HOW IT RATES

The Welsh capital since 1955, Cardiff has pride of place on the south coast. It was the UK’s largest coal port in its industrial heyday and today boasts a vibrant youth culture. The old docks, now called Cardiff Bay, are home to the National Assembly and the striking Wales Millennium Centre for the arts.

ARCHITECTURAL GEMS

The Victorian Neo-Gothic Cardiff Castle looms large just north of the centre. Llandaff Cathedral dates to 1107; it holds PreRaphaelite stained-glass windows and a triptych by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Butetown has crumbly grand buildings from the dockside’s Victorian boom.

WHAT’S NEW

City Lofts’ (01423 506262) development on the Ferry Road Peninsula is part of the vast International Sports Village project at Cardiff Bay. Cymric House in near completion and has one-bedroom flats from £150,000, contact Knight Frank (02920 440142).

QUALITY OF LIFE

Pretty good for most. It’s a friendly place with a longstanding tradition of choral music and a great position on the coast. It is now home to legions of thespians and technicians on Dr Who, which is filmed there.

TRAVEL

Trains to both Birmingham and London Paddington take just over two hours. Trains to Swansea take 50 minutes. There’s a regular ferry service to Ireland and Cardiff airport is 12 miles from the centre, providing direct flights to UK and European destinations.

POPULATION

The city was estimated to have 319,700 inhabitants in 2005, an increase of 3% over the four years since the 2001 Census, at an average annual increase of 0.7%. There are about 9,000 more women than men.

SMARTEST STREETS

Cefn Coed Road is touted as Wales’s most expensive street. CF23 is an exclusive postcode, with homes fetching up to £1.3m. Cottrell Drive in Bonvilston, The Glade in Llanishen and Druidstone Road in Old St Mellons are the best outside the city.

BEST RESTAURANTS

The Armless Dragon offers a modern taste of traditional Welsh fare at a reasonable price. Le Gallois (or Y Cymro, meaning The Welshman) does finer dining with delicious, quite daring dishes in an informal atmosphere. Outside the city in Castlemorris, Tides does very tasty food in a farm setting.

NIGHTLIFE

Sugar is a popular warehouse bar. The at the other end of the spectrum; good for an unpretentious late-nightcap. Indie music venue Clwb Ifor Bach hosted Catatonia and Super Furry Animals in their early days. For something more classical, the Norwegian Church Arts Centre (where Roald Dahl was baptised) has brilliant acoustics.

EDUCATION

The Cathedral School is a small, private, coed school that goes from nursery up to 18. Bishop of Llandaff CW High School came 32nd in 450 state schools. Cardiff University has 22,000 students and a well-regarded postgraduate course in journalism.

WORKING LIFE

The city’s biggest employer is the public sector, with 32% of employees working in health and education. 23% in banking, finance and insurance and 20% in distribution, restaurants and hotels.

UPSIDE

The Cardiff Festival is a month-long party that includes the Welsh Proms in July, held at St David’s Hall. This year’s programme will include a special Harp Prom to celebrate the city’s hosting of the European Harp Symposium. The annual two-day International Food and Drink Festival is also part of it, from July 14. The Millennium Stadium is the and football matches and Spillers Records is Britain’s oldest record shop.

DOWNSIDE

The central location of the stadium makes it a nightmare on match days. The city has a growing reputation for stag and hen parties, and hence for binge drinking. Plus, locals say the seagulls are a bit of a menace.

£169,372 The average house price in Cardiff

Source: Halifax

1% The increase in house prices in Cardiff over the past three months

Source: Halifax

152% The increase in house prices in Cardiff over the past ten years

Source: Halifax

34 The number of parks and green spaces in Cardiff

Source: Cardiff City Council

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