Portsmouth
172 Reviews by Students #47 out of 422 University locations
Safe place, if you know where not to go at night. Cheap ubers and local taxies. Very easy to navigate. Can walk absolutely anywhere. Great night life! Freshers events are amazing. There’s a free uni bus. So many beautiful places to go. The place has rich history. If you stay a bit after submissions you can enjoy the beach like you’re on holiday!
By Vee On 18th June 20
Study in Portsmouth
Portsmouth is a coastal city in the South of England, with the University of Portsmouth situated in the heart of the city.
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University of Portsmouth
Portsmouth is one of only four universities in the south-east that has been recognised with the highest Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework. 24,395 students are currently enrolled at The University of Portsmouth, which has a reputation for delivering innovative and internationally excellent research.
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Portsmouth Student Life
Portsmouth is a bustling city with the bonus of being right on the sea. It has everything a student needs to work, play and rest!
Cost of Living
Accommodation costs
Student accommodation costs range from £99 - £303 per week; the average is £183 per week.
Compare the average elsewhere: Falmouth: £154/week, Bournemouth: £171/week, London: £288/week.
(prices are for all purpose-built student accommodation (both private and university-owned) over the last 12 months, as listed on StudentCrowd)
The average price for:
A cheap meal at a restaurant: £16.50
A pint of beer: £3.50
A regular takeout coffee: £2.77
1L of milk: £0.89
A loaf of white bread: £0.97
The cost of living is about 6% higher than in Birmingham, about the same as Manchester and about 17.7% lower than London.
(Source: Numbeo)
Nights Out
The main night clubs…
The main night clubs are all close together meaning the night life is great as you can hop around & go to wherever is best!
Always exciting…
The nights out in Portsmouth are always exciting and a laugh
Probably the best place…
Probably the best place in the world to pub crawl. Lacking on clubs if that’s your scene.
Nights out are student centered…
Nights out are student centered so cheap entry and cheap drinks.
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Public Transport
Everything is easy access…
Everything is easy access with the university bus.
Public transport services are great…
Public transport services are great especially they uni bus.
There are multiple train stations…
There are multiple train stations and loads of buses to get you around.
3 major train stations…
3 major train stations spread across the city, a free uni bus make transport very easy.
Eating Out
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The award-winning Need Street Food at The Merchant House serves mouth-watering street food, you can expect mega burgers, mac & cheese, gyros and more. On top of that, every order funds a shipment of life-saving food to children overseas.
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One of the most popular cafes is Hunter Gatherer, they serve quality coffee and incredible brunches which are 100% vegetarian and mostly vegan menu.
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Pie & Vinyl, is not a usual combination, but we’re not complaining! This cosy spot, is somewhere you can enjoy a delicious meal of hearty pie and mash along with a spot of record buying, they often have live music too.
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Shopping
The Southsea area, particularly Albert Road, is known for its quirky shop’s housing independent traders, boutiques, craft shops, and retro gear. Commercial Road is more of your standard ‘high street’ shopping area and has Cascades shopping centre. Finally, for those times when some serious retail therapy is needed, you have the Gunwharf Quays. This is a massive complex with over ninety designer outlets and big-name brands, all in one area, with sea views!
Cultural Guide
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Music
Portsmouth has a number of great live music venues the most iconic is The Wedgewood Rooms, open since 1992 is a small venue that has had big names such as Oasis, Kasabian and The Strokes grace its stage. Other popular venues which have larger capacity include Pyramids Centre and Portsmouth Guildhall.
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Museums
Portsmouth is known for its historic naval dockyard and there are many attractions to visit, such as stepping on to historic ships, HMS Victory and HMS Warrior, or viewing the impressive wreck of the famous Tudor ship, The Mary Rose.
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Theatres
There are 2 Victorian Grade-II listed theatres, The New Theatre Royal and Kings Theatre, that both hosts touring plays, musicals, comedies and bands. The newest theatre company in the city is the Groundlings Theatre that runs a varied programme for all, from pantos to Shakespeare!
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Galleries
The city is home to a selection of new and contemporary art as well as more traditional art. Here are a few galleries that should be on your list to check out: ArtSpace, Aspex Gallery, Southsea Gallery, Hotwalls Studios, Jack House Gallery and White Dog Gallery.
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Festivals
There is a multitude of festivals that take place throughout the year in Portsmouth. There’s Victorious Festival, a music festival that brings in renowned artists, Black History Month Film Festival, Comic-Con, Hampshire Street Food Awards, Tattoo Fest, Victorian Christmas Festival and so much more!
Top 10 Portsmouth Accommodation
Crown Place - Portsmouth
Since staying here I've experienced nothing but positive things - all staff including security are super friendly and helpful, there are constantly mi...
Middle Street
Middle street is amazing. It’s literally right next to everything you could possible need, the university, the shops, the pubs, the clubs and so much ...
Greetham Street
I really enjoyed my year in Greetham street as a first year in 2018-2019 and as it was such a big accommodation there were so many people to meet and ...
Margaret Rule Hall
Cheap halls but pretty good quality. Lots of flats with decent rooms and a good shared kitchen in each...
Catherine House
I really enjoyed staying at Catherine House. The rooms are a good price and bigger than my friends room over the road, even though they pay more money...
Rosalind Franklin Halls
Very good reliable WiFi’ through entire building, easy access to university buildings and very close to the clubbing scene....
Rees Hall
Very good experience here, food was nice, great social experience down in the common rooms and all staff were great and happy to help. I didn't have a...
Bateson Hall
The accommodation in the middle of the campus and it had a lot of facilities around it. It was really nice. It was really well organized it is. the cl...
Trafalgar Hall
Starting out at Trafalgar was one of the best decisions I made. It allowed you to integrate into uni life and have other student by your side who were...
Harry Law Hall
Rooms were good and it was very accessible. Only downside is it was dorm style so noise was not well contained and it was quite easy to get complaints...
Read Portsmouth Reviews
Portsmouth is a very...
Portsmouth is a very affordable city with much to do for students. Everything is close by and a walking distance away. There’s place to eat, go for nights out and the beach and common is great in the summer. The shopping isn’t that great as the shops are quite dated, but everything else is great for a student city. read more
Really good and lots...
Really good and lots to do for a whole range of budgets and always top quality read more
I love Portsmouth, you...
I love Portsmouth, you can walk every where, you can eat out in gunwharf the town is beautiful especially the sea, I love the vibe and everything read more
great rail links to london,...
great rail links to london, gatwick and various other cities, plenty of places to shop including gunwharf and cascades. great variety of takeaway and restaurants for a treat nightb read more
Love the area, many places...
Love the area, many places to eat and people are always out having fun read more
Plenty to see and do...
Plenty to see and do in Portsmouth, there is a lot to discover especially around the lesser known areas read more
Living in portsmouth...
Living in portsmouth is pretty good read more
Portsmouth isn’t the...
Portsmouth isn’t the most welcome of cities to students. read more
Not expensive to live....
Not expensive to live. Cheap Lots of stuff to do read more
I dont do much tbh. so...
I dont do much tbh. so this is kind of just my opinion read more
Just a very lovely little...
Just a very lovely little place that is easy to live in. The sea is healing to all of your troubles in life. read more
Portsmouth is quite an...
Portsmouth is quite an expensive place to live. However, the variety at Gunwarf Quays is ideal for days/nights out for shopping, eating and drinking. read more
Good City. Lots of pubs/bars/clubs...
Good City. Lots of pubs/bars/clubs locally. beach only a 5 min walk read more
Don’t like the price...
Don’t like the price of public transport. read more
Sea-side city! Lovely...
Sea-side city! Lovely beach, good vibes! read more
Portsmouth has a wide...
Portsmouth has a wide variety of shops, restaurants and nightlife available to everyone. Most places are generally within walking distance, and there are generally enough shops to suit everybody’s needs. read more
Portsmouth is a lovely...
Portsmouth is a lovely place, with loads of places to go visit including the beach, the HMS dockyard, the lighthouse further down Southsea beach. It’s an amazing place with everything close by it makes shopping really easy as well as going out with friends to the pubs and on nights out. read more
Portsmouth is such a...
Portsmouth is such a nice city and has a great variety from the seafront and piers to city life. I've enjoyed my time in Portsmouth so far and feel as if there's so much to do when with covid which is a plus. I've not needed to use public transport as you really can walk everywhere, however I hear it's cheap and reliable. It is a bit pricey to live in Portsmouth as I currently pay £1200 a month (bills included) for a studio apartment. read more
Nights out doesn't apply...
Nights out doesn't apply to me so left as 3 star (I don't go out drinking at all). The Uni is in the town centre with nearly all campuses and halls being within walking distance so public transport not needed (there is a free university bus). read more
The cost of living here...
The cost of living here is pretty good if you can cook by yourself since if you choose to go outside to eat outside it is far more costly. I don't do nights out so I can't rate this but there doesn't seem to be much public disruption considering that as a factor I think Portsmouth is a great place to stay. Shopping is very convenient as everything is in walking distance. Portsmouth is great since you don't have to take a public transport to get to places. You can just walk to get to your desired destination. read more
Great place. Everything...
Great place. Everything is in walking distance. There is so much to see and do. The transport links are fantastic and summers down the beachfront can not be beat. read more
Very packed and populated...
Very packed and populated area but everyone is friendly read more
just don’t look at the...
just don’t look at the crackheads read more
Most powerful city near...
Most powerful city near shoutsea with waterport everybudy bset time spent free time. read more
Gun Wharf is fab amazing...
Gun Wharf is fab amazing outlets of the best shops. Also loads of little odd shops on Albert road etc Southsea is the best place to live. read more
Overall, great city...
Overall, great city to live in! :) read more
Portsmouth is an affordable...
Portsmouth is an affordable city and students go clubbing on Purple Wednesday's - a time when student's get into venues for less. Uber Eats let's you order deliveries 24/7 and is very convenient. Otherwise, there'll likely be a Tesco Express within walking distance of your accommodation. There's even a uni bus that goes around southsea and is useful if you live further away from campus in private accommodation. It's free for all students; you'll need to show the bus driver your student ID first though. read more
An affordable city to...
An affordable city to reside in as a student, cheap student nights and lots of activities to do when not studying. A small city too so everywhere is within walking distance. read more
It was really nice the...
It was really nice the town is compact, everything is near everything, it is near the seaside. you can find everything in the city. everything is at max 15 min distance. It has malls and restaurants. read more
Pretty good, just stay...
Pretty good, just stay out of Sommerstown read more
Portsmouth is quite small...
Portsmouth is quite small and so the city centre is about 20 minutes away from the beach. There are loads of parks and A LOT of places to eat, as well as an insane amount of pubs and clubs to go to. Houses are general university prices, however they are cheaper than other cities such as Oxford and Bristol. It’s also only a 45 minute train journey away from London and a 40 minute train journey from Southampton so is easy access to other areas. Also the train from Southsea to Harbour or Fratton is a lifesaver as it allows easy access to other areas of the city. read more
Really good night life...
Really good night life and shopping by the sea. read more
Such a compact city,...
Such a compact city, didnt even need to use local buses as it was possible to walk everywhere! Great prices for the south too and some amazing restaurants and cafes about. I still visit often even though i have graduated read more
The university, its halls...
The university, its halls and the other student housing in the area is placed perfectly in the centre of the city! Never too far from restaurants, bars and clubs, with Gunwharf Quays within walking distance too! read more
It’s very affordable...
It’s very affordable to live in Portsmouth read more
Even though the cost...
Even though the cost if living isn't hugely cheap, in Portsmouth most of the town caters for students so whether it's a night out or a bite to eat there's always somewhere affordable. The nightlife is amazing and you feel like you are there in a bubble with students. read more
Perfect for anything...
Perfect for anything you need to do, beach, town, shopping retail outlets, countryside a 20 mins train away read more
I use uber everywhere...
I use uber everywhere which is fairly cheap too read more
Lots of affordable housing...
Lots of affordable housing in Southsea/ Fratton area. Some great nightclubs (most notably The Astoria). City is very compact and flat so everywhere is accessible by bike/ walking. read more
Everything is so close...
Everything is so close it is easy to walk everywhere read more
All in all great area...
All in all great area to live in. read more
Free university bus,...
Free university bus, Gunwharf and Commercial road are both good shopping areas, with Gunwharf offering lots of restaurants and a costume shop on Commercial road to buy things for the social nights out. read more
Expensive to get around...
Expensive to get around but there are enough shops to keep you entertained and it’s very good value living so long as you hunt around for the best deal read more
Portsmouth has everything...
Portsmouth has everything you need! I hope to continue living down here. Everything is cheap and there are lots of places to go read more
Best University Best...
Best University Best Faculty Very Friendly and Helpful Environment One of the finest city. read more
The town is great as...
The town is great as it has a lot of nice independent delis and cafes around southsea and Gunwharf Quays has most of what you’d want out of a shopping centre however some parts of Portsmouth are dodgy (Fratton and upwards) so be careful. The buses are a little over priced but the university supplies the students with a free bus that goes around southeast and fratton read more
Enjoyable city and beautiful...
Enjoyable city and beautiful sea front read more
Absolutely awful do not...
Absolutely awful do not go here. Nothing about this was good read more
Couldn’t have chosen...
Couldn’t have chosen a better city to go to uni read more
Portsmouth is a lovely...
Portsmouth is a lovely little city. The beach is always pleasant wvwn though its not sandy. The island is rich with history and great for photography. The social scene is amazing: loads of places to hang out, drink, shop and public transport is decent! + the uni bus takes you around most of the island for free. read more
Portsmouth is great like...
Portsmouth is great like London but cheaper read more
Portsmouth is the best...
Portsmouth is the best city I’ve ever lived in. Free uni bus, can walk everywhere otherwise, cheapest Uber’s, cheapest and most fun nights out in the south, cheap house rent, banging places to eat and drink - just don’t bother the crackheads read more
Amazing city with hestorical...
Amazing city with hestorical landmarks all around the city read more
Cheap student living....
Cheap student living. Different areas in Portsmouth for different vibes. Truly unique city. Small enough to walk everywhere but different and diverse enough to make it feel massive. read more
Great city, wouldn't...
Great city, wouldn't mind moving there post uni. read more
I drive so public transport...
I drive so public transport wasn’t an issue for me. The night life is really good read more
Not one bad thing I can...
Not one bad thing I can say about Portsmouth read more
Cost of living in Portsmouth...
Cost of living in Portsmouth is unreasonably high for the city and location however is a decent city other than that read more
Pretty much everything...
Pretty much everything is available. All required shops are 10 mins walk from the center of the city. read more
Lovely city, mix of shops...
Lovely city, mix of shops and beaches. Very few concert venues and not many concerts if you're into alternative music (Enter Shikari does come to Portsmouth sometimes though). Buses are expensive but it's easy to walk because the land is mostly flat read more
Some great shopping and...
Some great shopping and dining places all around especially gunwharf quays. Good bus and train links and great night life we love a purple Wednesday read more
I wasn't sure at first...
I wasn't sure at first but Southsea is amazing. read more
Very affordable city...
Very affordable city with amazing views to the beach and relaxing environments. read more
Safe place, if you know...
Safe place, if you know where not to go at night. Cheap ubers and local taxies. Very easy to navigate. Can walk absolutely anywhere. Great night life! Freshers events are amazing. There’s a free uni bus. So many beautiful places to go. The place has rich history. If you stay a bit after submissions you can enjoy the beach like you’re on holiday! read more
Portsmouth is a really...
Portsmouth is a really beautiful city and the nights out are the best read more
everything is in walking...
everything is in walking distance read more
I dont find much to complain...
I dont find much to complain about, I feel like it is a nice place however there can be times where it feels like there isn't much to do. read more
great place for a student...
great place for a student aas everything iss reasonably priced and in close proximity. read more
Everything is easy access...
Everything is easy access with the university bus. Housing is a bit pricey but there is lots to do in such a vibrant city read more
Cost of living is quite...
Cost of living is quite expensive especially halls like Catherine house who are so over priced. However moving into a house after first year proved to be much more cost effective. Plenty of places to eat out. The night life is really good, a couple different clubs to choose from. Loads of different shops from high street to designer. Public transport services are great especially they uni bus. read more
Complete range You have...
Complete range You have an outlet, with super fancy shops, and a town center with the cheaper basic shops. A vue cinema (the cheapest of cinemas) Pleanty of clubs and bars Lots of connecting busses Some places are a little bit pricy, but nothing extortionate. But also, cheap places too. Clubs have good discounted nights and are very busy Pleant of things to do that arent drinking too Beach near by, cinema, swimmimg pools, rock garden, bowling, many resturants, game bars, pub quizzes, shopping and so much. Worth a look on groupon, lots of cheap day out things here that a lot of people dont realise is here. Keep and eye out for events, like christmas market and vintage kilo sales. A lot of students miss these and its a shame. read more
The free uni bus only...
The free uni bus only goes one way round and it doesn’t run at night read more
Shops are super close,...
Shops are super close, either clothing or food everyone can choose, huge variety, a lot of great clubs in here read more
There’s numerous clubs...
There’s numerous clubs for different tastes of night out. There’s multiple high streets and no shortage of restaurants and eateries. The famous Gunwharf Quays is a fantastic outlet. read more
Great city, most sunny...
Great city, most sunny days in UK per statistics read more
- good clubs all near...
- good clubs all near the university - good shopping close by ( Gunwharf keys) read more
Gnwharfquays and cascades...
Gnwharfquays and cascades shopping center are go for shopping but the rest is not good in general or it's bad value for money read more
Portsmouth is quite an...
Portsmouth is quite an underrated city and I really enjoyed living there. You’ve got all the big supermarkets to choose from and most accommodation for students is right on campus. I do not really care about nights out, but the times that I did go everywhere was extremely crowded, which will definitely want to make you want to stay at home if like me you do not like to be smushed in a crowd of sweaty strangers... read more
A lot of criminality...
A lot of criminality and homeless people, apart from that, quite cheap. read more
The safety should be...
The safety should be improved in the night read more
I cannot rate it enough,...
I cannot rate it enough, I loved it. read more
The city is catered for...
The city is catered for students so there’s always deals about! Gunwharf is more on the expensive side but they do student discount evenings which is so good. read more
Great nights out with...
Great nights out with loads of places to go. Gunwharf is a plus with lots of fab bars and variety of restaurants read more
The prices are reasonable...
The prices are reasonable and everything you could ever need is nearby read more
There are multiple train...
There are multiple train stations and loads of buses to get you around. The main night clubs are all close together meaning the night life is great as you can hop around & go to wherever is best! Portsmouth has some great shopping experiences with Gunwharf Quays located a 15-20 min walk from university accommodation and the town centre 5 minutes in the other direction. read more
Portsmouth is a really...
Portsmouth is a really small but busy city. There is plenty to do, and good nights out available in lots of places. read more
Portsmouth is great for...
Portsmouth is great for a night out and is extremely cheap in regards to rent - I found that living by the sea was a massive positive too! read more
Depends who you are....
Depends who you are. If you are a relatively smart with what you buy you'll survive read more
A lot of fun as the nightlife...
A lot of fun as the nightlife is always very alive, though the recent increase of reported crime in Portsmouth does leave a lot of people on edge read more
Portsmouth has really...
Portsmouth has really good public transportation and shops. read more
Great night life. Great...
Great night life. Great takeaways. read more
Good facilities I feel...
Good facilities I feel a big supermarket closer to the guildhall would be much better read more
Uni gives free buses...
Uni gives free buses so can get around if just outside main area, shopping you have gun wharf or main town but about 25 min walk between read more
Loads of transport links....
Loads of transport links. Prices for eating out are good. Food prices in shops are high read more
Very good location by...
Very good location by the sea and all near supermarket shops restaurand pubs and clubs read more
Not much public transport...
Not much public transport but no need as you have two large shopping complexes every single shop you will ever want or need, and every restaurant and fast food you’ll need, and supermarkets and everything you could possibly want read more
Everything is really...
Everything is really accessible. There are so many options for going out. It’s all very student friendly, even Gunwharf. read more
Something for everyone,...
Something for everyone, no matter your interests read more
Bit of a dive in places...
Bit of a dive in places but gunwharf is nice read more
Nice place to live, bit...
Nice place to live, bit crowded, locals are a bit scary, don't eat at ken's chicken, do eat at alis kabab up by pryzum read more
Great city to study in....
Great city to study in. Everythhing is close by! read more
Always plenty to do and...
Always plenty to do and easy to travel and navigate around the city. Friendly locals and shopkeepers on every doorstep and always help in the community if you need it. read more
Average, actual town...
Average, actual town is horrid thpugh read more
The city is amazing and...
The city is amazing and it has a lot of things to do read more
Go to Gunwharf Quays...
Go to Gunwharf Quays and shop in the greatest outlet at the ocean. The nights out in Portsmouth are always exciting and a laugh read more
Easy to get around and...
Easy to get around and cheap food read more
A small city, great transport...
A small city, great transport links. Probably the best place in the world to pub crawl. Lacking on clubs if that’s your scene. read more
Free uni bus, decent...
Free uni bus, decent place for students read more
Great student city! Students...
Great student city! Students everywhere andlot of things tailored to students. Makes it great. Nigths out are crowded but you make friends quite easily. read more
A great city if you're...
A great city if you're looking for nights out and a social vibe, but not great for arts or culture read more
Very good shopping in...
Very good shopping in here and the cost of living is not high at all read more
Uni has a free bus from...
Uni has a free bus from Mo-Fr which is great otherwise everything is a walking distance. The coastal part of city, Southsea is beautiful full of shops, pubs, restaurants. I love that Portsmouth is full of independent shops. read more
I wouldn't eat out too...
I wouldn't eat out too often unless you have some money coming in as you should try and cook to gain some experience but there are lots of nice places to eat out if you have the money! - I hate clubbing and prefer pubs hence why nights out is only one star for me personally but public transport and everything else is great. read more
This city meet all of...
This city meet all of the criteria. It is designed for students and not only. Accommodation is cheap, there are two shopping centres, lots of place to eat and party. Ubers, taxis, trains and buses available. read more
Not a wide range of things...
Not a wide range of things to do, think that’s why everyone went out all the time. Town centre could be improved read more
Cost of living ia good...
Cost of living ia good compared to elsewhere read more
There is a lot of stuff...
There is a lot of stuff but it’s spread out read more
Lovely area with plenty...
Lovely area with plenty of things to explore, nightlife is great and there is a wide variety of eating facilities read more
It’s an beautiful city...
It’s an beautiful city with amazing landscapes read more
Free uni bus and also...
Free uni bus and also Gunwharf shopping centre what more could you ask for read more
Uni buss makes traversing...
Uni buss makes traversing the city very easy and free. read more
Decent city - definitely...
Decent city - definitely has areas to improve but from a student point of view it has everything I need. We have a free university bus but it only goes one way in a loop and is often cramped. read more
Plenty of research required...
Plenty of research required for local amenities read more
Nights out are student...
Nights out are student centered so cheap entry and cheap drinks. Eating out is typical places but they all do student discounts. read more
The town has great shops...
The town has great shops and restaurants and everyone has had plenty of brilliant night out! read more
Affordable way of living,...
Affordable way of living, lots of students about, decent shops and great for student nights out:) read more
university bus was great,...
university bus was great, lots of shopping and great nights out read more
Lovely area which caters...
Lovely area which caters for every need read more
The city works well for...
The city works well for students with everything you could want/need, even if you just want to get home. read more
Plenty of places to go...
Plenty of places to go and plenty of places to eat, plus Gunwarf at your disposal! Many food shops and supermarkets to shop at spread over many areas making them very accessible. I mostly used the uni bus, but there are plenty of public buses running on a good time scale and there are 3 train stations (fratton, Portsmouth and Southsea, Portsmouth harbour). Shopping is great- Gunwarf, commercial street and Southsea mall read more
3 major train stations...
3 major train stations spread across the city, a free uni bus make transport very easy. Outlet centre is perfect for student shopping sprees. read more
Plenty of affordable...
Plenty of affordable student houses, loads of restaurants and fun things to do, numerous shops, both independent and chain. Plenty of great nights out and good public transport. read more
Loads of pubs and clubs,...
Loads of pubs and clubs, gunwharf for outlet shopping and restaurants and free uni bus! read more
Pubs everywhere. Good...
Pubs everywhere. Good nights out. And every shop needed read more