part of the Wales constituency in European Parliament elections.
Local government
Since local government reorganisation in 1996, Cardiff has been governed by The City and County Council of Cardiff. Voters elect 75 councillors every four years, with the next elections due to be held in 2008.
Following the 2004 local elections, no individual political party has a majority on Cardiff City Council. The Liberal Democrats have 32 councillors (33 were elected, but one councillor crossed the floor to Plaid Cymru) and have formed a minority administration, Labour have 27, the Conservatives have 12 and Plaid Cymru have 4. The Leader of the Council, Cllr Rodney Berman, is from the Liberal Democrats.
National Assembly for Wales
The National Assembly for Wales has been based in Cardiff Bay since 1999. Cardiff elects 4 constituency AMs to the Assembly, with the individual constituencies for the Assembly being the same as for the UK Parliament. All of the cities residents have an extra vote for the South Wales Central region which increases proportionality to the Assembly. The most recent Welsh Assembly elections were held on 3 May 2007.
Political representation
Cardiff is presently split into four parliamentary constituencies which form the electoral basis for elections to the United Kingdom Parliament and the National Assembly for Wales.
The constituencies and their representatives are:
Famous politicians who have represented Cardiff constituencies include:
Transport
See also: Transport in Wales
Cardiff is the major transport hub in Wales and is the focus for many arterial road and rail routes that connect the city to the rest of Wales and England.
Road
The M4 motorway is the principal motorway in the region that connects Cardiff with towns in West Wales such as Swansea and Carmarthen, and also cities in England, principally, Bristol and London. Cardiff is served by junctions 29-34 inclusive and is about 30-45 minutes from the Severn Bridge.
The A48(M) motorway is another motorway within the city, linking the M4 to the city centre and the eastern suburbs. The A470 is another major road within the city that provides an important link with the Heads of the Valleys, Mid and North Wales.
As with many other cities car traffic has caused congestion problems and as such the council has designated bus lanes to improve transport into and out of the city centre. The council has also revealed plans to introduce congestion charging, as in London, but only once there has been significant investment in the city's public transport network.
There are several road and rail bridges that cross the River Taff in Cardiff. These include the Clarence Road bridge, a comparatively modern bridge which replaced a swing bridge. The original bridge was named after the Duke of Clarence.
Cycling and walking
Much of Cardiff's central shopping zone is pedestrianised, and further pedestrianisation is planned as part of the current St David's 2 regeneration scheme.
Provision for cycling within the city is good, and the practice itself is made easier by the relative flatness of Cardiff. Despite its positive policies on health and environment, Cardiff Council continues to implement major transport and regeneration projects without properly integrating the urban cyclist.
The Taff Trail runs for 55 miles (88km) alongside the river Taff, from Cardiff Bay to the market town of Brecon in the Brecon Beacons National Park. On Sundays in summer the Beacons Bike Bus enables cyclists to take their bikes into the Beacons and then ride back to Cardiff along the Trail.
Bus
See Also: Cardiff central bus station
Cardiff has a comprehensive bus network, with council-owned Cardiff Bus providing the vast majority of routes in the city and as well as Newport, Penarth, Barry, Cardiff International Airport and Llantwit Major.
Cardiff Bus has introduced "bendy buses" on the popular 17 and 18 routes to Canton, Ely and Caerau and on the Cardiff Bay route.
National Express provides direct services to most cities in the UK, including high frequency services to nearby Swansea and Merthyr Tydfil.
Megabus also operates frequent discounted services to London.
Rail
Cardiff has its own metro system under the name of Valley Lines, which is operated by Arriva Trains Wales. There are eight lines which serve the 22 stations in the city, as well as towns in the South Wales Valleys.
Cardiff Central is the largest railway station in Wales with 9 platforms and one of the busiest in the UK. It provides direct services to major cities such as Bristol, Birmingham, London, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as serving as an interchange for services from South and West Wales. There is also a regular shuttle service to North Wales.
Cardiff Queen Street railway station is the second busiest in Wales and is hub for routes via the Valley Lines services that connect the South Wales Valleys and the Cardiff suburbs with the city centre and is situated on the north-eastern end of the city centre which is quite convenient for shoppers. This station also provides services to Cardiff Bay (from Platform 3), these do not call at Cardiff Central.
Cardiff benefits from having a centralised and integrated transport system. The central bus and train stations are sited together, at Central Square, in the centre of the city, allowing passengers to easily utilise both methods of transport in journeys.
Proposals to include a light-rail network in the city have been shelved due to rising costs.
Water
A waterbus operates hourly from Cardiff City Centre (Taff Mead Embankment) to Cardiff Bay, and from Cardiff Bay to Penarth.
Air
Cardiff and South & West Wales are served by Cardiff International Airport (CWL), the only large airport in the whole of Wales. It provides links domestially and internationally. It is situated in the village of Rhoose, 10 miles west of the city. There are regular bus services linking the airport with the Cardiff Central Bus Station as well as a train service from Rhoose Cardiff International Airport railway station to Cardiff Central.
Education
Universities and colleges
Cardiff is home to three major institutions of higher education: Cardiff University, founded
by Royal Charter in 1883, is a "red brick" university and member of the Russell Group of leading research led universities; University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) gained university status in 1992; The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama is a conservatoire established in 1949 and is based in the grounds of Cardiff Castle. The University of Glamorgan will also have a Cardiff campus from 2007.
The City also has two dedicated further education (FE) only colleges: Coleg Glan Hafren and St David's College, although FE is offered at most High Schools in the city.
Cardiff University was home to Millicent McKenzie who was possibly the first female in Britain to be addressed as ‘Professor’, becoming associate Professor in 1904 and full Professor in 1910.
Famous alumni of Cardiff University include Neil Kinnock, Glenys Kinnock, millionaire businessman and philanthropist Julian Hodge, the BBC newsreader Huw Edwards, and fellow BBC personalities Jeremy Bowen and Adrian Chiles.
Schools
Cardiff has eighty-three state primary schools (two bilingual, ten Welsh medium), and twenty state secondary schools, of which two are Welsh medium. There are also a number of independent schools in the City, including Llandaff Cathedral School, Kings Monkton and Howell's School, a single-sex girls' school (until sixth form). Notable schools include Whitchurch High School, the largest in Wales, and Fitzalan High School one of the most multi-cultural state schools in the UK; Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf the largest Welsh medium secondary in the country.
As well as academic institutions, Cardiff is also home to other educational and learning organisations such as Techniquest, a hands on science discovery centre that now has franchises throughout Wales. Techniquest is also part of the Wales Gene Park in collaboration with Cardiff University, NHS Wales and the Welsh Development Agency (WDA).
International Baccalaureate Organization
Cardiff is also home of the largest regional office of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IB). The curriculum and assessment centre, which is responsible for overseeing the creation and grading of various IB assessments is located in Cardiff, as are the offices of various professional support services.
Health
There are seven major hospitals in the city.
The University Hospital of Wales, which is also known simply as 'The Heath' or the 'UHW', is the third largest hospital in the UK and deals with most Accidents and Emergencies. Llandough Hospital is located in the south of the city. The city's newest hospital, St David's Hospital (built behind the former building) is located in the Canton area and provides services for the elderly and children. Cardiff Royal Infirmary closed in 1999 but reopened as a medical centre in 2003. There is also Rookwood Hospital, Llandaff and Velindre Hospital, and Whitchurch Hospital. BUPA has a hospital in the city which is located in Pentwyn.
Twinning
Cardiff has twinning arrangements with:*
Regions
Cities
Natives of Cardiff (Cardiffians)
References
Dan McCan
See also
External links
