Cardiff University Partnership

Activities and excursions are designed to pull you into the communities you visit and encourage cultural connections of every kind. There’s no extra fee to participate in these optional outings—everything is included in your program fee.

Below are examples from previous terms; outings may be different for your program. We’ll make every effort to run them all, but sometimes things we can’t control, such as local regulations and health protocols, get in the way. As result, we cannot guarantee activities and excursions.

Activities

• London Pandemics–Past and Present: This event will engage you with both an historic overview and a contemporary look at concepts of community health and global health, with a particular focus on London and the pandemic. You will attend a guest lecture at the IFSA London Flagship, followed by the John Snow Cholera Tour. This tour will take you to the nearby streets of Soho to visit important sites in the story of Dr. Snow and the cholera outbreak in 1854.
• London Statue Walk: This walking tour includes stops at some of London’s most iconic statues as well as some of its most obscure, weaving in historical, cultural, literary, and political threads as it seeks to put the past into dialogue with the present.
• Homelessness in London–A Dialogue: This event will explore the realities of homelessness in London from three perspectives. First, you will participate in a dialogue with guest speakers followed by a tour of Central London developed, curated, and delivered by vulnerably housed individuals through Unseen Tours.

Excursions

• City of Bath Tour: Enjoy a walking tour of historic Bath, including a visit to the Roman Baths and an afternoon tea experience at Sally Lunn’s Historic Eating House.
• Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral Visits: A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Stonehenge is a celebrated and iconic prehistoric monument of standing stones and burial mounds in Wiltshire. Afterward, travel along to Salisbury Cathedral to view one of the four surviving copies of the Magna Carta.
• Dover Castle Tour: Sitting proudly atop the white cliffs of Dover and looking out over the English Channel, Dover Castle has served as a costal stronghold for more than 900 years. The site showcases its utility throughout different historical eras, from Henry II’s medieval tower and intricate network of tunnels winding behind the white cliffs, to its use as a seat of government, military planning, and wartime hospital during World War II.
• Seaside Brighton Trip: A site of significance to the 1960’s rivalries between the mods and rockers, and widely recognized as the “gay capital” of the UK, Brighton features the Palace Pier, Brighton Royal Pavilion, historic streets, and bohemian shops. End the day with fish and chips by the seaside.
• Harry Potter Studio Tour: Explore The Making of Harry Potter permanent exhibit which offers an authentic behind-the-scenes look into the making of the films along with an enchanting guest lecture.

At Cardiff, IFSA students live at one of two residential complexes, both about one mile from campus. Both offer plentiful opportunities to meet peers and socialize, with everything you need close by.  

Buildings are divided into flats (apartments) for four to eight students. Each single bedroom has its own private bathroom. Flatmates share a kitchen. The university sports and fitness facilities are steps away, and it’s a short walk to most classes and campus buildings.  

Some housing has additional amenities that warrant higher costs. Students who are placed in more expensive housing incur additional fees to cover these costs.  

Sample housing  

Take a look at Talybont North, one Cardiff housing option, to see what your home away from home might be like: 

• Location: A large student complex about 1.5 miles northwest of campus, on the River Taff. 
• Living space: Flats for 6 students, with single bedrooms, each with sink, bed, desk, chair, wardrobe, and private bathroom. Shared kitchen with refrigerator, oven, stove, and microwave. Students provide kitchenware, sheets, and towels. 
• Meals: No meal plan. Students prepare or purchase meals—many flatmates tell us cooking and sharing meals is a fun, social part of the day.  
• Additional details: On-site reception. Laundry on-site.  
• Nearby: Shops. The University Sports Training Village. The Taff Trail (a 55-mile riverside path for walking, running, and cycling). Cardiff City Center (about 2 miles away, and 15 to 20 minutes by bus).