Cardiff/Caerdydd

Experience Cardiff on a match Saturday and all your misconceptions of Wales's capital as a dull backwater will vanish in a puff of party-town pandemonium. Come the final whistle and the centre promptly grows abuzz with swarms of festive folk eating, chatting, heading on to the clubs or simply shooting the breeze well into the small hours.

Even without the allure of grown men chasing balls, the city has plenty to recommend it. There's top-notch theatre, all species of live music, a thriving restaurant scene and scores of drinking dens, from fine old pubs to trendy wine bars. Plus, as a major university town, Cardiff has a young and spirited spring in its step that often inspires virgin visitors to plan a return trip before they've even finished the first one.

The attractive, old city centre is small and best explored on foot. Starting at pedestrianised Queen Street, it's an easy stroll to most of the main attractions, from Cardiff Castle with its bizarre interior, to the Welsh National Museum (one of Britain's best), the domed majesty of City Hall and the Victorian and Edwardian shopping arcades.

Leaping forward a century or two, the new Millennium Stadium, which can seat more than 70,000 people under its retractable roof, makes for an eye-opening stop.

About 2km south of the centre is another gleaming attraction, the massively popular Cardiff Bay development. Here, if you tire of its smorgasbord of bars, restaurants, live music venues and other entertainment diversions, you can take a boat trip to the Barrage (which protects the 12km-long waterfront from a sharply rising tide), get your hands wet at the Techniquest Science Discovery Centre, and check out the new National Assembly of Wales building.

If you're after fresh air fun, the city has excellent parks, as well as proximity to hiking, cycling and other active pursuits in Brecon Beacons National Park and the Vale of Glamorgan.