Top 5 Things to do in York as a Student

By Student Cribs | July 3, 2023 | Reading Time: 4 minutes

One of the oldest cities in the UK and home to two universities, the historic walled city of York is now busier and more vibrant than it has ever been before. There’s so much going on, both culturally and physically, so we’ve put together a list of our top 5 things to do as a student, to make sure you don’t miss out on the best!

1.     Visit the attractions – York is a city with so much history and culture so make sure that you make the most of it all while you’re there. It’s so easy to put it off but before you know it you’ll have missed your chance. We recommend visiting York Minister (one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals), the Railway Museum (a free and extremely fun day out), The York Dungeon (experience some of York’s darkest history and be absolutely terrified by the live shows) and York’s Chocolate Story (to discover how York became the UKs home of chocolate… and to eat a lot too) and for those a lot less feignt hearted, you can even get a private guided Ghost tour of York (no thank you).

2.     Enjoy the gardens – York is an extremely green city, with over 15 different gardens, there are so many different places that you can go to enjoy a walk, a picnic, or even just a peaceful relax – perfect for clearing your head after a busy day on campus. Some of our favourites are: Stockheld Park (it has a maze!), The Homestead Park (perfect for relaxing) and the Gardens at Newby Hall (with a woodland walk, an adventure garden and a miniature railway, this is our clear winner).

3.     Have a pint – With any great English town comes an even greater pub and York is absolutely no exception to this rule. The bars and pubs of York bring the city to life with their brilliantly different characters, from historic, cosy Inns to quirky coffee shops to cosmopolitan cocktail bars, York has it all, so find out which one suits you best!

4.     Visit the Yorkshire Dales – It would be absolutely ridiculous to have lived in York and not visited the Yorkshire Dales. Not only is it historic and absolutely stunning, there is actually so much more to it than meets the eye. It covers thousands of square miles of villages, valleys, hills and moors with bridges, monasteries and even waterfalls. So do your research, gather your friends and make a day out of it, it’ll be breath-taking.

5.     Appreciate York’s obscurities – York is definitely one of the most weird and wonderful cities in the UK because of things like the Cat Statues of York (literally a collection of small feline effigies that are dotted around the city) and one of the shortest streets in York that has one of the longest names: Whip-Ma-Whop-Ma-Gate (I’m really not joking).

Whatever it is you choose to do, York definitely will not disappoint! 

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