Connor’s Story: Student-friendly Chester

Hi there! My name's Connor and I'm in my last year of university in Chester. I'm from Conwy in North Wales. I love to go travelling, as well as play sports and be with friends.

A Bit About Me

I originally wanted to be a primary school teacher, ever since I was in year 6, but coming to university, I decided it wasn't the career path I wanted to go down. That's when I found out that there is a tourism course. Growing up close to two very tourist-driven towns (Conwy and Llandudno), having a passion for solo travelling and exploring different cultures, it sounded so fitting and how right I was. After travelling to over 28 countries at the age of 22, it's something I'm very proud of.

But what I'm more proud of is helping tourists in the centre of this very city, working in the Visitor Information Centre (VIC). I applied to do my job placement here and, after a fantastic conversation, I was able to thrive and help, as well as aid tourists coming to this 2000-year-old city. After placement, I was offered a junior manager role for the VIC, helping with training, designing leaflets and delivering information for visitors all around.

Getting Around Chester

Chester is such a great city for all students. Transport, for starters, is amazing, with a railway station that’s a 15-minute walk from the centre of the city, with direct routes to Liverpool, Manchester, London and North Wales being key. Chester is also such a walkable city, as it’s confined by the city walls where all the shops, bars and anything else you may need are located.

Discounts

A student discount is available in a variety of different places to help those in need. There is plenty of student accommodation – fitting for whatever budget – with so many great people who are always wanting to connect through this journey of life. 

Nightlife

I can name so many different places for a night out in Chester! There is definitely something for everyone here, with over 70 bars and pubs within the area.

• If you want a good student night out, then Off the Wall, Students’ Union, and, of course, Wetherspoons (Bull & Stirrup) are your places to go.
• If you want a place to boogie, then Rosie's nightclub is an option, with Popworld being one of the floors. Popcorn and Bonobo are also great places to go.
• If you want a more chilled pub vibe, Plana Terra (my fave!) and Flat Earth are also great chill places to go.
• For really interesting karaoke, Dublin Packet, The Kings Head, and The Lock Keeper are some shouts.
• Cheap bars can include Shropshire Arms, The Red Lion, or The Leopard. Cocktail-wise, you have Prohibition – if you can find it – Palm, Kuckoo, and tbc*.
• If you want an activity, the brand new Spinners, Rileys Sports Bar, Old Dukes, Rooftop Social Club, and Chaukees have a good variety.
  
  I have definitely missed some out, but there should be options to suit everyone!

Purple Flag

Purple Flag is an international accreditation programme that recognises cities that have achieved safety after dark, and Chester has retained its status for the last eight years.  Purple Flag strives to help create safe and thriving locations at night for all users. There are also many volunteer groups around the city to help those at night, especially on weekends.

Eating Out

When my family comes up to Chester, we always need some good food in our stomachs; the indoor Chester Market offers a huge variety of food from Mexican street food to Cheezy Bandits. Other options could be Brewski, Common Hall Street Social, or Ristorante Sergio, an Italian.

What to See and Do

If you want to know more about the city, the VIC has over 28 different walking tours, such as the Welcome to Chester tour, our general tour for the city.

In Chester, there is also mini golf (The Hole in Wand), escape rooms (Escapism), river cruises and bus tours, the Chester Cathedral, Storyhouse, Chester Zoo, and so much more!

Read our Life in Chester pages to find out what else you can enjoy in our vibrant, student friendly city.