I really enjoy studying in Lincoln which I feel is a great 'in between' where it doesn't feel to large and daunting but at the same time has plenty going on for students. The main high street has plenty of shops to buy essentials, whilst there are also supermarkets a further walk away. There's a good range of retail shops and a shopping centre which make a good shopping day out. There are a range of places to eat out at near the city centre but also along the Brayford Pool. These include independent and chain restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, although more unique independent shops can be found along Steep Hill. There are some great clubs for nights out in Lincoln that are all quite close together, so you can walk to them with friends if you live close to the city (most student accommodation is) without needing a taxi. The train and bus station is also near the main high street.
On 14th November 20
I really enjoy studying in Lincoln which I feel is a great 'in between' where it doesn't feel to large and daunting but at the same time has plenty going on for students. The main high street has plenty of shops to buy essentials, whilst there are also supermarkets a further walk away. There's a good range of retail shops and a shopping centre which make a good shopping day out. There are a range of places to eat out at near the city centre but also along the Brayford Pool. These include independent and chain restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, although more unique independent shops can be found along Steep Hill. There are some great clubs for nights out in Lincoln that are all quite close together, so you can walk to them with friends if you live close to the city (most student accommodation is) without needing a taxi. The train and bus station is also near the main high street.
On 14th November 20
Living in Lincoln
Lincoln is officially ranked as one of the UK’s safest cities, which should make your parents feel a bit better about you going off to study at the University of Lincoln. It’s not a big place, but it’s got style.
You’ll find the city is roughly split into two sections, locally called Uphill and Downhill. For everyday shopping you want the Downhill area nearer the river and the University of Lincoln campus. Lincoln is small enough to get around easily on foot but Downhill has all your essentials, including high street shops and a cinema. The bus and train stations are also at this end of town.
If you’ve ever sat through an episode of Downton Abbey you’ll feel right at home in Uphill. It’s the posher end of town where you’ll also find Roman ruins, Lincoln Cathedral (which gives free entry to Lincoln students carrying their student cards), and the castle. While you’re there, look out for the golden postbox set up for Sophie Wells, the athlete who won gold in the team Equestrian event at the 2012 Paralympics.
Uphill and Downhill are connected by a pedestrian route called Steep Hill. This road does what it says on the tin and it’s cobbled so wear your sensible shoes. Even the cars have to take a short detour around it, but on the plus side the street has a lot of independent and vintage shops so it’s an interesting walk with lots to see and do and eat. There are regular markets round here, and if you happen to stay during the holidays there’s also a very popular Christmas fair held in the same area, often with a lot of free samples!
Going Out:
- Pulse: Turn up on Fridays for Students Only night ‘Superbull’.
- Sports fans might want to check out the Lincolnshire Bombers, an impressive roller derby team. If you’ve not seen it played before then imagine American ice hockey, but without the puck or most of the protective padding!
- Home: This nightclub has eight bars and six rooms, each covering a different style of music, so chances are good that there’s something in there for you.
Food and Drink:
- Pang City: Recommended by students as the best Chinese takeaway in town, they will deliver to campus.
- The Cheese Society: A shop selling, you guessed it, cheese! There’s a small café attached for lunches, and we promise they also sell other kinds of food than cheese. A little more upmarket, but worth visiting at least once.
- Dogma: A smart little pub/bar with a good range of burgers. Food half price on Tuesdays and Sundays.
Read Lincoln Reviews
Not enough actual clubs but good shops and train station close
Love Lincoln city centre - uphill and main high street are great
Could have a few more clubs but great mix of shops and restaurants
Lincoln has everything you need within walking distance.
Cheap and quiet city to live in with lots to choose from for food and drink
Nights out a bit difficult right now, but with all the clubs I've seen a great potential for night life!!
I really enjoy studying in Lincoln which I feel is a great 'in between' where it doesn't feel to large and daunting but at the same time has plenty going on for students. The main high street has plenty of shops to buy essentials, whilst there are also supermarkets a further walk away. There's a good range of retail shops and a shopping centre which make a good shopping day out. There are a range of places to eat out at near the city centre but also along the Brayford Pool. These include independent and chain restaurants, cafes, and takeaways, although more unique independent shops can be found along Steep Hill. There are some great clubs for nights out in Lincoln that are all quite close together, so you can walk to them with friends if you live close to the city (most student accommodation is) without needing a taxi. The train and bus station is also near the main high street.
Most accommodations are expensive but there are plenty of restaurants to choose from
Lincoln has everything students
Lincoln is a small city with a small amount of things you can do
Great city, especially if you love History! Everything you want from shopping, to restaurants and location. There is even a castle and a waterfront. We love to visit.
Good transport links, amazing clubs with dedicated student nights
Everything’s a nice price, you don’t really need transportation because everything’s so close
For a small city it has everything you could want and can still have a really good time so it’s unfair to compare to a big city like Newcastle x
Great nights out at a reasonable cost
Lincoln doesn’t have a lot of going out areas
Wish there were some bigger clubs and more shops, but lots of restaurant choice
Didn’t get much public transport as everything is in walking distance. A lot of restaurants!
Great city centre that isn't too big. Train station really central.
Everything is in walking distance, lots of restaurants. More shops would be great!
Lincoln is a friendly, beautiful city with a lovely balance of old-fashioned and modern. Plenty of great restaurants and coffee shops to visit, plus I thoroughly recommend a peaceful walk around the Lincoln Arboretum.
It’s a small city so limited activities
Lincoln is a lovely but very small city. The best part is the independant cafes and restaurants. The Bailgate is where i recommend going to really see lincoln in its best light
I’ve never been in England before, therefore Lincoln was a good start to learn more about England and get to know the culture :)
Liked the city a lot, good nightlife
Although public transport isnt required for a lot of students due to most of the uni being in or around campus, the public transport I've used has been standard. Shopping is also good, with a lot of options on the high street. Cost of living for Lincoln is good compared to that of friends living in other cities.
Small city, and feels it. Nightlife is okay for a city this small but only 2 real clubs that you'd go to. One has a problem with dodgy bouncers who can be really horrible. Not many places to eat compared to other large towns/cities and transport links are okay via train but that's about it. Barely any shopping as they are all situated on the one high street.
Lincoln is just great. Can’t say anything bad about it
I think that for a student, the cost of living is pretty minimal compared to other cities. I was also thinking about moving here after uni and I believe housing pricing to be pretty reasonable also. There is access to budget food shops like lidl, farm foods and Herron foods, but morrisons isn’t too bad if you know how to spend money. There way too many options to eat out for such a small city. The nights out are really good to me but if you don’t fancy it, Nottingham is only an hour away by train. Don’t come here to shop - the amount of high street shops are pretty minimal so if you want to buy shoes, you have the options of: sports direct, budget jd, and Office. Public transport is excellent, everything is within walking distance. If you need to catch a bus, it’s not expensive and you can do even to Skeggy. The train station is easily accessible and a return to Nottingham in railcard is only £12
Good accommodation facilities (off campus). Not much to do in lincoln to be honest - very limited and boring!
Beautiful city with lots to do in regards to shopping and activities. The nightlife is great, especially as a student. Public transport isn’t really needed as most places are within walking distance!
AMAZING! better than the big cities, I moved from Leeds and still live in Lincoln. Absolutely love it. Night life is amazing
It's a relatively cheap place to live if you get the right landlord and shop right. Letting agencies are con artists, the student union shut down the one decent club night because it 'wasn't making enough money'. They then proceeded to buy a barge (With the student's money) and turned it into a cocktail bar where the profits don't even go towards the student union.
It’s actually quite more pricey than I thought. The main food shops around are like Tesco,Morrison’s, Asda these are quite pricey in comparison to other ones. Clubs can be good but some play strange music. The shopping centre has a lot of shopping places but not many of the main key ones
Small city so public transport isn't relevant with plenty of local services and lots to do!
Decent city just a shame about the train going through the middle of it, means you have to really go out of your way sometimes when the train tracks paralyse the road for sometimes 10 minutes.
The city is very small and easy to navigate, some very good restaurants and bars for a good social life at an affordable cost.
Everything's close together and cheap enough, there's a good range of pubs, clubs and shops and it's a pretty nice city in general (has the cathedral, castle, and all the cathedral quarter shops/pubs, making it a nice city to meet your parents in etc).
There are tons of pubs to chose from. Very accessible.
Lincoln personally wasn’t my cup of tea, I’ve realised I like bigger cities with more atmosphere, the clubbing isn’t to bad considering it’s a small town, but after a while it becomes boring as I was a regular at going out. The bars in lincoln are good considering how small it is, but personally I wanted to go to a university where the city surrounding it was exciting and full of events, the club events are a real let down, and if your in freshers don’t bothwr buying the wristband as it limits you to bad events. The university club was a bit like a children’s disco but was good if you where intoxicated enough.
I love living in lincoln. Trains are pretty cheap if you book in advance and being students there are loads of deals so you can eat our really cheaply - we try and do it once a month as a minimum with our whole flat!! Cinema is a bit expensive. Shopping is good and has got better over my two years here.
In comparison to where i'm from (little town) everything is quite expensive here but I think you find that with cites. There are plenty of places to eat out and it is one of my favourite things to do so I have tried a lot of the places around here and they are all pretty nice to be honest. The nights out are not quite the same as what they are at home but I think that is because a lot of students like to get so drunk that they are sick everywhere. The shopping isn't bad its just a bit spread out so you have quite a walk to all get to all the shops. I don't really use public transport but I have used a taxi firm called Handsome Cabs are they are great and really reliable. The only problem I have with Lincoln is the amount of homeless people and how many burglaries I hear about, I know of 3 people in my accommodation who have be robbed of their belongings.
Living in Lincoln for 11 years, growing up and socialising here really couldn't be better
very pretty city, friendly people, big student vibe, generally feel safe!
Lincoln is a nice place, good overall in terms of things to do with regards to shopping and eating. Home is a great night club, bouncers are plebs but don't always ruin a night out.
Quite an expensive city, but so beautiful, loads of shops, restaurants and plenty to do on a night out. Can't rate the transport fairly as I've only ever used the train which is the same as all trains across the UK.
Great nightlife and safe place to live. Not a big range of shops available but really pretty town centre.
Its not as big as some cities for nightlife but it makes you feel more safe and confident.
everything is close, great night life, variety of shops
Lots of bars and restaurants however only a few clubs worth visiting. Usually end up going to the same places on a night out because there's not much range. Shopping is OK, wish there was more choice sometimes.
Lincoln is a nice resourceful place, however it doesn't come close to a major city like Nottingham, Manchester (etc.) with respect to shopping and night life.
Some really awesome places to eat, especially alongside the brayford and if you're up for a walk there is everything you can ever need.
A very small city, but definitely a nice place to live, shopping could be improved, but I can't afford to do that anyway
Lincoln has plenty of pubs,clubs and bars to go to. Along with plenty of restaurants and cafés. The train station allows you to escape to other places like meadow hall etc.
Can't really rate public transport as i've never used it. Certain shops i usually go to are not available, so trips to meadowhall are often.
Not many good clothing stores just the usual next, Debenhams and house of Fraser. Plenty of bars and restaurants around Brayford areas with nice views and reasonable prices
This city is fantastic. They have just finished improving the shopping centre and there is a wide range of clothes, accessory, food shops, etc. and in terms of eating out: you couldn't ask for more choice. Eating at one of the restaurants on the water front on a sunny evening is perfect, and there are also a great choice of non chain restaurants in town. Night life is amazing. There are enough clubs to have a decent choice every night of the week, and there is almost always a student night on somewhere - plus, if you come from down south, the prices will make you feel like you are robbing the clubs it is so cheap!!! And if you like culture, a short (if not slightly tiring) walk up steep hill will take you to the stunning cathedral and castle, as well as an array of beautiful vintage shops, boutiques and tearooms - I love this city.