International Student Accommodation - Go Live It

The City

Cardiff, or Caerdydd if you’re feeling brave enough to try a little Welsh, is the vibrant and exciting capital of Wales, situated on the coast of the Bristol Channel. To understand Cardiff and Wales in general, one should keep in mind a few basic facts of history:

From the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284, Wales has been politically integrated to England. Nevertheless, nationalist aspirations started to emerge in the 19th century and the Principality of Wales gradually regained some degree of autonomy. In 1955, Cardiff was officially recognised as its capital, and in 1999, devolution laws were passed under the Blair Government, thus giving Wales even more autonomy.

Wales was long dominated by the mining industry that developed in the late 18th century. But since the collapse of this industry in the 1980s, the country has undergone a huge transformation. Today, Cardiff is still a city very much in transition. You may be surprised at first when you arrive to see how much building and development work is taking place.

All of these elements are crucial to grasp how much culture and heritage mean to the Welsh. Although only a fifth of the population speaks Welsh, you will find everything translated from English to Welsh in public spaces. Who knows, perhaps by the end of your stay, you might even venture to pronounce a few words in Welsh…  

The City Centre; With its 320,000 inhabitants, Cardiff feels in many ways like a scale version of London: the large community of students makes it very dynamic and cosmopolitan. There is always something going on somewhere in Cardiff, whether it is a comedy show, a play, an exhibition, a musical or of course, a rugby match at the Millennium Stadium (one of the largest in Europe with its 74,500 seats). On match days, the atmosphere in town is absolutely terrific and always promises to be good fun. With a little luck, you may even have the chance to meet some of the players of the world’s most famous football or rugby teams.

Queen Street- This is 'THE' street of Cardiff. For pedestrians only, Queen Street is the dream place for the ‘shopaholics’ of all kinds. All of the most famous brands can be found there, from Benetton, Zara and Gap for the ‘classics’ to Monsoon, Topshop and H&M for the ‘cheap and trendy’. 

St David’s Centre- alongside with Queen Street, it is another shopping paradise (over 60 stores), but this time indoors for those rainy days.

St David’s Hall- not to be confused with the shopping centre, St David’s Hall is the major concert hall in Cardiff. It has a capacity of 2,000 seats and has welcomed the most famous artists from all around the world (Vladimir Askenazy, Cecilia Bartoli, Evgeny Kissin…) and is regularly the host of the BBC Wales Orchestra. As a student, you can enjoy concerts of excellent quality with great seats for only just £6.

St Mary's Street- Another must for shoppers with lots of fashionable boutiques and Cardiff’s big department store (Howells). You’ll be able to refresh yourself in St Mary’s Street’s numerous bars and restaurants.

Bute Park- named after the third Marquis of Bute, Cardiff Castle’s owner. First open to the public from 1783 to 1863, then re-opened in 1947, the Park covers nearly 130 acres, right behind Cardiff Castle. It is a very agreeable place to come and sit with friends on the ever-green grass or simply to wander around and enjoy this island of peace in the middle of a busy city.

The Arcades- Queen’s Arcade, the Royal Arcade, Morgan Arcade, High Street Arcade… Cardiff is famous for its Arcades. These are sorts of little passageways covered by a roof and filled with great little shops. They link St Mary Street to the Hayes, a small place near St David’s Hall and St John’s Church, a beautiful Roman Catholic church built in the 12th century. There is something special about the arcades; they are very pleasant, cosy and old-fashioned.

On the cultural side, there are a few must-sees you cannot omit from your sight-seeing agenda:

National Museum Cardiff- (open 10 am–5 pm Tuesday–Sunday): Like with all national museums in Britain, the entry is free so you won’t have to feel guilty if you do not spend four hours inside. The Museum offers a good collection of Impressionist paintings (most notably by Monnet and Van Gogh) and the very famous statue by  Auguste Rodin, The Kiss.

Cardiff Castle- (open every day, all year round, except Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. March to October: 9.00am to 6 pm. November to February: 9.30am to 5 pm): Cardiff Castle is a jewel of eccentricity and faerie at the same time. Less glitzy than Buckingham Palace for sure, but definitely worth a visit!

Llandaff Cathedral- it is situated in a delightful place in the North of Cardiff called Llandaff (from the welsh ‘llan’- ‘church’ and ‘Taff’, name of the river that runs through Cardiff). It is less accessible because it is not in the centre of town, but you can easily get there by bus (services 25, 33 or 62 from Central Station). Most of the cathedral dates from the 13th century but the building had to be restored after being severely damaged during the Second World War; the result is an interesting mixture of architecture and style.

The Bay; Historically, the Bay had nothing to do with the leisure and entertainment site that it has recently become. The docks of Cardiff Bay were the converging point from which the coal production extracted in the surrounding mines was exported all around the world.  At the end of the 1980s, a large programme of renovation was adopted to transform the Bay. Today, it offers a brand new visage, with dozens of restaurants and pubs, a cinema, a science and technology education centre –Techniquest. The equivalent of the Millennium Stadium for music and art, the Welsh Millennium Centre, is also located in the Bay. Open in 2004, the WMC is an impressive building, whose architecture vaguely recalls the style of the Sydney Opera House.

Cardiff Bay is also the seat of the most symbolic building as far as politics and Welsh sovereignty are concerned: the National Assembly of Wales. Following the devolution laws of 1999, Wales has gained a certain degree of autonomy vis-à-vis Westminster and the Welsh Assembly, although it cannot pass its own laws, is responsible for implementing what was decided in London and for running Wales’ affairs.

Finally, when the weather is nice –and believe it or not, that happens far more that you would have thought!, Cardiff Bay is a wonderful place to enjoy a nice ice cream, listening to the seagulls and the waves, and why not sunbathe on the ‘Waterbus’, a shuttle boat that takes you to the little town of Penarth, a few miles down the coast, for a pound or two. 

University

There are two universities in Cardiff, UWIC (University of Wales Institute Cardiff) and Cardiff University. Cardiff University is the largest university in Wales, with more than 30,000 students, 15% of whom are foreign. In the 2007 academic ranking of the world’s universities, it placed in the first hundred globally and in the first 35 in Europe.

Cardiff University’s campus is in Cathays. It is very close from the city centre (around ten minutes walk) and offers various facilities (Student’s Union, coffee shops, sport centre…).

The Erasmus students are made feel very welcome and are reasonably well guided during their stay. On the first days of your arrival, you will have to enrol for your different modules and you will also have the possibility to join any of the University’s societies (the Erasmus society, the music society, the German society etc.). These societies are very popular among students; they’ll enable you to get acquainted with a lot of people and to quickly get used to your new life as a ‘Cardiffian’.

A majority of the students at Cardiff University are actually English, not Welsh! Try to avoid offending anyone by misjudging their origins… The cliché of this characterised love hate relationship between the English and the Welsh is in fact still a reality! Anyway, let’s remain very diplomatic: most of the time, you will share your lectures with “British” students and you will therefore have to respond to the same expectations in matter of homework, essays, seminars, exams and class participation. Nothing better to emerge yourself completely during your year abroad!

As far as the workload is concerned, it varies a lot in connection with your field of study. Law students, for example, are required to read a lot and to provide a large amount of personal work and research. On the contrary, the expected amount of work from students in humanities (language, politics, literature etc.) is more than manageable. Each semester consists of only 12 weeks with a ‘reading week’ in the middle (basically, a week holiday for you to catch up with your work, or, if you’re very dedicated, to take some advance!). Each week, you will have on average between 6 and 10 hours of lectures and seminars. You don’t usually have to prepare anything for the lectures in theatres. You may occasionally have to read an article or a text that the professor will have posted on the “Blackboard”, an Internet based space where teachers put their course documents and any announcement they need to make. You will often be asked to prepare seminars, either by working on a topic given by the teacher, or by doing a few exercises. To put in a nutshell, your year abroad at Cardiff University should allow you to keep your brain switched on, while leaving you plenty of time to have fun and enjoy yourself.

Transport

Let us be clear on this: transport isn’t Cardiff’s strong point. The ‘overground’, as the local bus company bombastically baptised its network, is expensive, not very efficient and not very reliable. Two lessons should therefore be drawn:

1. Decide carefully where you are going to live, and preferably choose somewhere within easy walking distance from University.

2. As soon as you arrive, go to Cardiff Bus Company information desk by the Central Station and ask for a monthly pass at £45. In order to get this pass, you need to set up a direct-debit from your bank account and you need to be using the bus for at least six months. Otherwise, if you’re only staying for one semester, your monthly pass will cost you £54.

As for taxis, they are numerous and affordable.

Food and Drink

Cardiff isn’t exactly a wonderful place as far as cuisine is regarded. As in a lot of British cities, restaurants often give way to pubs. They are quite cheap but the food is not great, and it’s everywhere the same: burgers, fish and chips or lasagne, arranged in a combination of “deals for two”, “burger and beer” etc…  Unless you go to St Mary’s Street or the Bay, you won’t easily find a “proper” restaurant, with a waiter looking after you. Here are a few recommendations from my own experience:

Zizi Restaurant & Pizza Express- St Mary's Street: the two famous chains of Italian restaurants will always be safe places in terms of quality and value. There is another Pizza Express on Mermaid Quay in the Bay.

Ask- Mill Lane. There again, a chain of Italian style restaurants that offers a wide range of pasta dishes or pizza.

Tiger Bay- Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay: an affordable Thai restaurant.

Juboraj- Mill Lane: a delicious Indian restaurant.

The Bosphorus- Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay: a great Turkish restaurant with a wonderful panoramic view of the Bay.

Brasserie française Garçon- Mermaid Quay, Cardiff Bay: no discrimination, but let’s confess that the masters in cuisine remain the French! Although it is decorated in the style of a Parisian ‘brasserie’ (a bistro where you can get lunch), it is in fact a real restaurant, quite pricey, but with incredible top-quality food. French atmosphere is assured by a crew of French waiters. Great experience guaranteed!

A great place to check out some reviews other restaurants in Cardiff can be seen at http://www.bigcardiff.co.uk/cardiff-restaurant-guide.php.

Out on the Town

On Friday and Saturday nights (and in fact Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays), streets are generally very busy and let’s be honest, what’s to see is not always of the best taste… In all cases, if you fancy going out, the centre of Cardiff is full of pubs and music bars. Be ready for the experience because in the UK, when you order a drink, it comes in a pint glass (=0,568L!). A couple of those and I am ready to bet you’ll speak English (and Welsh!!) as well as the regulars.

Greyfriars Road and St Mary's Street are especially well endowed with pubs and nightclubs: Tiger Tiger, The Fat Cat, Creation, Walkabout, The Prince of Wales… These places are nearly always very busy; on match days, they are absolutely crowded, as most of them have TV or giant screens to show the events live.

There are two big cinemas in central Cardiff. Don’t forget to show your NUS (National Union of Students) card to get a discount. 

If you feel like seeing a play or a concert, you can go to the New Theatre (at the corner of Greyfriars Road), to St David’s Hall, to the Millennium Centre or the CIA (Cardiff International Arena).

Day Tripper

Being a major city of the UK, Cardiff is quite well serviced by trains, or to be more accurate, it is quite well connected to England. Travelling within Wales is another story.
 
It takes from two to three hours on the train to go to London. If you intend to go on the train, think of booking your tickets well in advance (around two months before) to benefit from better fares. Prices can more than double if you take your tickets at the last minute. To go to London, you also have the ‘Megabus’ option. Though it takes a little bit longer (3h 15 minutes), it is very cheap (you can get a single from only just £1), and it goes to and from London many times a day. You can find out more on http://www.megabus.co.uk/.

The magnificent city of Bath is only an hour and fifteen minutes away from Cardiff on the train. Bath is renowned for its ancient Roman Baths, which are no longer in use but have been preserved as a museum. Bath is characterised by its Georgian architecture and is famous for being the occasional home of English author Jane Austen.

To take a trip round Wales, the best idea is to hire a car. After only a short drive, you can discover the immense variety of landscapes that Wales has to offer. Surfers and sun worshipers may want to try the magnificent Rhossili Bay whereas the more adventurous may fancy climbing to the highest point of Wales, Mount Snowdon (1,085m). 

Swansea is an hour away by train or by bus (seems to be like the train should be quicker but... never mind!), but surprisingly enough, a return is slightly cheaper with the train (under £5). However, to be frank, Swansea is very much like Cardiff: lots of churches, a huge shopping centre and Swansea Bay, and is certainly not the sort of place you’ll need to visit twice…

You cannot stay in Cardiff for a year without visiting a mine. Of these, Big Pit is the most famous. It is North-East Cardiff, in Blaenafon and again, it seems quite of an enterprise to get there without a car. In case you really have no access to a car, you can go to the Rhondda Heritage Park in Trehaffod (it’s half an hour on a train and a return costs around £4). There is an interesting little museum about what life used to be like in the days where mining was a flourishing industry. The visit of the mine itself is a very enjoyable experience, although it is slightly ruined at the end when you find out that you were only ten feet underground. (it is not the case of Big Pitt, where the visit takes you deep into the bowels of the Earth!).

Finally, it is perhaps worth mentioning that from Cardiff Airport, you can fly to Belfast from £44 a return. With such a good rate, you shouldn’t deprive yourself of an opportunity to visit the capital of Northern Ireland!

How to make your life easier

Shops; as everywhere in Britain, you will find in Cardiff the usual brands such as Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury, Tesco etc. However, you should be aware that in the centre of town, choice is rather limited and prices tend to be higher than if you go to a big supermarket in the outskirts of Cardiff. If you love fresh food, you can do your shopping daily in the indoor market situated between the Hayes and St Mary's Street.

Accomodation; Visit our Student Residences section to view residences available in Cardiff.

As previously mentioned, it is important that you pick up carefully where you are going to live: would you rather be at a stone’s throw from university? Or would you rather be right in the centre of town? Would you rather live in a university hall? Or rent a house with other British students, or even with other Erasmus students? These are a few questions you should ask yourself before making your final decision!

Job Opportunities; ideal if you want to have some extra money in your pocket, job opportunities are really easy to find. You should go to the Student Union’s Job Shop and they’ll show you all the jobs available. As a foreigner, you can also easily find a job to help people who are learning your language.

To view information about Bank Accounts & Money transfers, Internet & Telephone and Health, visit our UK homepage.

Gobeithiwn cawn cwrdd yng Nghaerdydd! (We hope to see you soon in Cardiff!)

Finding Student Accommodation in Cardiff

Here is a very quick guide to help you find your ideal student accommodation in Cardiff. First of all you should check out our student residences and our private student accommodation lisitings. Your next port of call should be to contact the university. If you are studying at Cardiff university their student accomodation website is Student Accommodation Cardiff University. The UWIC student accommodation webpage can be found here: UWIC Student Accommodation. 

Guide written by Auriane Sacoman, French exchange student Cardiff, 2007/2008.

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:: jconstant | 20 May 2008

Cardiff, une ville étudiante qui laisse ses marques!
La Cardiff Uni a tout d'une Université International.
Et l'année Erasmus prend une toute autre envergure quand vous baignez dans l'ambiance étudiante internationale(Asie, Moyen Orient, Europe).
J'ai découvert le pays et pas mal d'étudiants grace aux nombreuses activités des associations ét...