Cardiff is a welcoming, affordable, and compact student-friendly city with an excellent transport system that makes it easy to navigate the city with buses, trains and bikes. It strikes a perfect balance of city life and nature retreat, making it an ideal city for new students.
Cardiff is a small city, so you’re always within walking distance of the local shop, pubs, cafes, gyms, etc. Buses are popular in Cardiff and are commonly known as “Cardiff Bus” is one of the best ways to get to the different areas of the city. The comprehensive bus network serves a vast majority of places in the city.
Cycling is another excellent option to get around the city and stay healthy. There are three major off-road cycle routes in Cardiff; The Taff Trail, The Ely Trail, and The Rhymney Trail.
Cardiff also has a small network of frequent-running high-speed trains, making it easier to get around and out of Cardiff to explore further afield. London is approximately a two hour journey from Cardiff.
Moving to the most vibrant and youngest European capital city with an excellent transport system is exciting. Still, it can get nerve-wracking, particularly if you don’t know your way around or have no clue how to get to places.
If you are planning to move to Cardiff and want to know what’s transport like for students, you are on the right page!
Without much ado, let’s get started!
Do Students Get Discounts for travel?
If your age is between 16 to 21 years, you are eligible for a student discount. You can get a travel pass card which gives 30% off all fares. You can apply for a bus travel discount through ‘mytravelpass’.
If your age is between 16 to 25 years, you can apply for a’ young persons’ railcard’ that will get you a third off your railway fares.
Each University offers a different discount deal for the bus passes. If you’re planning to study at either USW (the city centre campus) or the Cardiff University, a bus pass may not be necessary, as they are more central. USW students can apply for a 5% discount on Student Annual Train Season Tickets from Transport for Wales.
Cardiff Met University students, the Met Rider buses operate from Cardiff city centre to both Cardiff metropolitan campuses and halls of residence. It also gives access to every Cardiff Bus service in Cardiff.
Travel discounts for students are also available from the NUS (TOTUM).
Travel to Cardiff Metropolitan University
Cardiff Metropolitan University is spread across two campuses in Cardiff: Llandaf and Cyncoed. The Llandaf Campus is located approximately two miles from the city centre. It is surrounded by green spaces and the historic village of Llandaff.
By Train: Waun-Gron railway station is around a twenty-minute walk away from the Llandaff campus and is on the City Line.
By Bus: The MetRider buses travel hourly to Llandaff from the Cyncoed campus, Roath, Cathays, and the city centre, during term time. All The MetRider buses stop outside the campus.
Cardiff’s 1|2 circular bus route serves the Llandaff campus every half an hour from Heath, Roath, Fairwater, and the city centre.
You can travel to The Llandaff campus from Llandaff North, Fairwater, Canton, or the city centre on the 24|25, the 60|62, or the 33|33 A|33 B that stops at The Llandaff Black Lion bus stop on Cardiff road, which is just a 10 minutes walk from the campus.
The Cyncoed Campus is the head office for the Students’ and Athletics Union.
By Train: Heath High Level and Heath Low-Level railway stations are around a 25-minute walk from the Cyncoed campus, serving the area from the Rhymney and Coryton lines.
By Bus: During the term, the U1 MetRider bus travels from Llandaff to the Cyncoed campus every hour.
The 52|52A bus travels from the city centre via Albany Road and Penylan Road to the Cyncoed campus every fifteen minutes during the day.
How to Commute to Cardiff University?
Cardiff University has two main campuses: Cathays Park Campus in Cardiff city centre; and Heath Park Campus in the Heath area of Cardiff.
By Walking: The maximum travel distance by walking is around 15 to 20 minutes between most buildings on each campus.
By Bus: Being in / close to a city centre environment, Cardiff University is well served by local and national bus services. The University has a bus service operating between the hall of residence ‘University Hall’ and the Cathays Park Campus and Heath Park Campus, which provides resident students with transport throughout the day on weekdays.
‘Cardiff Bus’ operates frequent services close to the University’s Cathays Park Campus and Heath Park Campus. The buses that run between the Heath Park Campus and the city centre are numbers 38 and 38A. Newport Bus operates a frequent service (X30) between Newport Bus Station to Cardiff Bus Station via the Heath Park Campus.
Furthermore, the following transport lines have routes that pass near Cardiff University: 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 45, 63, C1.
By train: Cardiff Central train station is approximately 20-30 minutes on foot to Cardiff University’s Main Building, while the Cardiff Queen Street station is less than a 5-minute walk from Queens’ Building.
Alternatively, you can change train at Cardiff Queen Street or Cardiff Central for Cathays train station (the University’s station), located in the centre of the Cathays Park Campus, next to the Students’ Union and opposite the Main Building. It provides easy access to all other University buildings at Cathays Park, including the Centre for Student Life.
How to Travel to the University of South Wales Cardiff Campus?
University of South Wales Cardiff Campus is in the heart of the city centre and is very easy to access. From the USW’s Treforest and Glyntaff campus in Pontypridd, students can reach the Cardiff campus in just 20-minutes by car or train. From the Newport campus, it’s just a quick 30-minute journey into the city.
By Train: All USW campuses are within walking distance of a train station. The Cardiff campus is a 10-minute walk from Cardiff Central train station and a 5-minute walk from Cardiff Queen Street train station.
By Bus: The following transport lines have routes that pass near the University Of South Wales – Cardiff Campus: 122, 28B, 400, 45, 63, 94, C1.
Cardiff is also served by regular National Express services from Sofia Gardens and Megabus coaches from Kingsway. Sofia Gardens is a 25-minute walk from the Cardiff campus, while Kingsway is 15-minutes away on foot.
Conclusion
Cardiff is smartly connected to every primary transportation system with excellent bus service in the town and an incredible train network to take you to the rest of the country. And to make things easier for you, discount cards for students help them travel places at low or no cost. The city delivers everything a student would demand in a capital city. Cardiff is a small, vibrant, accessible student city full of life, places to visit, and things to do, yet it doesn’t feel too big because of its compact size.
Most places are somewhat close to each other and all within walking distance. Cardiff will never disappoint the students who chose to live here.
Buses are popular in Cardiff and are commonly known as “Cardiff Bus” is one of the best ways to get to the different areas of the city. Cardiff also has a small network of frequent-running high-speed trains, making it easier to get around and out of Cardiff to explore further afield. Cycling is another excellent option to get around the city and stay healthy.
If you are going to commute every day, you must know your options for public transport, and this blog is sure to make your life easy when it comes to choosing the ideal mode of transportation.
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