What better way to soak up the gilded Durham student experience than take lodgings for the night in one of the ancient colleges? St Chad's is beautifuly sited on a slender cobbled street close to the cathedral, and the college's old Georgian-fronted townhouses of North Bailey hide a warren of excellent-value student rooms – available every academic holiday to overnight B&B guests. The rooms are a mixed bag of sizes, decor and outlook, and not all have an en-suite bathroom, but breakfast more than makes up for any shortcomings – served in the baronial college dining hall under chandeliers and imposing portraits. For location and atmosphere, this is Durham's best accommodation bargain, no question.
