Leicester Student City Guide
Leicester is a vibrant and stimulating city best known for its multiculturality and world-class universities. With a rich history, the city has plenty of historic attractions to visit, as well as award winning art venues, amazing parks, and a great vibrant and varied shopping scene. If you want to get away from the dynamic city, there are several parks for you to get lost in, including one where hundreds of deer roam free!
After a long day of studying, the city has many options for you to choose from on how to spend your evenings and weekend: from edgy stand-up comedy to intimate live music venues, from student hangouts, rustic pubs, and some of the best Indian cuisine the UK has to offer. You’ll always find somewhere new to explore!
Get social
Apart from Leicester Coffee House Company, the city has plenty of options to hang out with friends, study or have dinner with your bestie:
Restaurants
Oggi
Oggi is a little taste of Italy in Leicester. Located close to the University of Leicester, it does not offer only delicious food, but also a personal, intimate environment to enhance your dining experience.
Little Tokyo
Little Tokyo offers a wide variety of sushi, noodles, and other Japanese food at affordable prices in a friendly, cosy environment.
Kayal
Kayal is famous for its authentic Kerala seafood speciality and has become one of the top dining options in the country.Cafes
The Coffee Counter
The Coffee Counter is a specialist coffee roaster. In its café you can find great food including vegan options.
St Martin’s Coffee
St Martin’s Coffee offers freshly roasted coffee, and a selection of teas. Their changing seasonal menu is enough to satisfy even if you don’t want a caffeine hit.
200 Degrees Coffee Shop
200 Degrees Coffee Shop is a trendy coffee shop that offers freshly roasted coffee, as well as a variety of food from their deli style menu that is freshly prepared every day on the premises using local produce.Bars
BrewDog
BrewDog with its trendy urban decor, is a cool spot for grabbing a craft brew and a burger in the city.
The Locker Room
The Locker Room has many HD screens to catch all the popular sporting fixtures, and offers a range of hearty fare including chicken wings and pizza.
The Basement
The Basement is a quirky Leicester bar that’s ready to cater to all your party needs. Classic cocktails come paired with live music and plenty of bookable private areas for you own private parties and meet-ups.Be Entertained
As well as our top pick, the Showcase Cinema, Leicester has loads of entertainment options. The most popular with students include:
Lane 7
Lane 7 is located in the former Grand Central Train station and is home to a whole variety of games. The bowling alley has ten bowling lanes over two floors, there’s a 14-hole crazy golf course, ping pong, pool, shuffleboard and even arcades.
Midlands Roller Arena
Midlands Roller Arena is the place to go if you want to try something different, this is the activity for you! At Midlands Roller Arena you’ll have the opportunity to spend your Friday evening at their fun-filled skating disco, with music from their resident DJ and disco lights!
Ferneley’s Adventure Golf
Ferneley’s Adventure Golf is a family run dairy farm, its 9-hole adventure golf course is themed around farming and there is also outdoor patio seating and indoor café for those wanting to sample some of Ferneley’s fabulous homemade ice-cream or even order an afternoon tea, a must-do British tradition.Go Shopping
In such a city the size of Leicester, the shopping-scene can’t be missed, especially if you’re student!
Highcross Leicester
Highcross Leicester is a shopping centre with over 80 of the most imaginative and desirable shops, catering for all your fashion and lifestyle needs. In addition, students benefit from plenty of discounts!
The Lanes
The Lanes are packed with fantastic independent stores. You can find everything from old LP records to classic styles and one-off pieces to make a statement in your home or wardrobe.
Leicester Market
Leicester Market offers a wide variety of food from local producers. It’s the best place to find quality food at very competitive prices. Linekar’s fruit and vegetable stall is run by the family of footballing legend, Gary Linekar.Go Exploring
Whether you are an art or history lover, Leicester has loads of well-known and excellent quality venues to visit:
Leicester Museum and Art Gallery
Leicester Museum and Art Gallery has a wide range of collections and displays spanning the natural and cultural world.
Attenborough Arts Centre
Attenborough Arts Centre is the perfect place for the art lovers. It was founded by famous local film start and director Richard Attenborough, whose brother, David, you will know because he is the most famous biologist and natural historian in the world. The arts centre offers a stimulating environment where you’ll be able to see exciting and inspiring contemporary art exhibitions, and take part in free lectures, debates, talks, tours, and workshops.
Leicester Cathedral
Leicester Cathedral is a Grade II-listed building dating back to the 13th century, it is known for housing the remains of King Richard II, who was discovered under a car park in Leicester in 2012. Outside the cathedral, you can take a walk through the public garden, where flowers, trees, and a water fountain surround the site’s gravestones and stone pathways.Get outdoors
When you need to get out of the city, don’t worry, Leicester has big green spaces where you can get back in touch with Mother Nature.
Bradgate Park
Bradgate Park is renowned for its fine herd of deer, it is the only remaining enclosed medieval deer park in the East Midlands and contains the oldest rocks in England. There’s a great café where you can sip on a warm hot chocolate on a chilly autumn day.
Bradgate Park Loop
Fancy a hike? Bradgate Park Loop is a 5.5 km loop trail in Leicestershire. In this popular trail for hiking, running, and walking you’ll visit the river Lin, the old manor house ruins, the Old John Tower folly, and the war memorial.
Hicks Lodge
Hicks Lodge is a former coal mining site that has been totally transformed by new paintings and exciting cycle trails for you to enjoy.Earn money
Leicester is not as expensive as cities like London and Birmingham; however, you might consider getting a job. Many students find a job within the university as student ambassadors or university application mentors. Apart from gaining some relevant skills such as learning how to handle groups, working under pressure, and managing other students, you’ll gain some extra money that’ll help you to better enjoy your university experience.
Need a side-hustle with maximum flexibility? You could try part-time tutoring or becoming a web writer. Since the pandemic, opportunities to work remotely are now plentiful; the content creation and writing industry are always looking for people for just a few hours per week. According to The Balance (2022), the best platforms to find a job are Indeed (overall) and LinkedIn (best for connecting directly with recruiters). You can also check out StudentJob specifically for jobs suitable for students.
Leicester, apart from its multiculturality and history, is one of the best cities to find work and has been recognised among the country’s start-up hotspots (Capital on Top), and we just know how important it is for you to get right into the world of work after you’ve graduated!
