The large town of Reading arguably has two main draws - that of the infamous alternative music festival held in August and as a business innovation centre.

Less famously, but just as importantly, the town has a history of grassroots arts movements and houses a veritable feast of theatres, galleries and other cultural delights.

Reading has a significant stake in the information technology sector with many multi-national corporations choosing to base themselves in the area. Corporations include Bang & Olufsen, Cisco, Intel, Sagem Orga, Virgin Media and Xerox. As well as IT business', Reading is making a name for itself in the financial sector with Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst and Young and PricewaterhouseCoopers being housed in the town or its surrounding business parks.

If you are visiting the city for pleasure such as visiting the Reading Festival for a night or two and don't want the hassle or worry of camping on a large site, an ideal place to stay would be in a serviced apartment. Reading offers a variety of apartments to suit a wide range of budgets and requirements, often working out considerably cheaper than their hotel counterparts.

Reading as well as a town for enterprise and music, is home to a major shopping centre with many high street names available in the Oracle or Broad Street shopping malls. Besides the shopping malls, Reading is home to a number of smaller arcades, markets and boutiques for a more independent shopping experience.

As a major transport hub, Reading offers rail links to London Paddington and Waterloo for an evening out to the capital after a day of business or pleasure. Only 30 minutes away from London by train, Reading offers some of the best shopping, cultural and nightlife experiences of the UK.