This year the Olympic and Paralympic games come to the UK, attracting millions of visitors from around the world. The Olympics will feature 26 sports, for games covering 39 disciplines and the Paralympics programmes features 20 sports. The opening ceremony on 27th July will be watched by billions across the world.

Olympic Torch relay

The Olympic Flame is one of the enduring symbols of the Olympic Games, representing peace, unity and friendship. As it is carried around the UK for the Olympic Torch Relay it will bring the spirit of the Games to everyone.

Lit in Olympia, Greece, in a traditional ceremony, the Olympic Flame will arrive in the UK on 18 May 2012. On a 70-day journey across the UK, the Flame will be carried by 8,000 Torchbearers, generating excitement as it makes its way to London and the Opening Ceremony of the Games. The torch will arrive in Cardiff on Friday 25th May arriving on the outskirts of the city at 5.25pm with the first Cardiff torchbearer starting off on Newport Road in St Mellons. You can download the route the torch will take through the city here.

The torch ends its journey through Cardiff Friday evening by heading into Bute Park for the free 15,000-ticket concert in Coopers Field (sold out). The relay will begin again on Saturday May 26, with a 6.29am start outside the Norwegian Church Arts Centre in Cardiff Bay before heading to Dinas Powys, Barry, Caerphilly and Pontypridd. For details of the Torch's journey through Wales, click here.

For information on road closures & diversions click here. For up-to-date traffic information during the torch's journey through South Wales, tune in to Capital FM, the hit music radio station of South Wales or visit their website here.

Olympic Football in Cardiff

The women footballers from Team GB will kick off the Olympic Games against New Zealand at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium on 25th July – two days before the official opening ceremony.

The match is a double header of women’s matches, and will be followed by Brazil against Cameroon.

There are nine other matches, including the GB men’s team’s game against Uruguay on 1st August – a double header alongside Mexico v Switzerland. The GB women’s team take on Cameroon on 28th July – another double header, with Brazil’s women taking on New Zealand the same day.

Japan vs Russia in the women’s tournament is the other qualifying match at the Millennium Stadium on 31st July.

The qualifying matches are followed by a quarter final in each of the tournaments on 3rd and 4th August and the men’s bronze medal play-off on 10th August.

The GB teams will return to the Millennium Stadium for their quarter final if the women finish second in their group and the men win their group.

Download the full Football schedule here. See details of all Cardiff games here.

Tickets

See a full list of Olympic football matches hosted in Cardiff here. Tickets are back on sale from May 23rd. Tickets will be sold on a first come first serve basis at www.tickets.london2012.com or via telephone 0844 847 2012

Accommodation

Whether you're looking for a luxurious five-star hotel, cosy guest house, or a room on a budget, Cardiff has plenty of choice - and most hotels and B&Bs are only a short walk from the city's visitor attractions, shops and railway station.

Find out about the different types of accommodation available in Cardiff - from welcoming guest houses and quirky boutique hotels to self-catering apartments and budget hostels.

Find out more about Cardiff's accommodation here.

Transport

Cardiff, Wales' capital is situated in South Wales, and is easy to reach from anywhere in the UK or overseas. Just two hours away from the centre of London by rail or road and only an hour and a half’s drive away from Heathrow, Cardiff is accessible whether you plan to get here by car, plane, bus, ferry or train. In this section you'll find plenty of information to help you get your bearings and get around including maps, park & ride, and links to public transport.

Once you have arrived in the city, the public transport services are both regular and reliable. Find out more about Cardiff's public transport, as well as how to get around under your own steam. 

For downloadable maps of the city centre, Cardiff Bay, and the city-region, click here.

You'll find further information on travelling to Cardiff for the Olympics here.
For general information about the 2012 London Olympics visit www.london2012.com