As you all hopefully know, Cardiff is the Capital of Wales. But what I'd like to ask you is if it feels like a Capital city?

Do you think the city is worthy of its status? and does it compare to Edinburgh, or Belfast in your eyes? I didn't include London because, well, London is an entity in and of itself. How does Cardiff compare to other cities European cities in your eyes?

Oh God...he's off on another one......YAWN!! Please, someone, give him a job!

Ah, Blee Dingobvious, here to share some words of wisdom again? Gather round children, uncle Dingo is about to blow your mind!

I have a job, BTW.

I'd say at times it does but mostly it doesn't. when you're well travelled you come to realise that even in the European context Cardiff is quite mediocre. Its our little bit of the planet but it really isn't all that special. We do have some great facilities (bay, stadium, WMC, RWCMD, Castle, Cathays Park, Bute Park etc) but we also have some way to go (e.g. central square, light rail system, stronger private sector, better air links, better class of politician).

does it look and feel like a capital - day to day probably not. when the rugby or football is on, certainly for the former, probably not for the latter

You are mixing Blee Dingobvious up with me, B. Lee Dingobvious. I was the first named in this fashion and any other posters with similar names are, in my opinion, poor copies and charlatans.
All the same, Lord Crow, you are a bit of a spammer. Cardiff is capital of a country of 3 million people and as we don't have independence Cardiff doesn't have all of the functions of comparable cities such as Riga, Skopje or Oslo, for example.
If Wales were independent then it would naturally feel more like a capital city.

you are a nationalist pollyanna

I don't understand why this question is 'spamming'. It's a legitimate question surely and I would be interested to hear others thoughts (especially those not from Cardiff).

I think the places where Cardiff looks like a capital (and by that I assume the OP means grand) are few and far between. If you draw a line around the castle, Bute Park and the civic centre the contents inside are equal to anything that is on offer in most capitals in Europe. Also draw a line around Mt Stuart Square and it has the type of buildings that you would expect to see in a capital city.

Other than that Cardiff looks like a big town. There are some very nice commercial buildings in the city centre but nothing you don't see in any decent sized city in the UK.

I think the Bay has still got potential. If Capital Waterside and Roath Basin are completed to expectations we could be talking. If the Bay and city centre were joined up with commercial and good quality residential it would make a huge difference to the look and feel of Cardiff.

I don't think Cardiff has any right to look like a capital though. It's still a very young city in an impoverished part of the UK, quite small and basically consists of an amalgamation of villages. It's had intermittent commercial success and is the only urban centre in a country that by and large doesn't really do urban.

I don't think it feels like a capital city. But when all is said and done that doesn't bother me too much, which other city of the size of Cardiff has access to the amenities we do? In terms of size by population we are on a par with Nottingham, Coventry and to some extent Bristol (slightly larger). In terms of leisure opportunities and green space I think we eclipse those cities and this is largely down to our "Capital City" status. Without this Cardiff would be just as mediocre as Swansea.

Of course those cities mentioned above do beat us in terms of employment opportunities and transport connectivity, but we all know these are areas which Cardiff really needs improvement on.

I think our Victorian and Edwardian housing stock is a very good standard and does befit a Capital city.

We are getting there, allbeit very slowly, the city centre now needs attention and the Bay desperately needs to be properly connected to the centre. On this point what are peoples thoughts on the "problem" of Butetown? The housing stock there is of no particular merit, but I do understand this is a community for which it is convenient to live, near the centre and I would be strongly against moving these people elsewhere just because they come from a poorer background. Nevertheless it is an ugly estate, that splits the CBD and the bay. In my view efforts should be made to improve the housing stock and encourage a more diverse section of society to live there, make it more vibrant and improve the standard of living. A tall order but nothing is impossible.

Having lived away from Cardiff for some time it really feels like some doom-mongers undersell the place.

I don't feel it's comparable to places such as Nottingham or Coventry. The population is irrelevant. Cardiff is a far more dynamic and feature-packed city.
My wife is from the east of England and she loves Cardiff.

I think some people need perspective.

Cardiff needs better internal transport links... A rail system would lead to sustained growth... CCFC being and staying in the EPL will give the City further promotion and should benefit morale, trade, the Airport, Hotels, Taci drivers even the regional media.. cardiff is to go through another decade of growth and it should be prepared and plan for such expansion.. cardiff is to millions of Welsh people a Capital City...

Cardiff does not have the longevity of power and status enjoyed by cities such as Edinburgh which for centuries have been in one form or other centres of power and influence in their respective countries, and have achieved world fame through their histories and people. Cardiff does pretty damn well in displaying a sense of "capitalness" given that it has only been a capital for 60 years and that "Wales" itself for centuries was a mere geographical expression like "Lapland", "New England", "Bohemia". Also don't forget that in 1801 Cardiff's population was about 1,800 and even then had been for centuries (if you include the "hundreds") the largest borough in Wales, which shows how insignificant Wales was. People visiting from abroad remark to me about the city's "bright and breezy" feel and its "vibrancy". I agree with the other posters that it has some way to go to achieve the status of other European Captials. Its economy needs to be significantly stronger and hand in hand with that it needs confidence and a distinct sense of expression. Hand in hand with this I think it needs to raise the bar with regard to its news/communication media. Currently the only form of media in Cardiff with any kudos is the BBC, which is part of a national UK institution. We have no "Cardiff" voice which is taken seriously beyond South Wales.

All that said, Cardiff has, with a few hiccups, come very far very fast and is going in the right direction. Rome wasn't built in a day, so we can't expect Cardiff to be so either!