Cardiff is one of Europe's youngest capital cities (population of just over 300,000). Situated on the south-east coast of Wales, Cardiff has grown as a result of it's proximity both to the coal fields of the South Wales Valleys and to the coast. Today, the city has a growing national and international reputation as a vibrant multi-cultural centre for education, business, sport and the arts.

Cardiff is a young and thriving city with a large student population of over 20,000 students. Students benefit from the combination of a small, friendly, inexpensive city with the cultural and recreational amenities of an ambitious and progressive capital city and compares favourably with other UK cities in independent surveys on life style, cost of living, crime rates and the environment. The city has undergone extensive re-development and has recently been voted one of the top 10 destinations for shopping in the UK, with streets lined with well known high street stores, as well as independent shops and Victorian and Edwardian arcades. What's more the city is compact and there is a good public transport system making it easy to get around. South of the city centre is Cardiff Bay - Europe's largest waterfront development and home to a number of attractions, bars and restaurants.

Despite being the largest city in Wales, you can soon find yourself in beautiful green surroundings. We have many parks and gardens and Bute Park, right in the City Centre, is beautiful throughout the year, as is Roath Park and Lake located just on the edge of the popular student residential area.