Stuck looking for the perfect neighbourhood to live as a student in Cardiff? Moving to a new city and being away from home for possibly the first time, can seem overwhelming and confusing. However, fear not! After consulting students who’ve survived their first year living away, here is an inclusive guide which will give you all the latest insider information and gossip on which bits of Cardiff are best for student living ( and which you are better off avoiding).
Cathays
This unfortunate area may be the neighbourhood with the worst reputation among Cardiff students — weird smells, slightly dodgy alleyways and of course the local wildlife ( a healthy population of rats) make this section of Cardiff a wild ride to be sure.
However, this is the neighbourhood that the majority of Cardiff university students will find themselves in, and it has its perks. Firstly, its location is perfect. Most students ( sorry to all the medical students who are banished to the heath area, which is the other side of Cardiff). The cathays area is in close proximity to the Humanities buildings, including psychology and several research labs. The student union is also in prime walking distance, which is optimal for students who don’t want to walk far after a night out. Cardiff student union hosts a variety of late night clubbing events, and it’s best not to get stuck paying for an eleven pound Uber because you thought living outside Cathays would be more aesthetic. What Cathays lacks in prettiness, it makes up for in convenience.
I may be biased because I am a Cathay’s renter, but the diversity of food available here is incredible.
Honourable mentions include :
- QBao, a delicious if a little pricey Chinese restaurant that we’re all in love with. The chilli noodles are definitely a favourite
- The Ladz, slightly weird and off putting name but it doesn’t detract from their classic range of fast food. Lots of chicken and chips, yet the cheesy fries with jalapeños are best if you need some spice to help the sobering up process after a night out.
Pontcanna
The Kensington of Cardiff, the renting prices here will scare most house hunting students away. This area is severely lacking a student community, and this will be an issue for any student. The best bit about uni life for most people is, let’s face it, the socialising. This neighbourhood simply doesn’t function with students in mind : there is a distinct lack of clubs, or places to go and study. Instead, Pontcanna has lots of very expensive cafes which kick you out after 30 minutes and vintage home decor places that fit a very specific tax bracket. You don’t want to get caught out by choosing an area with no social substance. Pontcanna is also a chunky walk away from university facilities, which will be a major inconvenience
It is, however, absolutely ideal for a day out with the friends though — every Sunday of the month a farmer’s market is hosted in King’s yard ( everything is overpriced, but it’s still a lot of fun to look around)
Cardiff bay
This region takes the cake as Cardiff’s most good looking area. Students who love taking aesthetic photos will find happiness living here. One of my course mates has a flat share here with a friend, and she loves how different the environment is! Her walking journey to our humanities building is however a crisp forty five minutes — but plenty of buses and trains will make this trip more pleasant. It’s a totally manageable distance. Cardiff is a hyper urban and hyper developed city with a large population, and it often feels like you’re being squeezed in from all sides. For those who need a bit of a calmer and less populated lifestyle, Cardiff bay is the perfect alternative.
Roath
Famous for its lush green spaces, Roath is the opposite to the grey built up areas of the city. Roath park spans a large area, and offers a beautiful and accessible walking route to university. I definitely recommend having a picnic with friends here when it’s warm enough, it’s a great way to take a break from the exhausting routine of lectures and essays.Perhaps not in the Winter though, it gets a bit soggy.
City centre
Most students who chose not to go into university accommodation for first year will find themselves here — this is where a lot of the alternative communal student halls will be, for example Ty pont Haren. A friend of mine lived here and really enjoyed being closer to her journalism building ( situated by the Cardiff train station). However, it meant that she had to walk quite chunky distances to see her friends in university accommodations.
The cafes here are pretty used to students though, and so as long as you buy enough food or drink, they’ll let you stay and study. Living here puts you in close distance to the perfect places for study, and also the perfect places to go out after dark. Cardiff hosts a number of clubs which cater to both English and welsh speaking students — the most popular being Circuit and Ifor Bach. This does of course mean that noise is also an issue. Wednesday through Sunday is prime night out season for both students and other populations, so expect a lot of rowdiness and a lot of drunk karaoke late into the night. I highly recommend investing in some noise cancelling headphones.
Llandaff
Similar to Cardiff bay, Llandaff is a quieter area of Cardiff. This is certainly not considered a student area. I would definitely recommend this area to post graduates and mature students who have put their clubbing days behind them, and are looking for some peace and quiet. The commute times vary in length and can be a little long at times, but there are consistent bus routes which connect Llandaff to both Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University. This accessibility means that living here is absolutely within the means of any student, so don’t be put off by its label as a non – student area.
For more info on student living in Cardiff, check out The best student letting agencies in Cardiff revealed
Hi! I’m Ruby and I’m an undergraduate studying English and Journalism at Cardiff University. Outside of lectures, I’m either at the library or on the hunt for a spontaneous sweet treat.
