Located in lush and leafy campuses on the outskirts of the city, Cardiff Metropolitan University contains a number of research and enterprise centres offering a range of career-focused courses. Founded in 1865 as The School of Art, the university has added food technology; management and business; leisure, hospitality and tourism; and product design and engineering to its roster of subjects. Over the years, the university’s colleges have been located in buildings across the city, but in 2009 a multi-purpose campus was unveiled at Cyncoed and the Llandaff campus was refurbished.
With plenty of space to relax in, as well as to study, Cardiff Metropolitan has some great sporting facilities, including badminton, netball and basketball courts, as well as the National Indoor Athletic Centre. And with over 300 international performers from 30 different sports, the university's sporting Roll of Honour is just as impressive. Want to follow in the footsteps of Olympic gold medallists or get the skills you need to build your career? You’ll find all this and more at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Whether you’re checking out an open day, visiting a student, or getting competitive in the sports hall, you’ll find a Cardiff Premier Inn hotel ready to welcome you just around the corner.
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Cardiff Metropolitan University
Essential Information
With over 12,000 students, studying everything from food to finance, the university has lots of different facilities on offer. Read about what you’ll find on campus and other important information with our visitor’s guide.
Important information
Enrolment week followed by the autumn term start at the end of September and finish mid-December. During the spring, term starts mid-January and finishes at the end of March. The summer term begins mid-April and ends mid-June.The university hosts campus open days throughout the year to give you an opportunity to find out more about the range of courses and facilities on offer. But remember, each campus has a different open day so you won’t be able to visit both at the same time. If you have any questions before your visit, you can contact general enquiries on 029 2041 6070.
Layout
The university has two campuses: Llandaff on the east of the river to the north of the city centre, and Cyncoed to the north west. Llandaff is the home of the Schools of Health Sciences, Management, and Art and Design. With millions of pounds of recent investment, it offers state-of-the art learning technology, good sporting facilities, and great coffee bars. The Cyncoed campus opened in 2009. It has excellent sports facilities including the nearby National Indoor Athletics Centre, the Students' Union bar and café.
Accessibility
Cardiff Metropolitan has a Disability Service which aims to provide full access to the university for all students and visitors. Recent investment has improved the campuses and further enhanced the student experience. And with over 1,400 disabled students choosing to study here, it’s clear that this is having a great impact. If you have any special requirements due to a disability, it’s best to contact the team on 02920 416170 ahead of your trip to either campus. This ensures that arrangements are made in advance and your visit goes smoothly.
Eating and Drinking
Grab a bite on campus or head out to a nearby local for a pint - you’re spoilt for choice at Cardiff Metropolitan.
Whichever campus you’re on, you’ll find the student union bars ready to serve you up some tasty food. Head to the Centro Bar in Cyncoed in the morning for everything from a cooked breakfast to toast and jam. During the rest of the day, you’ll have a choice of wraps, jackets potatoes, burgers and steak. If you’re ready to refuel at Llandaff, take a trip to the Zen Bar. With a selection of main meals, including curry and lasagne, and quick basket meals, like chicken and chips, you’ll find something that hits the spot.
Want to explore the eateries off campus? You’ll discover flavours from across the world near the university. Offering delicious traditional Chinese dishes in a 13th century stone building, Summer Palace in Llandaff is definitely worth a visit. For a fine Italian restaurant located in the heart of Lakeside near Cyncoed, head to Da Mara.
Whether you’re celebrating a sporting success or relaxing after taking a tour of the university, there are plenty of places for a drink on campus. If you’re at Cyncoed, take a trip to the Centro Bar, the main Students' Union venue at this campus. Split over two lounges, it’s the perfect place to get that caffeine hit during the day and have a few drinks in the evening. If you’re at Llandaff, head to the Zen Bar. It’s a great spot to have a leisurely lunch or relax over a few drinks. Both bars can keep you busy with screens for live tv and sport, pool and table tennis.
If you want to head off campus for a drink, you’ll find lots of traditional pubs and contemporary bars nearby. Maltsters is a picture postcard whitewashed pub in the historic heart of Llandaff which offers a great selection of ales and ciders. If you’re in Cyncoed, The Discovery offers laid back dining and drinking and has an excellent wine list.
Near Cardiff Metropolitan University
Our Cardiff City Centre (Queen Street) hotel is perfectly located as a base for exploring the city and is only a couple of miles from Cardiff Metropolitan. If you’re at the Llandaff campus, you’ll find Cardiff’s most tranquil and unspoilt spots nearby. Located in the ancient “City of Llandaff” – one of the oldest Christian sites in Britain, Llandaff Cathedral was built in 1107 when the Norman invaders appointed the first Bishop. Over the years the cathedral was extended and enlarged, left to fall into disrepair and damaged by the bombings during World War II, before being fully restored to the Cathedral you see here today. Be sure to check out the reinforced concrete arch, which is topped by an aluminium statue of Christ in Majesty made by Sir Jacob Epstein.
Getting to Cardiff Metropolitan University
With campuses built on the edge of the city centre, you’ll find lots of transport options to take you to Cardiff Metropolitan University.
By car
Pay and display parking is available on all Cardiff Metropolitan sites. Between Monday and Friday, it costs £2 for the whole day or £1 for four and a half hours. On Saturday and Sunday parking will only cost you 50p for the whole day.
By bus
Cardiff’s main bus station is situated in front of the Central Station. For Llandaff, hop on the 1, 63, 66, 122 or X8 bus routes and you’ll arrive on campus in just over 30 minutes. For Cyncoed, the 28A, 52, 58, X1 or X11 will take you to campus in around 45 minutes.
By train
Cardiff Central Train Station is located in the city centre. To get to the Llandaff or Cyncoed campus, you’ll need to take either a bus or a taxi. Head out of the station and you’ll find a taxi rank with plenty of drivers ready to take you to the university.