The Student Room Group

What is there to do in Cardiff?

I know Cardiff has a great nightlife but I'm not into that. I don't often drink and when I do its not to get drunk. I could hang out in pubs every so often but I don't like clubbing at all. I've got a place for 2009 but I'm worried I'll be bored there and not make many friends because of this :frown:

And are there many students at Cardiff who aren't into drinking/clubbing?
What is there for students to do besides clubbing and drinking?
Reply 1
Into rugby? You could go and watch rugby matches.

Like any university, I'm sure there will be many students who aren't into drinking/clubbing.
Go
Ice skating
Cinemas'
Museum
Ten pin bowling
hang around with friends
Out to lunch
Shopping
theatre
art gallery
concerts
attend societies, clubs
Take a trip out to the countryside
etc
Might be helpful if you told us what you are interested in as well as not, :smile: . But for a relatively small city Cardiff has got quite a lot of stuff, the millenium stadium if you want sport or concerts - art galleries, the opera house etc. I'm sure you'll find something that floats your boat.:yep:
Reply 4
Lots. Join societies and clubs. I'm in the squash club and it's really fun and the Earth society which has pub crawls on occasions :biggrin:

There are obviously all the normal things like bowling, cinema, shopping (which is all down one street mainly), they bring a winterwonderland thing into Cardiff in the winter with a Ferris Wheel and Ice skating rink.

There are loads of things to do
Reply 5
Go to the bus station and get on the first bus that is leaving Wales?
cardiff is small and compact - but theres a hell of a lot to do, and its in a lovely position.

me not being in uni there i cant really say. But i think cardiff is one of the best cities about
Reply 7
Lampshade
Go to the bus station and get on the first bus that is leaving Wales?


Maybe getting out of the Cardiff forum would help? :rolleyes:
Reply 8
Hmm I guess I'm into lots of things, just don't like drinking or sports really. I just know drinking is a student past time so most people will be doing that at the weekend
I guess I'll just have to join societies and hopefully meet people who don't like clubbing either :smile:
Reply 9
There are loads of societies to choose from,

list is on here I believe

www.cardiffstudents.com
Well the majority of students all over the country enjoy a good old drink inside of Cardiff and out.

Why don't you come and visit the city to find out what it is like for yourself?
Reply 11
Oh I've been to Cardiff lots and love it there but I go to visit relatives. So I've experienced Cardiff but I don't know what its like as a student to live there. I know theres lots to do but you can't do them every weekend cause it gets to be expensive, I was hoping someone who doesn't go clubbing would tell me what they get up to at the weekend.

Theres a few societies I'd like to join though
Join societies, you'll meet like minded people. Not all students are mental for clubbing & boozing.
Ive lived in Cardiff my whole life and although i do complain at times its a really great place for a student its nice and compact with so much to do

shoppings good
ice skating
really good places to eat
the bay's nice
millenium centre
millenium stadium
so many parks
a good alternative to drinking and clubbing is a few shisha cafes
theres loadz more
just come down to see for yourself
You're right about it being expensive. I don't think I'll be much help, since I am of the 'clubbing' variety - I came here with an explicit hate of clubbing, and then spent all of Freshers in the Union and in clubs in town, and now I'm hooked.

If you just want a 'quiet night' with some of your new friends:

#Talybont Social [if you apply to live up here] - Sure, it's a bar, but it's more like a boy's club than anything special. It'll be packed on match days and in Freshers, but after that, it's dead. Pool tables, Ping Pong, some music on the TV, and bartenders who won't look at you stupid if you say "I'll have a pint of Cola please."

#The Taf - if you're closer to town, in say, Senghenydd or Gordon Hall, or even Colum/Aberconway/Aberdare - head to the Union's own pub. I know you say you don't like drinking, but, again, this is one of the "cheap" options at a social night out where you can still say "Pint of Cola" or "Glass of tap water" without the bar staff thinking you're some kind of pussy like they do in town.

#Theatres - you don't have to go every weekend. Look up the shows that are on over the next few months, pick one or two, and book to see them. There's the New Theatre in town, there's the Millenium Centre down in the Bay; heck, you could be 'really cool' and go out to Canton and the Chapter Arts Centre. They hold a Latin American Film Week every year.

#Eat Out - yes, expensive, but it depends on where you go. Avoid eating out on match days; but, if you have a few mates who hate clubbing, decide to go out for a Wetherspoons cheap meal...

#Walks - at least on the sunnier days, a walk around Bute Park or Roath Park never goes amiss. It's really nice, especially walking down from the Talybont end. Go and play Frisbee over in Pontcanna field - take a bike and cycle the Taff Trail. It's all good fun.

Really, as everyone else has said, you've got to let us know your interests before we can suggest things that would be "good" for you to do.

And yes, while there are umpteen societies for you to join, many of them have their 'nights out' where the aim is to get as wasted as possible, it seems. The French Society had 'Drink France Dry', which featured free-flowing wine. I think the only ones that haven't had "Let's all get ******" meetings are the OddSoc, and the Spanish-Italian Society.
Something to do in cardiff besides eating, mainstream sports, cinema, gym, lounging in the pub/park and the live music/gigs/concerts type stuff covered in buzz magazine. Ideally that you might be able to just turn up to on the night either as a complete noob, or as an experienced type and get to play.

sailing
whitewater raft/canoe
capoeira
hockey
unicycle hockey
trapeze
circus skill share (juggling+...)
rowing
wheelchair basketball
climbing
octopush
horse riding
waterpolo
bicycle polo
(synchronised?) swimming
dancing - ballet, salsa, jive,
sunday league football/cricket/rugby
tennis (tabletennis?)
badminton?
squash?
running clubs/parkrun
fencing
archery
martial arts
zumba
hulahooping
volleyball (and park/beach volleyball)
baseball
american football
acrobatics
gymnastics
yoga
singing
painting
pottery
cookery
needlecraft
art club - museums gallery
board games on sundays in chapter
indep cinema chapter
croquet
snooker/pool
darts
petanque
bowls
bowling
dragon boat
raft race
scuba
samba gales
swica mas carnival
skating
icehockey
conservation volunteering
korfball

and I've probably missed other options - this was a list I was thinking of making for one of my friends - but it seems to answer your question
(edited 9 years ago)

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