12 Things To See & Do In CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND | UK Travel Guide

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 noble 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 the websites 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 visiting 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 ecchiums, I'm not sure, and once we reached 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 websites for information on upcoming services. Number 2 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 add 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 3 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 narrowboat, 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 back, so even if the stories had 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 for two people for a shared tour with Let's Go Punting. However, if you're preferred 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, 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 Bennett Street, you will see the Corpus Clock, which is one of the most famous monuments in Cambridge. At the top of the clock you will 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 Queen's College. This famous bridge is rumoured 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 arched 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 favourites and that is to visit the Botanic Garden. The Cambridge University Botanic Garden has a really impressive collection of over 8,000 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 favourite 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 St 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 twitter accounts. Parker's Peace 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 9 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 £5 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 plenty full, so it's easy to accidentally overorder 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 Itu 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 and sticky syrup, they're 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 5 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 BBQ food or craft beer. If BBQ isn't your thing, then you could try The 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 Brewhouse. Being a microbrewery, 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. Rumoured 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 was one of the most well-known pubs in the city. Following the work of Watson Crick, Wilkins and Franklin on 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, lights 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 the 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 Concorde, which you can actually go inside. Not all of 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 Centre 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. 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 favourite was the lighthouse with a 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 Sepulcher in Jerusalem. For £3.50 per adult, you could take a look inside. Guided tours are also available for £12, 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 favourite things to do in Cambridge then please do share them in the comments below. 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