Cardiff: A city reborn

Only two hours from Birmingham, Cardiff is a beautiful melting pot of Victorian and modern architecture; the city centre has undergone massive renovations in the last few years.

On top of boasting the highest concentration of Victorian, Edwardian and contemporary indoor shopping arcades of any British city, the huge development completed in 2009 has completely overhauled the south end of Cardiff, turning St David’s into one of the busiest shopping centres in the EU.

It’s amazing what you can find hidden away in the depths of the Victorian arcades. In Duke Street Arcade is Garlands – a cheap tea room/coffee house specialising in local food the local way. The hot chocolate is great with a slice of fresh homemade cake, but if your hunger is a tad larger than that then Garlands does an array of Welsh dishes.

Welsh rarebit, Glamorgan sausages and cawl are all on the menu, worthy of filling up the hungriest of bellies. If it’s earlier in the day they also do a great Welsh fry-up. It’s rarely full and quietly set away from the busy main streets, an ideal place for a casual lunch.

Cardiff is also an ideal location for sports fans interested in adding to the visited list. Alongside the multi-purpose Millennium Stadium, there are major venues dedicated to all manner of sports, from cricket to athletics to motor racing.

This year is the second time that the Welsh capital has been awarded the distinction of European City of Sport, having first held the honour as recently as 2009. Whichever sport you follow, Cardiff has a stadium for it.

The city also holds seasonal events throughout the year. In December, Cardiff’s Winter Wonderland opens, with a skating rink and a Christmas market overlooking the beautiful National Museum, which has been standing since 1927.

The museum, with free admission, is worth a visit, especially in winter. Its highlights include permanent exhibitions on natural history and geology, and one of the best collections of Impressionist art in Europe.

During the summer, Cardiff city puts on a whole array of events as part of Cardiff Festival from June through to August.

There’s a multicultural festival, celebrating Cardiff’s diversity, live music (Athlete and Feeder played the festival a few years ago), open air theatre productions, an international food and drink festival, the Welsh proms, carnival, Mardi Gras… The list goes on.

Cardiff Bay is an exceptionally beautiful spot during the evening. An empty mudlfat twenty years ago, it is now unrecognisable after a ten-year regeneration plan. Since 2000, it has become home to Roald Dahl Plass, the Senedd, the Welsh Millennium Centre and a waterfront full of restaurants, bars and cafés.

My personal favourite is the Turkish restaurant Bosphorus, a family-run establishment on top of a platform a few metres out into the water, allowing you to watch the sun set over dinner and the waterfront light up.

The Senedd, the Welsh assembly building, is very visitor friendly. It is also a fine example of what a building would look like if Ikea did government-building design.

The city is full of arts and music venues for post-dinner entertainment. In the Bay itself is the Welsh Millennium Centre, which puts on the biggest shows leaving London’s West End. For smaller, less mainstream productions, there is also the New Theatre, the Sherman and Chapter Arts Centre, among others.

And of course, there’s the Doctor Who experience, and the Torchwood shrine at Cardiff Bay. Groups of Americans pilgrimage to Wales every year to lay flowers at this shrine.

Cardiff is ultimately a cheap trip and offers the opportunity to experience a unique culture right on your doorstep.