Cardiff as a City

Thanks to my stay abroad in Cardiff (United Kingdom) during the academic year 2017/18, this city that was completely unknown to me became one of my favourite places on earth. I experienced so many things and got to know the city so well that I will always have a beautiful memory of it. Therefore, I would like to tell you all of my thoughts and aspects about Cardiff that caught my attention, and there are many. In my other blog entries I will write about other topics, for example the university itself, university accommodation or other specific aspects of life as an Erasmus student in Cardiff.

So, here we go: Cardiff as a city.

First impressions and general tips

The first time I set foot on Welsh turf was in August 2017. My boyfriend and I arrived in Bristol (England), where you can find one of the most important airports in Great Britain, and the following day we took a bus to Cardiff*.

*In other blog posts I will explain all relevant transport links used to travel through Wales and the United Kingdom in general.

Once we arrived in Cardiff, specifically in the university area, my emotions weren't completely positive. There was hardly anyone in the street, everything looked grey. And this is one of the first reasons as to why I wouldn't recommend visiting Cardiff during the summer. Although this is the season where the weather in Cardiff is more appealing, the city is practically empty because the students, which are the driving force of the city, are on holiday.

After getting off the bus we directed ourselves through the centre of the city (Queen Street) and ate lunch in Burger King in front of a pretty merry-go-round. I felt disappointed, although later everything would change (as they always say, 'never judge a book by its cover'). Afterwards, we found our way to the hotel.

About the hotel. Cardiff, despite being a capital city, it's not a city made by and for tourism. In fact, I would say that it is made by and for students. Because of this, Cardiff isn't characterised by having a huge variety of hotels with a wide range of prices. More on the contrary actually. In our case, we stayed in the Park Inn Hotel by Radisson, Cardiff City Centre. It's a normal hotel, with a good location (right in the centre), and good customer service. Today I know of cheaper apartments or hostels in the centre, for example Mrs Potts Hotel or ML Lodge (which is very simple). In any case, I would never recommend staying in the Bay, which stays deserted until sundown and is quite far from everything (half an hour walk from the centre).

The city of Cardiff is distinguished by its small size, at least everything of tourist or general interest that is (like, for example, the important faculties of Cardiff University). Because of this, it's very easy to move around Cardiff on foot. Also, a bike is the best friend of many of Cardiff's inhabitants. For anywhere further away, the bus is comfortable although it's quite expensive (around €5 approx. for a whole day). A curious thing about Cardiff is to pay for the bus you can only use cash and, as well as that, the exact amount of change. If you give more money than necessary, they can't give you any change. *Now since the beginning of 2019, you can use contactless. In order to move around with a more specific timetable (for example if you've been out partying) UBER is an excellent option.

Another thing about this city that caught my attention and still does today, is the amount of homeless people that you see throughout the streets of Cardiff. A lot of them are young people that go up to every pedestrian asking for money. However, they aren't dangerous. At all. In fact the city seemed very safe to me, and I've never had any sort of incident of this kind. However it was something that attracted my attention and I thought it was best to add it to this post.

Tourism in Cardiff

Just as I said before, Cardiff is not a very touristic city, but there are enough things to do for three or four days. Here I'm going to recount what my boyfriend and I did.

First of all, Cardiff Castle, which may be Cardiff's most important tourist attraction. It is right in the middle of the city, so it's easy to find. We had a look but we didn't pay to go in. Entry costs almost €20, so we decided to save ourselves some money. Today I know that if you prove that you live in Cardiff (for example with a house contract), it's possible to get into the castle for around €6. That is definitely worth it.

Right next to the castle is the start of Bute Park, what we could consider as the Central Park of Cardiff. It's beautiful to walk through and you can also rent a little boat in the canal that takes you to the Bay (around €5 per trip).

Next to the City Hall is the National Museum Cardiff. It's an elegant building that has various temporary exhibitions and a permanent science exposition. It's worth a visit, and it's free!

In the centre of Cardiff there is also a market that sells some bizarre things, and it's where you can find the only fishmonger's in the centre of the city and its surrounding areas. In front of it is a pretty church where they give mass and free concerts.

The Bay. Quite far from the centre, but bustling and fun during the weekends where you can definitely have a good time. Full of restaurants, it offers a wide range of good food. Here you can also find TechniQuest, a science museum designed for children. In this case, entry is not free. The planetarium isn't worth it.

Also in the Bay you can find the Wales Millenium Centre, a building that puts on all sorts of shows. During our stay we were able to go to the musical 'Hairspray'.

Cardiff and the Rugby

In Cardiff, although there is a football-loving tradition, rugby comes first. Here the rugby is a reason to party, to go to the pub, to spend all day outside. In the centre of Cardiff there are two main rugby stadiums, one which is for the Wales team and where they play the Six Nations matches, this one is massive and called 'The Millenium Stadium'; and one for the smaller Cardiff team (Cardiff Blues), and this one is called 'Cardiff Arms Park'. Obviously, the prices of the more professional games are quite high, which is why I wouldn't recommend going to one of them if you don't know anything about rugby. My boyfriend and I went to a Cardiff Blues match, in order to experience the atmosphere that is generated by rugby, and it only cost us £5 (after showing my student card). We bought entry to the game an hour before it started.

Where the rugby is enjoyed the most is in the street or the pubs. Everyone goes out to the street to support their team, hundreds of people all over the word go to these events, and the pubs become filled with thousands of people. To go and see a rugby match in a pub in the centre of Cardiff is one of the most fun and strange activities that you can do in the city. Always accompanied by a good pint of beer as well, of course.

This is a brief description of the city that will be completed with my other blog entries more focused on my Erasmus experience. I hope that you've found it interesting.

Lots of love!

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