Low cost activities to do in York
Whether you are a master budgeter or someone who struggles to hold onto cash – these low cost (but still lots of fun) York activities are perfect to help you have a good time without hurting your wallet!
Grab a coffee with a friend in one of York’s many independent coffee shops! There are so many to choose from, but I’ve picked a couple of my favourites to share. This is often seen as an expensive activity – but one £3-4 drink for an hour or so of catch-up or gossip sounds like a pretty good deal to me!
- 200 Degree coffee. This spot is perfect if you are after a quiet place to get some work done or a cute study date. It’s got wi-fi, plenty of sockets, and you can order straight to your table! They also have a range of pastries that tempt me every time I walk past!
- Harlequin Café. Hidden up above a sweet shop in Kings Square, this café has amazing coffee and overlooks the street performers and buskers that are often performing, if you are a people watcher this is the perfect spot!
- Plush Cafe. This modern, and very unique café is popular in York for a reason! The décor is gorgeous, and it’s arguably more of an experience than a café! Each room has its own unique theme – whether it’s cushions on the floor, or swings this café has it all! Paired with some unique food and colourful coffees, this is the perfect place to catch up with a friend and get some cute pics for the price of a coffee!
- York St John! Although not a café, York St John sells hot drinks in both the canteen and the Fountains café for just £1! Whilst it’s not quite at the standard of those mentioned above – if you are after a super cheap place to grab a drink and sit with a friend – uni is the perfect spot! (top tip bring your own reusable cup to avoid paying 20p extra for a disposable one!)
My next favourite low cost activity in York is pub quizzes! I am an oddly large lover of a pub quiz, considering I have never even got close to winning – I’ve compiled a list of my top places to go (although york is full of good pub quiz spots! So definitely have a research if you’re interested!)
- Moxy York. A funky hotel with an even funkier bar – the moxy pub quiz was a part of my weekly routine for a good couple of months! 6pm on a Friday night and just £1 for students to enter! It’s a speedy quiz (even better than a traditional one) and has lots of different categories and ways of answering!
- York St John Students Union! On a Tuesday night, completely free, the student union has an unusual method of quizzing! With lots of odd quiz rounds (such as guessing the alcohol percentages, and unscrambling these York pub names), it’s a lot of fun and often ends in a very good cash, meal and drink voucher prizes!
- Spark* Not only is Spark* a go-to spot for anyone coming to york, being a fun container collection selling all different types of cuisine – it also is the host of Quingo! A fun quiz/bingo fusion on a Wednesday night that costs just £2 to play and is lots of fun for everyone playing!
Social cooking! One of the highlights of my week, that we do every week, is our Monday night socials where me and my friends get together, buy our favourite snacks, drinks (and lots of garlic bread) and take in turns cooking for each other whilst we have a catch up! I look forward to this every week and is a super good way to eat lots of yummy food for not a lot of money (it’s cheaper to cook a big portion and have less waste! And you only cook every once in a while!).
You could also try baking together which is another thing I highly recommend! Maybe follow an easy TikTok recipe or just decorate some cookies together! It’s such an affordable way to do something other than just sitting with a friend, and you get a tasty treat at the end of it! Me and my friends attempted to make a Biscoff cake a few weeks ago and whilst it did not turn out bakery standard – we had a good time and it tasted good because we knew it was homemade! We’ve also done a little pancake day celebration making pancakes together! Food is always a good low cost activity that always ends up having a laugh together.
Going on walks! This may sound like what everyone tells you, but trust me, York is such a gorgeous city you don’t want to disregard how lovely it is to just go on a walk! My favourite areas are along the Foss Fairy Trail, walking beside the river, The Cat Trail, walking through the centre of town (through the Shambles and past the Minster) and of course the City Walls! York is a city with so much historical areas that can be appreciated – the City Walls stretch right around the city and have such gorgeous views! I love daytime walks so I can appreciate all the beauty in the light but I am also a fan of night time walks (whether your waterbottle has wine or juice in it is optional 😉 ), especially when it warms up outside I highly recommend grabbing a friend and taking a leisurely stroll through York to appreciate the peace of the city at night time! This activity can of course be completely free! However, me and my friends are culprits of accidentally falling into McDonald’s or a chip van for a cheeky burger or portion of chips – both of which are a small price to pay for a good time!
I hope you found some of these activities intriguing! I like to think of myself as a good budgeter who has learnt good tips and tricks over my 2 years at uni, and how I can have a good time without dipping into my overdraft (top budgeting tip – don’t even get an overdraft unless absolutely necessary! I split my monthly wages into 4 and put it all in a separate savings account – transferring myself my weekly allowance so I know that once it’s gone it’s gone!) Thank you for reading!
