Ever dreamt of playing in the FA Cup Final or playing for your country in rugby? Make your dream come true with a Millennium Stadium tour.
Go into the players changing rooms and run down the players tunnel. The pitch, laid on over 7,400 pallets, is moved out when the Millennium Stadium is used for concerts and exhibitions. Sit in the Royal Box and have a trophy presented. Look up at the only retractable roof in a British Stadium. The roof takes 20 minutes to open and the Millennium Stadium is only the second stadium of its type in Europe and the biggest in the world with this feature. Sit in the top row in one of the 72,500 seats, teetering over the pitch and see if you get vertigo.
Self Catering Accommodation in Wales
The stadium was restricted in size because of next door’s Cardiff Arms Park – which was for 125 years the historic home of Welsh rugby and the reason for the steep seating of the Millennium Stadium. With no space for a running track, spectators are on top of the action.
See how part of one of the old stands from historic Cardiff Arms Park is built into the new Stadium and crane your neck up to see the four giant 93-metre tall arms holding up the roof – they make the stadium Cardiff’s second tallest building. Walk along the World in Union boardwalk alongside the River Taff and view the special paving stones inscribed with names of fans and companies.
The £126 million Millennium Stadium took just two years to build and opened in time for the Rugby World Cup in 1999. Since then it has hosted Wales Rugby Internationals including the Six Nations and matches against New Zealand, the Barbarians, South Africa and Australia. During the build of the new Wembley Stadium, Cardiff Millennium Stadium took on the FA Cup Final, Carling Cup Final, Playoffs, FA Community Shield, LDV Vans Final, Challenge Cup and League Cup Final among other events.
In each of the stadium’s bars, the so-called “joy machines” pour 12 pints in less than 20 seconds. In a Wales-France match, 63,000 fans drank 77,184 pints of beer, almost double the 44,000 pints drunk by a similar number of fans at a game at Twickenham.
The Millennium Stadium is currently Britain’s biggest capacity stadium. Visit it before the new Wembley Stadium opens.
They say it has a sliding roof that they can slide all day.
We’ll slide it back when Wales attack, so God can watch us play
Max Boyce
Click here to visit the Millenium Stadium’s official website.
Directions from your holiday accommodation
Getting to the Millenium Stadium from Swansea Valley Holiday Cottages
(i) By car. Our cottages are an easy 45 minute drive from the Millenium Stadium along the M4 motorway. Leave the M4 at junction 33 (Signed Cardiff (West), Barry, Penarth, Cardiff Airport & A4232) and follow signs for the city centre. The stadium is located on Westgate Street; next to the Cardiff Arms Park, the rugby ground of Cardiff RFC and the Cardiff Blues. The stadium does not have it’s own parking – either use one of the city centre car parks or the park and ride system.
For alternative directions or a map use the AA’s route planner along with the holiday cottage postcode, SA8 3JQ and the Millenium Stadium’s postcode, CF10 1JA.
(ii) By train. The stadium is located within a minute of Cardiff Central train station.
