City of Cardiff
With a population of around 350,000, Cardiff is the capital city of Wales and the tenth-largest city in the UK. Compact, friendly and packed with a multitude of popular attractions, top-class entertainment and stunning architecture, it’s no wonder that Cardiff is a popular place to buy a new home.
Situated on the River Taff and host to no less than three universities, including the Russell Group member Cardiff University, Cardiff is an extremely well-respected educational hotspot, and also boasts the prestigious Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. The city’s rich and varied architecture ranges from the four historic castles dotted across the city to the modern vistas of Cardiff Bay, home to the Welsh Assembly in its impressive Senedd building. With world-class cultural and sporting venues, excellent shopping and great transport links, it’s a fantastic place to call home.
There's plenty to do in the local area
You’ll find a diverse and family-friendly entertainment and leisure scene to suit every taste in Cardiff, including theatres, sport, live music, opera and ballet. A rich collection of museums and art galleries is also present, with award-winning national attractions such as the Millennium Centre, the Doctor Who Experience and the National Museum Cardiff. The iconic Millennium Stadium, home to the Welsh rugby team, has over 74,000 seats and hosts a myriad of musical and sporting events in the city. Having twice won the European City of Sport award, Cardiff’s impressive sporting heritage is evident throughout the city, with a wide range of sporting facilities and venues.
A shopper's paradise
Aside from its host of world-class cultural and sporting gems, Cardiff is also an extremely popular shopping location, with the vast St David’s Centre complex, main shopping streets and multiple Victorian shopping arcades just some of the retail options available in the heart of the city. Offering a range of both independent and high street shopping choices, as well as a vast indoor market, Cardiff really does have something for everybody.
Great transport links in Cardiff
The compact nature of the city centre means cycling and walking are popular transport choices for Cardiff residents within the city, with the Taff Trail offering a beautiful cycle and walking route between Cardiff Bay and the Brecon Beacons National Park, through many of Cardiff’s parks and green spaces. For travel further afield, Cardiff is the focus for many key rail, bus and road routes, making it an extremely accessible city and the main transport hub in Wales. Served by the M4, the A470 and the A43232, Cardiff is easily reached by car.
Cardiff Central is a mainline station in the city centre and is very well-served by the rail network, with direct services to many major cities, including London, Birmingham and Bristol. A second train station in the city is Cardiff Queen Street, which is the hub for services to the South Wales Valleys, Cardiff Bay and the Cardiff suburbs.
Cardiff has a large bus network, mostly operated by Cardiff Bus, which provides a variety of services both within the city and further afield. The bus network’s hub is Cardiff Central Bus Station. There are also two boats running a water bus service within the city along the River Taff from Bute Park to Mermaid Quay.
Cardiff Airport (CWL) is located 10 miles from the city centre and runs a wide range of international routes.