Millennium Stadium, Cardiff

Millenium Stadium is the home of Welsh Rugby since June 1999 (when the World Rugby Cup took place). It was built on the site of the old Cardiff Arms Park.

it is located near the bus/train terminal so it’s really easy to visit it and take the tour inside. We didnt! Although it must be great inside we wanted to do it during a sport event or a major concert but there wasnt any of them the days we were in Cardiff.

The stadium has a capacity of about 75,000 people and it also houses the first retractable roof in the UK ,

If you want to take the tour go there daily 10.00-17.00 during non-even days of course.
The tour lasts 60’ and costs £6.50 but I wasnt excited to see the changing rooms and this kind of staff :)

The Millenium Stadium, built in 1999 in time for the Rugby World Cup, is currently the home of the Welsh Rugby Union and Assosciation Football national teams.
This tip is about the history of the Stadium, for information on actually visiting the stadium for tours, see my other Millenium Stadium tip under Things To Do.
The Millenium Stadium is the second largest stadium in the world to have a fully retractable roof, and only one of two European Stadiums to have this feature.

The first major event to be held at the stadium was a Rugby Union match between Wales and South Africa, on the 26th June 1999. Wales won the friendly match 29 to 19, in front of 29,000, less than half its maximum capacity.

Since then it has hosted four games of the 2007 Rugby World Cup (three pool matches and a quater final between New Zealand and France)and three Heineken Cup Finals in Rugby Union and will host a fourth on the 21st May 2011. It also hosted the Welsh Varsity Rugby match, held annually between Cardiff and Swansea universities, on the 30th March 2011, for the first time in the games history.

In Rugby league, the stadium has hosted three Internationals, including two games of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup, one of which Wales lost 18-58 to New Zealand. It has also hosted three Challenge Cup finals.

In Assosciation Football, the first game hosted at the stadium saw Wales loose 1-2 to Finland on 29th March, 2000. During construction of the Stadium, the Welsh Rugby team had moved to the Empire Stadium at Wembly, and so, while the new Wembley Stadium was being constructed between 2001 and 2007, the England National football team moved to the Millenium Stadium. During this time it also hosted League Cup Finals, FA Cup Finals (the semi-finals in 2005), Football League Trophy finals, Playoff finals at all levels of the football league and FA Community Shield games. The most club football appearances at the stadium has been by Arsenal, with a total of 10, however the most successfull ratio of appearences to victories is by Blackpool, with 3 victories in 3 appearances.
The Stadium will also host at least eight football matches in the 2012 London Olympics.

Cardiff hosted in 1999 the Rugby world Cup Final at the new Millennium Stadium.

It is very impressive from outside so I guess it has to be from inside. I am afraid I never been, but I know there are tours for 5 pounds adults, check at web site

There are three things us Welsh do really well.One is Drink Beer,Two is to talk as much as possible and three is to follow the Welsh rugby team.We love Rugby and after a good number of years in the wildreness(espicially after 2003 and 2004 six nations tournament).We did the improbable and won the six nations championship.Be very aware though if you want to go and see the game,get tickets early.Most six nation home games are sold out within minutes,Secondly if your not going to the stadium and want to see a game get there as early as possible.Last Year for example during the Ireland game, most pubs were packed at 10am.
The Millenium Stadium has a great view anywhere you sit, expect to pay less the further up you go though.

Equipment: A Camera is a must,A mobile phone.Do not even try and bring in alchol, they will just turn you back around.

A fantastic place to watch a major sporting event,I`ve been fortunate enough to see England win here in rugby,Arsenal win here in big FA Cup games and to see severalother big rugby matches.The infastructure in the city is great,plenty of bars,park and ride,good train links and motorways.The beers £2.50 a pint,which is usual for UK !!!!!!,soft drinks are £1.60 for a small bottle,wich is expensive,captive audience though !!!.
The stewards here are very helpful and full of information,how to get out of there,where to eat and drink etc.

Equipment: Cameras and scarf !!!

The Wales Millennium Stadium cost £100million to build and brought the construction company to its knees! The stadium is currently the best in Britain and, until there is a decent stadium in London, hosts many of the British football finals. It seats almost 75,000 people. Its first event in 1999 was to host the Rugby World Cup. It is the main home for the Wales rugby and football teams.

The stadium has a roof that can close! Well, only when we want it to, as the South African rugby team found recently when it was left open deliberately to let the rain in!! Wales are used to getting muddy on the rugby field!!! On 31 December 1999 the stadium hosted the world’s largest indoor rock concert.

The stadium is superb because of its location. It is 2 minutes walk from the main train and bus station. When a big event happens part of the city centre is closed to traffic. The roads around the Civic Centre become an enormous coach park.

Above all, the stadium is great for sport!! Wherever you sit, you get a tremendous view of the action. From the upper levels, it feels like you are directly above the pitch. This is what makes the stadium great. I have fond memories of watching Wales beat Italy and Argentina at football :)

Some other people have mixed feelings. Wales’ only Olympic-sized swimming pool was demolished to make way for the Stadium. Car traffic can be bad on match days. It is difficult to get out of Cardiff by car after events (so stay the night, or come by train!). Shopkeepers think that stadium events keep shoppers away. Personally I love being able to wander down the middle of a street!!

Of course, there are never enough bars or toilets in this place. The queue’s can sometimes be very long.

There are also regular tours of the Stadium. I’ve seen other people say they are not worth it. So buy an event ticket instead to see the stadium in action!

Take a walk along the new River Walk which snakes along beside the ...erm ...river and is open most days.

Equipment: Large multicoloured jester's hat - they are usually on sale around Cardiff on match days :))

I've been lucky enough to have been here a few times now. The seats in the staduim can range from excellent to awful.

Seats are divided up into U - upper, M - Middle or L - lower. A good tip for you is always to go for seats in blocks or M7 to M11 or M28 to M32 to be closer to the pitch or U7 to U11 or U28 to U32 higher up seats.

Avoid, if you can, seats like L39 to L42 or L18 to L21, as you will probably end up seeing more of the game from the big screens on each end of the stadium.

I've been to the Millenium Stadium twice now to watch the RL Powergen challenge cup final, it's a fantastic venue and a fantastic day out.

People might not realise it, but this event this year got a higher attendance than the FA Cup Final at the same ground the week after! I think the football crowd had to be segregated which meant fewer tickets were available - which is why I love the RL game so much!

Although the game sold out, it's relatively easy to get tickets for the game and there are fans of all clubs and neutrals there. There is a real party atmosphere in Cardiff helped by the fact that the stadium is right in the middle of the city centre. The glorious weather this year also helped with people drinking and mingling on the streets of the city before and after the game.

Finding accommodation is more of a struggle though, there doesn't seem to be as much as in Edinburgh or London (other venues the final has been held at in the past few years), and it gets booked up very early. It's worth taking the trouble to find something though, as it's more than a game, it's a weekend event, with local clubs putting on events on Friday and Sunday for supporters to attend.

The next final is in August 2005 in Cardiff.