The Durham Bucket List: Things To do in the City

Durham works because everything sits close together. The colleges of Durham University back onto the cathedral. The river loops nearly the whole way round the peninsula. Nothing important is more than a short walk or a cheap bus ride from wherever you are living. That closeness is the whole point of this Durham bucket list. None of it demands a big weekend or a special occasion. It is all just there, waiting for a free afternoon.

What Should Top Your List?

Durham Cathedral, done properly. Not the version you see every day on autopilot. The version where you go in, slow down, and look up.

At nearly a thousand years old, it sits inside the same UNESCO World Heritage Site as Durham Castle. It’s famous enough to have stood in for Hogwarts, and even appeared in a scene from Avengers: Endgame. Yet it deserves better than a glance on the way to a nine o’clock lecture. Go inside properly, on a quiet weekday morning. Do it before it becomes the backdrop to your matriculation photo and, a few years later, your graduation one.

Where Can You Get Out on the Water?

Hire a rowing boat near Elvet Bridge and see the city from the one angle most visitors miss entirely. It costs less than a night out, and takes an afternoon rather than a whole day. It looks best in spring and summer, when the banks turn green and the evenings stretch out. This is not a five-minute photo stop. Give it the time it deserves.

Is Durham Regatta Worth the Walk to the Racecourse?

It’s one of the oldest events of its kind in the country. The 2026 edition, the 193rd, takes place on 13 and 14 June at Durham Racecourse. It’s held in the Regatta Enclosure on Old Elvet. The cathedral and castle sit across the water as a backdrop the whole time.

What’s the Right Way to Do a College Bar Crawl?

Durham has seventeen colleges, each with its own bar. Working through a handful of them, Hild Bede and Ustinov among the favourites, is close to a rite of passage. Students who enjoy it tend to agree on the method. Go with a group, take it slowly, and treat it as a rare chance to see colleges you’d otherwise never set foot inside. Race through it, and you will remember nothing. Pace it, and you will remember most of it.

What Else Is Worth Your Time Beyond the Library?

Beyond the big list, there are smaller things to do in Durham too. Durham Market runs every Saturday, and Palace Green hosts its own Christmas market in December. When you want a slower afternoon rather than a night out, the Oriental Museum and Durham Botanic Garden sit on or near campus. The Assembly Rooms Theatre is also worth checking for student productions.

Should You Ever Leave Durham?

Yes, and it barely costs you anything to do it. Newcastle is around 15 minutes away by train. The Angel of the North makes for an easy, low-effort day trip. It’s enough of a change of scene to reset, without swallowing a whole weekend.

How Do You Get the Most Out of This List?

A handful of small habits, really. Book that rowing boat early on a good-weather weekend, because they go fast. Save your one proper college bar crawl for final year, with people you want to remember it alongside. Treat Durham Market as a weekly habit rather than a one-off outing. It rewards repetition more than a single visit ever will.

The Full List of Things to Do in Durham

None of this has to happen in one term, or even one year. Durham’s size is the advantage here. There’s no rush, because nothing on this list of things to do in Durham is ever far from home. Ready to make Durham home for the rest of it? Browse our fantastic range of luxury student accommodation in Durham today.