If you're looking for a relaxing city break then you might want to consider Cambridge. Most people
know this iconic city for its prestigious university and while visiting one of the
beautiful colleges may be on your itinerary there are so many other fantastic things to see and do
on your trip. In this travel guide I've created a list of suggested activities based on our own
holiday in Cambridge. I will also include practical information that will be helpful for planning your
trip throughout the video and I will add any links for attractions I mention in the description below.
Let's dive straight in with visiting Cambridge's architecturally stunning colleges.
The famous university was founded in 1209 making Cambridge the second oldest university
in the English-speaking world. An interesting fact is that affiliates of the University of
Cambridge have been awarded more nobel prizes than any other institution. Rather than being
one central campus the university is made up of 31 autonomous colleges. Students become a
member of one of these colleges where they live, eat and socialise and most colleges
even have their own sports team which compete against each other in intercollegiate cuppers.
You can visit many of these colleges, some for a reasonable admission fee, which will allow you
to stroll around the impressive grounds and see parts of the colleges that you would otherwise
miss if you only viewed them from the outside. If there are any colleges you would like to visit in
particular then check in advance to make sure they are accepting visitors. At the time of our visit in
July 2021 they were still closed to the public so if you do have your heart set on going inside
one of these colleges make sure you check their website before booking your trip. You will also
need to be aware of exam periods that could mean colleges are closed. From researching best colleges
to visit in Cambridge I've pulled together this list of recommended colleges to get you started.
However when we visited even though many colleges were closed King's College Chapel had reopened to
visitors. We strolled the beautifully manicured grounds where the pathways were lined with what
I think are called echiums, I'm not sure, and once we reach the river the sea of wildflowers
beautifully framed the impressive college buildings. You can also go inside the chapel.
Construction of the chapel began in 1446 by Henry vi and was completed in 1515 when the country
lived under the rule of Henry viii. When you head in look all the way up to see the incredible
largest fan vaulted ceiling in the world and admire the enormous medieval stained glass windows.
If you would like to hear the King's College choir perform then you could attend evensong
so make sure you check the King's College website for information on upcoming services.
Number two on our list is to go on a walking tour. Walking tours give you a great opportunity
to learn more about the city and its colleges and what better way to learn more about a city famous
for its university than to take a guided tour with a student. History and facts combined with
personal stories and experiences of somebody who does actually live and study in Cambridge really
helped out to our appreciation for the city. I'll link the tour company we used in the description
below but there are plenty of other different types of tours for you to choose from so I'll also
include links to the relevant pages on the Visit Cambridge website. If you're wondering whether or
not a walking tour is worth it i would say that if you would like to hear more about the history
and listen to some interesting anecdotes then yes it is worth it. However if you just want to
see the main sights and get a feel for the place then as Cambridge is a small and very pedestrian
friendly city then with a bit of research I think you could devise your own walking tour.
Number three on our list is punting. Punting is a really popular activity in Cambridge and gives you
another way to see parts of the majestic college grounds referred to as the backs that you would
otherwise miss on foot. Firstly for anybody who doesn't know punting refers to sitting in a long
narrow boat while somebody who has a really good sense of balance stands at the end and
pushes the boat down a river using a long pole. You have a couple of options for punting. If you
fancy going it alone then you could hire a punt without a chauffeur and control the boat yourself.
This way you get to explore on your own and go at your own pace but with the risk of falling in the
river or just not getting very far. If you'd rather relax and have somebody else do all the hard work
then you could go on a shared or private punting tour. Sit back and float down the tranquil river
while your punter guide regales you with stories of the colleges. We did wonder after having already
done a walking tour whether our guide would be sharing the same stories and information
however in our experience there was very little overlap. Some of it was the same but mostly the two
tours complemented each other well. That being said the main appeal of punting is the wonderful views
of the backs so even if the stories have been the same i don't think we would have minded too much.
You could save a little money and guarantee your time slots by booking your tour in advance.
We paid a total of 25 pounds for two people for a shared tour with Let's Go Punting.
However if you prefer to just go with the flow and decide on the day then you can just show up.
There will be plenty of touts around for you to arrange a tour. Do know that if you
do decide to book in advance and it's raining on the day then unless the rain is absolutely
torrential your tour will go ahead anyway so that might be one reason to think about waiting.
Number four is view the Corpus Clock. At the corner of Trumpington and Benne't
Street you will see the Corpus Clock which is one of the most famous monuments in Cambridge.
At the top of the clock you'll see this bizarre looking monster known as the chronophage,
meaning time eater. The beast opens its jaws at 30 seconds past each minute and
snaps them shut when the minute is over which is why it's known as the time eater.
Next up is the mathematical bridge. The mathematical bridge leans across the River
Cam connecting two parts of Queens' College. This famous bridge is rumored to have been
designed by Sir Isaac Newton without using any nuts or bolts. The story goes that university
students or fellows then took the bridge apart only to fail at putting it back together they
then had to resort to rebuilding it using nuts and bolts leaving the bridge as it stands today.
While this is nothing more than a popular myth there is no denying that this arch bridge built
with straight timbers is a really interesting design. You will almost certainly be shown
this bridge if you go on a guided tour but if you don't then be sure to look out for it.
Number six has to be one of my Cambridge favorites and that is to visit the botanic garden.
The Cambridge University Botanic Garden has a really impressive collection of over 8000
plant species from around the world to assist with teaching and research.
At 40 acres the garden is surprisingly large so on average guests spend around
two to three hours there. We were there for at least three hours, probably a fair bit longer.
The lush gardens have been designed so that they're worth visiting all year round.
We visited in summer and the beds of colourful flowers were in full bloom and looked incredible.
Our favorite part of the botanical garden had to be the glass houses packed wall-to-wall with a
diverse range of plants from different habitats. You'll see cacti from America and Africa, exotic
plants from the tropical rainforests and wetlands, and species from as far as south
Australia and the Oceanic Islands. If you have even a small level of interest in visiting gardens
then Cambridge University Botanic Garden is definitely a good one for your itinerary.
Number seven is climb Great Saint Mary's Church tower. For one of the best, if not
the best, viewpoints in Cambridge head to Great St Mary's Church. When you pay your admission you'll
be given a useful leaflet to help you identify the different landmarks you can see from the top.
Enjoy the bird's eye view of several of the magnificent college buildings
and partake in some very long distance people watching in the lively market square.
The climb up and down the tower is narrow and steep so be prepared for that
but if you are okay with steps then it's totally worth it. Before you leave make sure you take a
walk around the church itself and get a closer look at those beautiful stained glass windows.
One of the things we loved about Cambridge is that you're never far from a green space.
Let's start with Jesus Green, which is a spacious park in the north of central
Cambridge and is the perfect place for a picnic. If the weather is warm on your visit
then you might be happy to learn there's also a lido. After lolling in the grass or swimming
in the lido you could stretch your legs with a stroll along the bordering river. Follow the
river to reach the adjacent midsummer common where you could see the iconic Cambridge cows.
There's a tradition going back centuries where farmers would bring their cows to
graze in the city commons. These much-loved cows even have their own Twitter account.
Parker's piece is another large green common area near the centre of Cambridge.
At the crossroads near the middle of the park you'll see a late 10th century
large cast iron lamppost nicknamed by the students in the 1960s as reality checkpoint.
Walk to the top of castle mound. This spot is all that remains of Cambridge castle, which was built
in the 11th century by William the Conqueror to control the route to the north of England.
There might not really be anything left to see but from the top of the mound you'll have a good
view over the city. It's perhaps not somewhere to go out of your way for but worth stopping by if
you're in the area. Number nine is food and drink. With all of that walking you'll be doing you will
want to take some time to recharge and what better way to do that than with a food and drink break.
Fortunately there are plenty of fantastic options in Cambridge, far more than we could
possibly have tried ourselves in one trip, but i will share a few places that we enjoyed.
First up is the dim sum stall on Cambridge market square. There are plenty of varieties of dim sum to
choose from; we tried the steamed pork and chive dumplings followed by the vegetable dumplings.
They were well worth the justifiably long queue and at five pounds for 12 dumplings they're
great value too. Little Petra is a Jordanian cafe set on the bustling Mill Road. As you
can probably tell portions were plentyful so it's easy to accidentally over-order like we did.
We particularly liked the okra stew and the fresh lemon and mint juice.
Tucked away down an alley across from King's College - it's quite easy to miss it -
is Ittou noodle bar, which is one for any ramen lovers. We both went for the tonkotsu ramen which
is a noodle soup made with a rich and hearty pork broth. It's so good and it will fuel you up for a
while. For cakes and pastries head to Fitzbillies. There are two branches: one on Trumpington Street
and one on Bridge Street, and they're most well known for their chelsea buns. Sweet bread filled
with currants and dripping in sticky syrup, they are as delicious and as messy as they sound.
You can eat in or take away so because it was a nice day on our trip - perfect for a picnic -
we picked up our buns from Bridge Street as it's only a five minute walk from Jesus Green.
If you're looking for food in a pub or bar atmosphere then you might enjoy SmokeWorks, which
is a decent option for barbecue food or craft beer. If barbecue isn't your thing then you could
try Pint Shop for good quality classic pub food with a selection of cask and keg beer. Now if
you're just looking for a drink rather than food then any beer lovers might also enjoy Cambridge
Brew House. Being a micro brewery you can try one of their own beers brewed right there on site.
Another bar we enjoyed was The Old Bicycle Shop. Formerly it was, unsurprisingly, a bicycle shop.
Rumored to be the first bike shop in the country and the place Charles Darwin bought a bike from,
the decor of this bar and restaurant is a homage to the original shop. We couldn't talk about places
to drink in Cambridge without mentioning The Eagle, which is one of the most well-known pubs in the
city. Following the work of Watson, Crick, Wilkins and Franklin and the structure of DNA, it was right
here in The Eagle that Crick announced to the world that he and Watson had found the secret of life.
The Eagle was also a popular drinking hole for off-duty RAF personnel during the second world war.
You want to head to the back of the pub to the dimly lit RAF bar where the room is filled with
air force photos and memorabilia. Look up to the ceiling and you'll see the names, numbers
and quotes of World War II pilots scrawled using candles, lighters and lipstick. Our final suggestion
is the perfect option if you're visiting on a lovely sunny day. The Mill, located by the river, is
a great place to grab a takeaway pint and relax on the grass or the bridge watching the punters go by.
Unsurprisingly Cambridge is home to a wide variety of highly rated museums.
You will have plenty to choose from so first i will show you the ones we visited and then
highlight some of the other museums you might want to consider. First up for us was the Fitzwilliam
Museum, which is worth visiting to walk through the beautiful building alone. Once inside the
Fitzwilliam you'll see the elegant architecture, airy corridors and the magnificent entrance hall
with mosaic pavements and elaborate doorways. But of course it's not just the building that makes
this museum so popular. The Fitzwilliam Museum houses impressive art and antiques collections
from all around the world. You'll see paintings ranging from the 13th to the 21st century,
armour from europe, asia and the middle east, and an absolutely huge collection of ceramics and enamels.
With this and much more you'll want to allocate a good couple of hours to exploring this museum.
As much as we enjoyed the Fitzwilliam I do tend to prefer a museum that focuses on a
specific topic in more detail, which leads me on to the next museum on our list: the Polar Museum.
You'll find this museum at the Scott Polar Research Institute, which was founded as a
memorial to explorer Captain Scott, who famously died with his team on a return trip to the south
pole in 1912. At the museum you can learn about polar adventure, exploration and survival through
fascinating displays, photographs and objects. This museum may only be small but it packs
in plenty of stories and information so you'll want to allocate about 90 minutes to your visit.
If you're interested in aviation then you're going to want to visit Duxford Imperial War Museum.
Sitting around 10 miles out of Cambridge city centre, if you do want to visit Duxford
then be aware that it is a half day or even a full day trip. Regarded by many as the best
aviation museum in the country, 200 aircraft are restored and housed in enormous hangars
that were actually used by RAF Duxford's fighter squadrons. Here you will see some of the most
famous types of aircraft in the world, such as the concord which you can actually go inside.
Not all the aircraft are stationary.
Head out to the historic airfield where you can see them take to the skies.
As mentioned before there are many other well-regarded museums you could visit so to
just give you a couple of examples: there's Kettle's Yard, which is really popular, it's
an art gallery inside the former home of an art collector; the museum of archaeology and
anthropology and the center for computing history. I'll add a link to more museums you might want to
look into in the description below. At the time of making this video you are still required to
book tickets online for several museums in advance. When exactly tickets are released
does vary by museum so once you've decided which one you would like to visit make sure
you check the museum website ahead of your trip to avoid disappointment. Make sure you also check
what days of the week the museums are open before deciding on what day you want to visit Cambridge.
Number 11 is find the dinky doors. While weaving through the streets of Cambridge you might spot
dinky doors dotted around the city. These tiny pieces of art were designed to bring joy to the
world one dinky door at a time. Each door has its own imaginative story and consists of tiny
details that you won't want to miss so make sure you stop and take a closer look. Our favorites was
the lighthouse with the resort spa for octopuses. If you want to know where to find these miniature
portals yourself then the creators have a map of these doors available on their website.
Number 12 is admire the round church. While in Cambridge you can visit one of only four
medieval round churches still in use in England today. Like other round churches, this church
was built to resemble the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. For three pound fifty
per adult you could take a look inside. Guided tours are also available for 12 pounds although
we didn't choose to take a tour ourselves. If you don't want to go inside the church then I think
it is still worth stopping by to take a look at this eye-catching building from the outside.
I hope this gave you some ideas and useful suggestions for planning your trip to Cambridge.
As it was based on our own trip then i'm sure we won't have covered absolutely everything,
so if we've missed one of your favorite things to do in Cambridge then please
do share them in the comments below. If you would like to watch more of our UK travel
guides then I'll add a link to our ever growing playlist here. Thanks for watching