Study at Cardiff | Campus Life

Cathays

Cathays is the main student area of Cardiff, just outside the city centre.

Location

Cathays begins immediately behind the Students’ Union, off Senghennydd Road, and stretches back to Crwys Road.

Key features

• Close proximity to the main campus and Graduate Centre
• Regular bus services to the city centre
• Good quantity of rented accommodation for students
• Many local shops and amenities, including a Lidl supermarket
• Popular student area
• Lively atmosphere
• High noise levels in some areas (near to shopping streets and Students' Union)

Atmosphere

Cathays tends to be quite ‘studenty’ and can be quite noisy in places as a result. In particular, Senghennydd and Salisbury Roads can be boisterous late in the evenings as they are close to the Students’ Union.

Amenities

Cathays is a vibrant, fun place to live with all the essentials nearby: doctors' surgeries, supermarkets, numerous take-aways, pubs, sandwich bars and breakfast places such as Ramon’s on Salisbury Road.

Notable streets

• Woodville Road, which has a Spar, a Sainsbury’s and some good sandwich shops
• Crwys Road, which has a number of good restaurants and cafes as well as a Co-op
• Cathays Terrace, which features a Lidl supermarket and is close to the new Optometry and Vision Sciences building

Socialising

Cathays is particularly well-served by pubs, although many of these have now been taken over by chains. The Gower on Gwynneth Street is an example of a more old-fashioned pub; the Woodville on Woodville Road, the Crwys on Crwys Road and the Pen and Wig behind Park Place are also very popular among the student population.

Nearest stations

• Cathays: 0.5 miles
• Cardiff Queen Street: 1 mile
• Cardiff Central: 1.4 miles

Walking times

• Graduate Centre: 15-25 mins, depending on street
• City Centre: 10-25 mins, depending on street