The historical city of Cambridge lies 88 km north of London. Founded in the 12th century, it is famous the world over for its university which is as prestigious as Oxford. The university has 31 colleges, many of which you can visit.
Cambridge is situated on the beautiful River Cam offering opportunities for punting, a popular pastime on British rivers. The city has both an exciting cultural scene and a more relaxed vibe. There are fascinating museums to explore as well as green spaces like the Botanic Garden, where you can escape from city life.
Our two-day itinerary will take you to the highlights of the city and we will also give you some ideas for day trips close to Cambridge which will enhance your stay.
Begin your exploration of the city at the Fitzwilliam Museum which was founded by Richard Fitzwilliam in 1816 when he bequeathed his art collection to the museum. Even before you start looking at the artwork, you will be blown away by the building’s beautiful neo-classical facade and the stunning spiral staircase.
The museum houses more than half a million artworks and artefacts, one of the largest collections of art in England. You will be able to see paintings by artists such as Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Monet and highlights include Titian’s Venus and Cupid with a Lute Player and Renoir’s Place Clichy. There is a fascinating collection of sculptures showcased including Byzantine wood and ivory pieces and Renaissance bronzes. Look out for the impressive collection of Egyptian coffins and a collection of rare coins dating back centuries.
A nine-minute walk will take you to the Corpus Clock, also known as the Grasshopper Clock. It was unveiled by Stephen Hawking in 2008 and is an amazing and very unusual piece of workmanship. The clock is 1.5 metres in diameter and is made of stainless steel covered in 24-carat gold. There aren’t any hands or numbers, but instead LED lights illuminate slits which show the hours, minutes, and seconds. On top of the clock is a giant grasshopper that eats the minutes as they tick by. At each hour, you will hear chains hitting a coffin reminding you that life is short.
Not far from the Corpus Clock is the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology which was founded in 1884 to house local artefacts. Now, however, it exhibits objects from all over the world going back many thousands of years.
You can spend some time at the museum as there are 25 galleries to explore. Enjoy the Egyptian mummies and Buddhist sculptures and see the skeleton of an ancient Roman woman as well as 500-year-old freeze-dried potatoes from Peru. Other highlights include Samurai armour from Japan and the finds from the Anglo-Saxon Trumpington Bed Burial, including the gold and garnet Trumpington cross found on the skeleton of a teenage girl.
The University Museum of Zoology is just across the road from the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology so is the ideal place to go next. Both museums are free to enter. The museum celebrates the animal kingdom with mammals, birds, sea life, reptiles, insects, and molluscs showcased. A highlight is the new exhibit of a 21-metre-long fin whale. Interestingly, there are specimens on display which were found by the naturalists Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Displays change as the museum brings up items from the stores and you might even get to see the skeleton of the now extinct dodo. The museum also holds temporary exhibitions. By this time, you are probably ready for lunch, and you can eat in the museum at the Whale Cafe.
You shouldn’t go to Cambridge without visiting at least one of the colleges and Kings College is a good choice. It is the most famous of Cambridge’s colleges and is known the world over for its choir.
The highlight of the college is the chapel which was built between 1446 and 1515 during The War of the Roses, with Henry VI laying down the first foundation stone. Here you will be able to admire some of the most spectacular Gothic architecture in the world. A highlight of the chapel is the painting, The Adoration of the Magi, by Rubens. You may notice some graffiti on the walls close to the altar and wonder why it’s there. The reason is that during the English Civil War in the 17th century, the chapel was used as a training ground for soldiers, and they are to blame for defacing the walls.
A couple of minutes’ walk from Kings College takes you to the University Church and Great St Mary’s Tower. It is worth climbing the 123 steps of the tower to get a fantastic view of Cambridge. There is a cafe in the church so grab a coffee before continuing your afternoon exploration.
If you can get to the library before it shuts at 2, you will be rewarded with a fantastic literary experience. It houses more than 80,000 rare books and manuscripts and you will be able to see such treasures as Shakespeare’s first folio, handwritten notes by Robert Oppenheimer, and a first copy of Winnie the Pooh. There are also unusual objects on display like a lock of Isaac Newton’s hair.
The library was designed by the famous Christopher Wren who also designed St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.
End your first day’s exploration of Cambridge with a relaxing punting experience on the River Cam. A punt is a flat-bottomed boat propelled by a person pushing a pole against a shallow riverbed. There are different punting experiences on offer where you are chauffeured so you can enjoy the surroundings. You can take a champagne or gin punt and can enjoy your drinks while travelling along the river. Another option is the afternoon tea punt when, after your trip on the river, you head to a restaurant for a traditional English afternoon tea with sandwiches, cakes, and scones. You can also rent a punt where a member of your party does the punting.
This museum is a little way out from the city centre, but it is worth visiting so head there first and work your way back to the centre. In the museum you will find one of the world’s largest plaster cast collections. They represent some of the most stunning sculptures from ancient Greece and Rome and there are 450 on display covering the period from 1700 BC to 400 AD.
Head back to the city centre and stop at Queens College which was founded in 1448. Here you can explore the courts and gardens, but the highlight is the Mathematical Bridge, an iconic landmark in the city. It is an unusual bridge connecting the Tudor part of the college to the new buildings. Made of wood in 1748, it has had to be rebuilt twice due to the wood's ageing. It is quirky because it looks like an arch but has been built from straight timber, a wonderful feat of engineering.
The final stop in your morning’s tour is the Sedgewick Museum of Earth sciences. Explore 4.5 billion years of the earth’s geological history at this amazing museum. It houses around 2 million minerals, rocks and fossils which will fascinate young and old alike. Highlights include the largest collection of meteorites in the UK and a replica dinosaur skeleton given to the museum in 1896 by the King of Belgium.
There are plenty of restaurants along the way from the Sedgewick Museum of Earth Sciences to the Scott Polar Research Institute, so it won’t be difficult for you to find somewhere to have lunch. If you like pizza and pasta head to Zizzi’s but if you prefer Asian, try the Charlie Chan restaurant.
The Scott Polar Research Institute was established in 1920 to discover more about the two polar regions. It houses the Polar Museum which you can visit and learn more about the Arctic and the Antarctic. It houses more than 5,000 objects and highlights include 140-million-year-old fossil ferns, Ernest Shackleton’s snow goggles, and a camera used by Robert Falcon Scott.
Enjoy a relaxing afternoon at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden which is a 13-minute walk away from the Scott Polar Research Centre. It covers around 40 acres with more than 8,000 plant species, and you can easily spend a couple of hours exploring the different gardens. Amongst others, visit the Mediterranean beds, the rose garden, the winter garden, and the bog garden. Admire the British wildflowers and visit the tropical glasshouses which will introduce you to completely different types of plants.
Children will love punting on the River Cam and visiting a couple of the museums already mentioned, The Sedgewick Museum of Earth Sciences and the Museum of Zoology, but here are a few more suggestions.
There is a wide variety of restaurants in Cambridge, ranging from gastro pubs to fine dining restaurants. As England is a multicultural country, you will also find many international restaurants. Let’s take a look at some of your choices.
England has unpredictable weather, and it can rain at any time of the year. For the best chance of good weather, summer is your best bet though it can get busy when the schools break up for the holidays. June and September are better choices if you want to avoid the crowds, and the weather can still be pleasant. However, Cambridge is a year-round destination with most places staying open in the winter so if you don’t mind what the weather brings, you can visit at any time.
Cambridge hosts many festivals throughout the year with all sorts of topics celebrated from literature to music to food and drink and more besides. Here are a few of the most popular festivals held in the city each year.
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