Venue guide: Cardiff

The Cardiff City Stadium was officially opened in 2009 with a seating capacity of just under 27,000 to provide Cardiff City FC with a modern base on the same site as their former Ninian Park home. However, work to increase the capacity to 33,000 will be completed ahead of the 2014 UEFA Super Cup, and the development will only enhance the unique atmosphere that the stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff can bring.

With Cardiff already steeped in sporting history, the 2014 UEFA Super Cup arrives in the same year the city has been awarded the title of European Capital of Sport, and the fixture will welcome Real Madrid CF winger Gareth Bale back to his home town. Bale is no stranger to the stadium – where the Welsh national team play their games – and he should relish featuring in the highest-profile event ever staged there.

Cardiff was granted city status by King Edward VII in October 1905 and was proclaimed the capital of Wales 50 years later. Now a vibrant and cosmopolitan city, combining both history and modernity, Cardiff has become the principality's leading tourist destination. With unique and innovative architecture situated among historical landmarks, Cardiff offers visiting supporters a city with a difference, one that will appeal to a comprehensive range of cultural tastes.

In 1081, King of England William I began work on Cardiff Castle, and this edifice remains a key feature of the city centre to this day. Cardiff also boasts the impressive 74,500 capacity Millennium Stadium, which has hosted its share of memorable football matches, the most notable being the English FA Cup final between 2001 and 2006 when Wembley Stadium was being redeveloped.

Cardiff City fans©UEFA

If coal distribution heralded an economic boom throughout the 19th century, the recent regeneration of the Cardiff Bay area – once the world's most important coal port – has proven popular with visitors. Main attractions include the Wales Millennium Centre and the National Assembly Building, or Senedd, due to their unique, high-tech and sustainable architecture.

A traditional Welsh breakfast is likely to contain laverbread, a highly nutritious delicacy made from boiled seaweed that has been minced and rolled in oatmeal prior to being fried. For beer drinkers, local breweries offer a range of traditional Welsh bitters, available from the many bars and restaurants that add to Cardiff's cosmopolitan theme.

Getting there
By air – Cardiff Airport is the only international airport in Wales and is based in the neighbouring village of Rhoose. There are a number of regular train and bus services for the 16km journey to the city centre.

By train – Cardiff Central is the largest train station in Wales, and being located in the heart of the city centre it is around 4km from Cardiff City Stadium.

By public transport – Given the close proximity of Cardiff City Stadium to the centre, there are regular bus services throughout the city; taxis are freely available from the most popular and busy areas.

By road – The M4 motorway links London to Cardiff as well as the rest of South Wales. Connected roads divert to selected parts of the city, including Cardiff City Stadium.