If you want jam on your Bread of Heaven, Europe’s youngest capital city, Cardiff, is the place to be.

Once drab, with a dodgy waterfront, the city has undergone the ultimate rebranding and is now vibrant.

Where it once reeked of coal, mined in the valleys and shipped out to power an industrial revolution, the sweet smell of success pervades every pore of the place.

It was recently named the best place in Britain to live, with low unemployment and decent living standards. The world hasn’t been slow to take notice.

On the sporting front, it has hosted Six Nations Rugby, the FA Cup final, Ashes Tests and, in 2017, soccer’s Champions League final. Down the road they have had a NATO summit and golf’s Ryder Cup – and in boxing terms, the area really punches above its weight.

But it does it with confidence that is without the tunnel-visioned brashness of London or hipster swagger of Manchester.

If you are thinking of coming to the city for the Rugby World Cup – running from September 19 to November 1 – and do not have accommodation, forget it. Hotels rooms were booked as much as 18 months ahead of the tournament, with Ireland and New Zealand as well as the hosts proving huge draws.

Even the quarter-final weekend, with the fixtures as yet unknown, have filled hoteliers’ pockets.

It is reckoned the RWC will give the local economy a Stg316 million ($A670 million) kick, with Stg7 million alone to come from food and drink.

With two Ireland games and a likely quarter-final, Cardiff could be turned from red to green for at least a few days.

Tiger Bay, under its new moniker Cardiff Bay, has seen the biggest changes as the city has kicked off its dreary, seedy past.

As money was made in Victorian times, the wealthy fled to the suburbs, leaving Tiger Bay – named after fierce coastal tides – to sailors and workers from over 50 countries and their “pastimes”. But the gambling dens and cathouses of the red-light district gave developers a green light to rip the place up and start again.

For Shirley Bassey, the area’s most famous former resident, it was a case of a life transformed from “I Who Have Nothing” to “Goldfinger” … not unlike the area itself.

A walk around the waterfront, around 12 kilometres in all, with views over what resembles a huge lake created by a barrage at the mouth of the Taff and Ely rivers, is a delight, with cafes and restaurants from a variety of cultures Chinese to Turkish and more.

For those with activities in mind as a distraction from the rugby, which you can see in many bars if you can’t get a match ticket and still want the atmosphere, there is a host of water-based fun things to try, from tours of the area’s offshore wildlife and scenery, to whitewater canoeing at the International Sports Village.

There are boat tours from Mermaid Quay and a water taxi to the city centre and Penarth.

For bars, The Wharf, is close to the impressive Millennium Stadium and the city centre, with its huge shopping centres. The Waterguard has great views of the bay and a beer garden and most places are family-friendly. It attracts tourists and members of the National Assembly alike.

The Potted Pig in the city centre has won over many fans in a region not known for its cuisine and more for the half-time pies at the stadium. But things have changed, and Antonio Carluccio, who trained a young Jamie Oliver, has just opened an Italian in town.

Cardiff’s appeal and fame is garnered from beyond its city limits, with Barry Island, on the map thanks to comic TV series Gavin and Stacey, and Blackwood the home of the Manic Street Preachers. And what better soundtrack could you want when it comes to joining in a chorus of approval for Cardiff?

Forget all the cliches you have ever heard about Cardiff, or Wales for that matter, bar one. Rugby is king here. And they will be turning up in droves to pay homage.

FACTS ON CARDIFF

* The Millennium Stadium, where the World Cup will be staged, has a capacity of 74,154 and boasts Britain’s first fully retractable roof

* Cardiff Castle dates back 2000 years to Roman times, and is now owned by city residents. It was once owned by John, the third Marquess of Bute, whose family ignited the South Wales coal industry and was the world’s richest man in the 1860s

* The National Museum of Wales contains works by Renoir, Monet and Cezanne

* Cardiff Bay, once known as Tiger Bay, is now Europe’s largest waterfront development and is a must for food, drink and nightlife

* Cardiff is the home of TV’s Doctor Who and hosts a special experience centre close to where the show is filmed. There’s an interactive adventure with the Time Lord, his Tardis and his foes, from Cybermen to Daleks

* The Wales Coastal path takes in the country’s 1100km coastline, all walkable

* The Big Pit National Coal Museum at Blaenavon is a living museum to the coal industry where you can travel to the pit floor in the miners’ cage, suited, booted and torched up.

For more go to visitcardiff.com