25 things to do in 2025 as a student in York

January can often be a unique month for students in York- often quite stressful with exams and assessments, but in the period between the end of assessments and the start of semester two, you might find yourself with some free time on your hands.  If you are looking for inspiration for how to spend that free time in York, or for how to spend a welcome break from revision or essay writing, here are 25 things you could do in York:

1. Visit the York Minster

Starting off strong, one of the sites that is an essential for York students to visit is the York Minster. The Minster is free to enter as a York student, provided you show them student ID. Within the Minister, tickets provide a free guided tour of the cathedral, and you can also climb the Minster’s Central Tower (which is the highest point in York), if you are looking for incredible, panoramic views of the city.

2. Visit the York Castle Museum

Another sightseeing activity in York is the York Castle Museum, which is found in the centre of York, near Clifford’s Tower and the Coppergate Shopping Centre. It costs £15.30 for a student to enter the museum, so it is not a free excursion like the Minster, but arguably worth it multiple interactive and immersive galleries and exhibitions that are home to thousands of historic objects.

3. Visit the National Railway Museum

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York is also home to the National Railway Museum, which can be found just past York Railway Station. The museum is free to enter, like the Minster, and tickets can be booked online. Currently Station Hall, South Yard, and Countess of York are all closed as part of their Masterplan project and there are plenty of other attractions at the museum in the meantime.

4. Visit the Jorvik Viking Centre

If you are looking for another York-specific attraction, then the Jorvik Viking Centre is another great option. The Jorvik Viking Centre is currently open 10am-5pm each day, and it is located in the Coppergate Shopping Centre, and pre-booking is required. They currently have a Viking Digital Trail available, which is free with admission, until 23rd February, so it is definitely another good attraction to visit in 2025!

5. Visit a cat cafe

If you are looking for a quiet and relaxing space, where you can catch up with friends or some relaxing time alone, then you can do so in the company of some cats, at The Cat’s Whiskers (Cat Café). The Cat’s Whiskers can be found on Goodramgate, and you can book online for £8.

6. Go for a coffee with a friend

Perhaps an obvious one on this list, but the new year is a great time to have a catch-up with a friend after the holidays and perhaps do some assessment work together if you feel like it. York is full of independent coffee shops and cafes for you to try, as well as plenty of well-known chains, including Costa, Caffe Nero and Starbucks.

7. Go for brunch with friends

If you are looking for a meal, rather than just a coffee or hot drink with a friend, there are plenty of delicious brunch places in York. One of my personal favourites is Drift, but Rise, Partisan, Kynd, Brew & Brownie and Double Dutch Pancake House all tend to be rated very highly too!

8. Go for bottomless brunch with friends

If you are looking for brunch and bottomless drinks then there’s one great answer- bottomless brunch. Tank and Paddle offer a bottomless brunch from £33pp, Las Iguanas from £27.95pp, and Turtle Bay, Cosy Club, and Manahatta are also great options!

9. Take a trip to a neighbouring town

If you fancy taking the time to make a trip to a town or village outside York, but not a million miles away, there are several options for you too! Selby is a collection of small villages about 15 miles south of York, and you would be able to take in the Selby Abbey and its beautiful stained-glass windows. Malton is also accessible from York, and it has been named as the food capital of Yorkshire. At the heart of Malton is the marketplace, and it is also known for a variety of food places and pubs. There are plenty of other options too if you fancy a day trip to a town outside of York itself!

10. Try some new pubs

The famous saying is that York has 365 pubs within its city walls, one for every day of the year. So seeing as there are less student club nights on in January in the city, it could be a great opportunity to try out some new pubs or bars that you haven’t been in before!

11. Do a pub golf night

If you would like to transform your pub crawl into a fun competition, then pub golf could be a lot of fun this January. If you are not yet familiar with pub golf, it involves coming up with a set of rules as a group before you start, where you decide on the pubs you will go to and the ‘par’ for each, which tends to be how many sips, or gulps that you need to finish the drink in. You can also add in some additional rules too, as either a forfeit for the player who finishes their drink last in each pub, and also dressing up to play pub golf too!

12. Try the Harry Potter golf

York also offers Harry Potter golf, if this is closer to your idea of fun, or you fancy two different kinds of golf in York! The Hole in Wand Wizard Golf can also be found in the Coppergate Shopping Centre, and there are 9 golf holes, with cauldrons, portals and a giant picture frame where you become part of the painting on the way round the course.

13. Visit the Harry Potter shop

If you are a Harry Potter fan, there is also another famous Harry Potter attraction in York- The Shop That Must Not Be Named, which can be found on The Shambles. There are often queues outside the shop at busier times of year, which shows its popularity, but it’s definitely somewhere to pay a visit to in York if you are a Harry Potter fan!

14. Do a charity shop crawl

If you are looking to do a wardrobe revamp for the new year, or just find a few bargains, then York is full of charity shops that you can explore, and you could even spend the day doing a charity shop crawl. One of the streets with several charity shops is Goodramgate, where you will find The Mind Shop, British Heart Foundation, Sue Ryder, and Oxfam. However, there are plenty scattered around the City Centre, where you could find some bargains.

15. Take part in a ghost tour/walk

Another evening out in York if you fancy something different to a pub or a bar, is joining a ghost tour or ghost walk. You may have seen these on in York at different times of the year as they are very popular, but there are plenty that can be found online to choose from, such as the ‘Ghost Bus Tour of York’ and ‘Mad Alice’s The Bloody Tour of York’.

16. Walk the City Walls

One of my personal favourite attractions in York is walking the City Walls, if you are looking to take in plenty of the city at your own pace. This is of course weather-permitting, especially at this time of year, as the walls are often shut if it is particularly icy or slippery. Within the City walls, there are also a few bars and cafes to try, including Perky Peacocks and Sophie’s.

17. Visit the York Art Gallery

The York Art Gallery can be found on Exhibition Square, next to Kings Manor, and is five minutes from York Minster. They currently have an exhibition on called ‘The Art of Wallpaper: Morris & Co’ and there are plenty of other exhibitions to visit there too, including the ‘Wall of Women’, ‘Treasures from The Stores’, ‘The Burton gallery’ and the ‘Centre of Ceramic Art’.

18. Visit the Shambles market

One of York’s most famous streets, arguably the most famous, is the Shambles, and another activity you could do this January is visiting the markets. You could take a look around at the stalls, which include jewellery, clothes, bags, and of course the food stalls!

19. Visit the York Dungeon

The York Dungeon is a highly sensory, and slightly terrifying, experience, which includes actors playing Vikings, Isabella Billington and Guy Fawkes, and telling the story of 2000 years of York’s spooky history. There are different options for tours, including combining a visit to the York Dungeon with a hop-on, hop-off city sightseeing bus tour, or booking to visit in an adults-only Dungeon tour too.

20. See a show at the York Theatre Royal or the Barbican

If you are looking for a different way to spend an evening out in York with friends, seeing a show at the York Theatre Royal or the York Barbican is another great option. At the York Theatre Royal, Legally Blonde: The Musical is on between 13th February and 22nd February, as well as many more shows in the first part of 2025. As for the York Barbican, there is also something for everyone, including comedy nights, music performances, and dance shows.

21. Have a picnic (or a hot chocolate) in the Minster Gardens

If you are looking for a new location to sit and have a picnic, or maybe a hot chocolate in the January weather, then the Minster Gardens is a beautiful spot, right beside the Minster.

22. Visit York’s Chocolate Story

At York’s Chocolate Story, you can taste and create your own chocolate, as well as find out about the history of chocolate in York with a guided tour. York’s Chocolate Story is currently closed for a few refurbishments but will reopen on 18th January.

23. Visit York’s National Trust Site

If you are looking for a historical visit in 2025 that is not the Minster, then York is home to a National Trust site: Treasurer’s house, which is found in Minster Yard. However, this would be one to save for later in the year, as it is shut for tours until April 2025.

24. Go rock climbing at Red Goat

If you are looking to try a different form of exercise in 2025, then Red Goat Climbing Company could be a great shout for you. You can try out the Red Goal Climbing Wall, and it is open all year round apart from Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Just make sure to check out their information online for prices, safety and inductions. Red Goat also has a café and bar to enjoy too, which serves artisan pizza to enjoy too!

25. Try York Gin

The final item on my 2025 list is to try York Gin, which has a 2000 year history. They are offering special sales in January, as well as their usual classic gins, gin taster sets, and personalised gin.

York has so many different activities to try, including historical visits, museums and galleries, cafes and places to catch up with friends, or explore independently, as well as amazing food and drink options. There is plenty to explore in 2025!