Colleges, Bridges and Punting...
Over the August Bank Holiday weekend in 2018, Wally and I decided to escape London for a few days and visit Cambridge. It is located around 60 miles north of London, and takes as little as 50 minutes by train from London Kings Cross. Cambridge is a university city- a city where the majority of the population belong to the university, although the city at one point was also a critical trading center.
Well known for the University of Cambridge (founded in the early 13th century), there is quite a number of interesting buildings and museums to see here, as well as good eateries. We have also done a weekend trip to Oxford so found it interesting to see how the two cities differ- Cambridge feels much smaller, with things more centred around the university (which is to be expected), whilst Oxford seemed to have more to do (although was much busier as a result!).
For our trip, we got the train from central London to Cambridge station, and then walked into the city center- which took about 20 minutes- but worth noting there are taxis/buses you could also get. Below is what we got up to during our weekend in the city- but you could also visit Cambridge as a day trip- we’ve given some recommendations on what to do, see and eat below. Do let us know if you have any questions, comments or suggestions!
Exploring the various Cambridge colleges
There are 31 colleges at Cambridge- ranging from Peterhouse college as the oldest, founded in 1284, to the more well known Trinity and Kings Colleges. It’s worth exploring at least a few of these as the architecture is different and each college tends to have its own individual quirks and stories. One good way of seeing the various colleges is from the river- by punting- more on that later…
We managed to walk around a number of colleges during our trip- some were not busy at all, whilst others had long queues of tourists. It may be worth doing some research before your trip to work out which colleges you really want to visit- hopefully this page will also give you some suggestions. It might also be helpful buying admission tickets in advance.
We visited Emmanuel College and its gardens- it is located on the main road between the train station and the city center but surprisingly was not very busy. Whilst the college was founded back in the 1580s, it remained a male-only college until 1979, similar to all of the other older colleges. The college has an impressive chapel and dining hall, and pleasant gardens. See this link for more details and information about the college.
We also walked around Trinity College, the entry to which is through the Great Gate. This Gate is very impressive- and has a statue of the founder of the college, Henry VIII above the doorway. It’s hard to see from our photo, but the statue is actually holding a chair leg in the right hand- instead of a sword. There are various stories as to how this happened…
We then spent some time walking around the Great Court, which has a fountain in the center . This was a rather impressive fountain, especially considering it was completed in the 17th century. There is also a chapel in the college, various courts and Wren Library- one of the most famous libraries in the city. More details about Trinity college and how to visit can be found here.
Trinity College lawn and fountain
Emmanuel College
Courtyard at Emmanuel College
Dining hall at Emmanuel College
The Great Gate at Trinity College
The Clock Tower at Trinity College
King’s College
Our favourite college to visit and walk around was King’s College– partly because of the chapel but also because of its location on the river whilst also on the main road in the town center. Not to mention the impressive grounds. Founded in the 15th Century (by Henry VI this time), it took some time for works to progress, and it was only in 1508 that progress was made and only in 1544 that the chapel was finished (with construction having been begun almost a whole century earlier!) There have been a number of various expansions to the college throughout the years to accommodate growing number of students. Famous alumni of the college include John Maynard Keynes and Alun Turing…and many others.
The chapel is stunning- this is the one thing in Cambridge we would say is definitely a must do. There are stunning stained-glass windows and the ceiling- in the style of the fan vault- is incredible. There is an admission charge for a self-guided tour (around £10 for adults, with discounts for children and students), and tickets can be purchased online. As part of the self-guided tour, you can walk around the chapel and its many facets, as well as an exhibition about the college’s history, and the organ as well. There is also an incredible painting you can see- Adoration of the Magi- by Reubens from the 17th Century- which can be found as the altarpiece in the chapel (you can just about make it out on our photos- but for more details see here).
Every Christmas Eve (since 1918!), a carol service has taken place here- Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols- is attended by many and also broadcast globally to listeners. See last year’s recording and video here and for more details on visiting the chapel itself and tickets- see here.
Windy little streets
The Great Gate at St John’s college
Clock tower at Gonville and Caius
Views from punting
Mathematical bridge
Bridge of Sighs
Exploring Cambridge by foot and river
During our trip, we spent a good few hours walking around Cambridge- it’s a small city, with much of the center pedestrianised which makes it much more pleasant. Cambridge has many boutique shops, cute little alleyways, tea shops- not to mention incredible architecture all around. Some of the cutest alleyways we came across included Rose Cres (near Trinity College)- which had a good selection of both independent shops and well known names, Bene’t Street, which had a good selection of restaurants as well as St Bene’t’s Church- the oldest building in Cambridgeshire.
It is also worth seeing is the Great Gate at St John’s College. As the entrance to the college, the gate, completed in the 16th Century, has incredible carvings of mythical animals and a statue of St. John the Evangelist.
Similarly, the clock tower at Gonville and Caius college is worth seeing, with stunning sundials on each side. This is one of the oldest colleges in Cambridge and is worth walking around if you get the chance as well.
Punting along the Cam
This is a great way to discover the city- and see if from another angle! There are various starting locations and options along the river Cam- but they tend to mostly follow the same route and give you a good view of the main bridges. We went with Scudamore’s Quayside Punting Station (located on Bridge Street)- and found them to be very good. We shared the punt with others- there were around 10 or so people in total, with the “chauffeur” obviously a Cambridge student, providing narration along the trip on the various colleges we were passing, and interesting stories and myths.
We passed various bridges during the tour- including the famous Bridge of Sighs and Mathematical Bridge, got to see the King’s College Chapel from the river and other impressive architecture. There is a useful map here of the various attractions. The weather wasn’t too great during our visit- but there are blankets and umbrellas just in case! We would highly recommend punting- it’s a great way to see more of the city and find out a bit more about the buildings and the colleges. There are other punting options available- including private hire and afternoon tea parties, champagne tours and gin parties for something that little bit different!
The start and end of the punting is also a 5 minute walk away from the Round Church (its full name is Church of the Holy Sepulchre), founded in the 12th century, well known for its distinctly round shape. Certainly worth a visit and it is also on occasion hosts concerts and various other events.
Round Church in Cambridge
Other things to do and see in Cambridge
Fitzwilliam museum
Located opposite Fitzwilliam Street not too far from the River Cam, the Fitzwilliam museum holds a very impressive collection of art and antiquities- ranging from Arts of Asia, Islamic Art to Sculptures and Furniture. We spent a good few hours walking around the museum as there is a lot to explore.
The full list of collections open to visitors is available here. As well as the collections, the building itself is stunning- from both the outside and the inside, as you can see from our photos. The collection and museum was founded after it was bequeathed to the University of Cambridge, and after initially being housed in a temporary site, after an architectural competition was held in 1843, and a few decades later the museum was built in a neo-classcial style, open to both university students and staff, and members of the public.
More on the history of the museum can be found here. The museum is open only on Wednesday-Sunday, for more details on visiting see this link. There is no admission fee- but it may be helpful to reserve visiting slots in advance online.
Botanical garden
Located a very short walk away from the train station, and about 10-15 minutes walk from the city center, the Cambridge University Botanic Garden is a heritage listed garden.
There are many parts of the garden to explore- from a woodland garden to a rose garden. The gardens have been well thought out- and there is something there for every season- including wildflowers in spring, autumnal colours in the Autumn Garden and even a winter garden, showing surprisingly bring colours for what is usually a bit more of a grey affair.
A full map of the garden, alongside all on offer can be found here. There is also a cafe and a garden shop for visitors- we found it very hard to not buy a dozen plants to bring back with us! To find out more about the garden and book tickets- see this link.
Overall, Cambridge offers a pleasant escape from London, and some incredible architecture. As it’s a small city, it’s possible to see the main sights within a day without having to rush too much, but also offers more than enough for an overnight or weekend trip. We’ve suggested a few itineraries below to consider…
Roman museum at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Cambridge Botanical Garden
Main staircase at the Fitzwilliam Museum
Our Favourite Food in Cambridge
The Ivy Cambridge Brasserie
Located right in the city center, the Ivy Cambridge Brasserie offers all-day dining. We went for a breakfast- and had smoothies, coffee and pastries. The decor of the place is very cool- and very art-deco as you can see from the photos. Overall, great place whether you are stopping for breakfast, a quick snack, or something more substantial at dinner. The location is also great- right near all the shops and market square ( another recommendation of ours- see below). The menu and opening times etc are available here.
Signorelli's Deli
We stumbled upon this place by complete chance- it seemed rather busy when we were walking past in search of somewhere to go for lunch. Serving pizza, paninis, sandwiches, arancini- the food here tasted great! We ordered a slice of pizza, a ciabatta sandwich, as well as some arancini, tiramisu and of course, a Sicilian cannoli. All to share. The food was delicious- hence the queues! And there is a very good selection of pizzas and sandwiches- including vegetarian. The desserts in themselves are worth coming here for on their own!
Trinity
Located next door to the Ivy, right in the city center, Trinity makes the ideal place for dinner, either for a date or a special occasion. The decor and atmosphere was lovely! One of the items on offer on the menu was sweetbreads- and we couldn’t resist trying these, and we also had a few more classic dishes which were great…
Cambridge Market
Located on Market Hil, right in the city center. Cambridge has had a market here since Saxon times, and it continues to this day- offering books, clothes, jewellery and fresh food. There were many food stalls when we visited- falafel, mac and cheese, fresh bread…. i.e.- a lot of choice! Great for a quick bite for lunch, and although a bit of a walk, you can walk to the river and enjoy the food on the banks there.
Suggested itineraries
Day Trip
If you’re visiting Cambridge just for a day, we would suggest visiting some of the colleges (we particularly liked Trinity), walking around the King’s College Chapel, doing some punting and grabbing some Italian bites at Signorelli’s Deli.
Weekend Trip
If you’re visiting Cambridge for a bit longer- perhaps a weekend trip- in addition to the things we suggest for a day trip, you would also have time to walk around a few more colleges and a museum or two. We would also recommend popping into the Ivy Cambridge Brasserie- either for brunch or dinner, and stopping by the Market
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