Things to do in Cambridge
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Cambridge
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring shoulder season, blossom on the Backs and the Botanic Garden at its best, exam closures from late April.
Peak summer, glorious and crowded, with May Week, Shakespeare and Folk festivals and surge prices.
Autumn, second best season and locals' favourite, choirs back and dahlias at Anglesey Abbey.
Winter, cold, dark and cheapest, with winter gardens, glasshouses and cosy pubs with fires.
Best months overall, mid May to late June if you book May Week knowingly.
Best balance in September and early October.
Worst for weather, daylight and reduced river life, though cheapest and quietest for museums.
What's on
- Cambridge Festival March
Talks, hands on science and family events across the university, many free and bookable.
- May Day madrigals 1 May
Madrigals sung from King's and St John's towers at dawn, crowds on Magdalene Bridge.
- Strawberry Fair first Saturday in June
Free volunteer run music and arts fair on Midsummer Common since 1974.
- May Week and May Balls mid-June
May Balls, garden parties and May Bumps, the most atmospheric and expensive fortnight.
- May Bumps mid-June
Rowing bumps racing watched from the towpath at Ditton Corner.
- Cambridge Shakespeare Festival July to August
Open air Shakespeare in college gardens for eight weeks, picnic before the show.
- Cambridge Folk Festival late July to early August
Premier folk and roots festival at Cherry Hinton Hall since 1965, with camping.
- Cambridge Film Festival late October
One of Britain's longest running film festivals, centred on the Arts Picturehouse.
- Bonfire Night 5 November
Huge free fireworks and fair on Midsummer Common.
- Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Christmas Eve
King's College service broadcast by the BBC, ballot or queue only in practice.
Best things to do in Cambridge
The Backs
Chauffeured punting here gives the best view of eight colleges, nine bridges and King's Chapel from the water.
King's College Chapel
Perpendicular Gothic chapel with the largest fan vault ceiling and vast medieval stained glass.
Fitzwilliam Museum
Free world class museum with Titian, Canaletto, Monet, Picasso, antiquities and illuminated manuscripts.
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Forty acres of glasshouses, winter garden, lake and trees, calm and free of college tour groups.
Kettle's Yard
Jim Ede's house museum where Hepworth, Moore and Miro sit among pebbles, plants and furniture.
Cambridge Tour Guides
Green Badge and alumni guides explain college rivalries, Newton, Darwin and which colleges are open.
Corpus Clock
The Chronophage time eater clock, unveiled by Stephen Hawking in 2008, free to view from the street.
Mathematical Bridge
Wooden bridge from 1749 built from straight timbers forming an arc, best viewed free from Silver Street.
Where to stay in Cambridge
Historic Centre / King's Parade
first trip, all-round base
Walk to every main sight in under 15 minutes and punt from Quayside or Mill Pond.
Parker's Piece / Gonville Place
couples, train arrivals
Calmer than King's Parade, excellent for the Fitzwilliam, Botanic Garden, ADC and station.
De Freville / Chesterton Road / Jesus Green
longer stays, families, repeat visitors
Leafy residential streets north of the river, 10 to 15 minutes' walk to King's Parade.
Mill Road / Petersfield / Romsey
food-led, local Cambridge
Most diverse independent high street, cheaper guesthouses and the best restaurants cluster here.
Newnham / Grange Road
romantic stays, house rentals
Villagey west Cambridge by Grantchester Meadows, lovely for walking and punting weekends.
Station Area / CB1
early trains, practical stays
Functional and good value for the Botanic Garden and station, but modern and soulless.
Think twice about
- Newmarket Road retail corridor and Cambridge Leisure Park
Chain hotels and buffet outlets by roundabouts. Safe and cheap but you will commute to Cambridge rather than stay in it.
- Arbury / King's Hedges / Orchard Park
Far north residential districts with no food or sight payoff for visitors and long distances to the centre.
- Eddington as a city centre booking
New, safe and well built, but two miles northwest of King's Parade. The trap is mis-selling, not the place.
- Directly on Mill Road or King's Parade
Lively until late and noisy if you are noise sensitive. Side streets 100 metres away solve it.
Best restaurants in Cambridge
Midsummer House
Two-star riverside house, the special occasion restaurant in Cambridge.
Restaurant Twenty Two
One-star intimate townhouse serving a seven course tasting menu with relaxed service.
Vanderlyle
Vegetable led tasting menu on Mill Road, monthly changing and the hardest reservation in Cambridge.
Cotto
Fine dining inside the Gonville Hotel, intimate and often easier to book than the starred rooms.
Fin Boys
Fish butchery and restaurant with crab crumpets and counter seats where cooks explain every plate.
Fancett's
Tiny seasonal British European bistro on Mill Road, fantastic value and loved by repeat visitors.
Galleria
Riverside modern European with a balcony and terrace, the best river view dinner near King's Parade.
Bedouin
North African tagines and grilled meats in generous sharing plates, good for groups and vegetarians.
Best bars in Cambridge
The Cambridge Blue
Best real ale pub with a garden, the locals' pub pick on Gwydir Street.
The Free Press
Cosy pub with a no phones back bar and good pub food on Prospect Row.
Best coffee in Cambridge
Hot Numbers Coffee
Best coffee and brunch pick per local blogs, on Gwydir Street.
Outdoor things to do in Cambridge
Grantchester Meadows
Fifty acres of riverside meadows with cows grazing, reached by punt, on foot or by bike from Mill Pond.
The Orchard Tea Garden
Tea garden from 1897 with deckchairs under apple trees and Rupert Brooke and Virginia Woolf associations.
Jesus Green Lido
Ninety one metre outdoor pool, one of England's longest, open May to September and loved by locals.
Lammas Land
Pool and paddling area by the river at Newnham, a traditional cheap summer stop for families.
Granta Moorings
Canoe and kayak hire for the calmer Grantchester stretch, away from congested Backs punt traffic.
Wandlebury Country Park
Beech woods, chalk grassland and an Iron Age fort on Cambridge's only real hills, with city views.
The Gog Magog Golf Club
Old Course ranked first in Cambridgeshire, on chalk downland with panoramic views to Ely Cathedral.
Royal Worlington and Newmarket Golf Club
The Sacred Nine, widely described as the finest nine hole course in the world, on fast heathland.
Best hotels in Cambridge
University Arms Cambridge
Grand dame hotel from 1834 on Parker's Piece, with library bar and Parker's Tavern brasserie.
The Varsity Hotel & Spa
Boutique hotel with a rooftop terrace giving the best hotel view in Cambridge over the spires.
The Fellows House
Aparthotel with kitchens, indoor pool and garden, winning for families and longer stays.
The Gonville Hotel
Family owned feel hotel on Parker's Piece with garden, wellness and classic Bentley guest tours.
Graduate by Hilton Cambridge
Only central luxury hotel on the Cam at Mill Pond, with a garden running to the river.
Hotel du Vin Cambridge
Converted university buildings with a vaulted bistro, handy for the Fitzwilliam and King's.
Hilton Cambridge City Centre
Reliable full service Hilton in the absolute centre, a safe corporate and family bet.
Clayton Hotel Cambridge
Modern station area hotel with good rooms and breakfast, the best mid range pick there.
Is Cambridge expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | £85 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | £180 a person |
| Splurge | £380 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- The Backs: weeks ahead
- King's College Chapel: weeks ahead
- Kettle's Yard: weeks ahead
- Cambridge Tour Guides: a few days ahead
- ADC Theatre: a few days ahead
- Hidden Rooms: a few days ahead
- The Piano Bar at De Luca: a few days ahead
- Exit Rooms: a few days ahead
- Vanderlyle, Restaurant Twenty Two and Midsummer House book 4 to 8 weeks ahead for weekends.
- Book King's College Chapel and Kettle's Yard house timed tickets the week before.
- Pre-book chauffeured punts online for a fixed price and time.
- Book Duxford Flying Days months ahead, they sell out.
Is Cambridge safe?
- Bike theft is endemic, use two locks, indoor storage and secure cycle parks overnight.
- No jumping from bridges and no swimming at the Backs or Mill Pond weirs.
- Unlit commons and towpaths are dark at night, walk lit routes and cycle with lights.
- Visible begging around Market Square and the station is noticeable but no area here is a no-go.
Cambridge travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Driving and parking in the centre, including bus gate fines if you follow sat nav blindly.
- College closures in exam term, late April to early June, check each college that week.
- Punting tout haggling and self punting at midday in summer on the crowded Backs.
- Day tripping from London and leaving by 4pm, missing morning and evening Cambridge.
Getting around Cambridge: public transport and more
- Arrive by train, about 50 minutes from London King's Cross and 30 minutes from Stansted.
- Walk first, cycle second, bus third, taxi last in the compact historic core.
- Use Park and Ride at Trumpington, Milton, Newmarket Road, Madingley Road or Babraham Road if driving.
- Station to King's Parade is a 20 to 25 minute walk, not right outside the station.
Who Cambridge suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Cambridge your trip
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