Why visit Cambridge?
Learning and luminaries
What springs to mind when Cambridge comes up in conversation? If it’s world-changing scientific breakthroughs or ancient academic traditions, you’re not alone – this city’s fortunes have depended on the University of Cambridge for many a century, and this ancient seat of learning has brought art, culture and some truly exceptional architecture.
Visiting a Cambridge college or two is one of the easiest ways to get a measure of the place. Consider combining a trip to iconic King’s College, famous for its annual Christmas Eve carol service, with a visit to a smaller, more secluded college like Newnham.
Once you’ve found a college you like the look of, check out its website to make sure it’s open – many close around exam times or are only accessible to visitors for a few hours a day. Oh, and whatever you do, don't walk on the grass…
The Backs
When the weather is fine, students, tourists and locals flock to The Backs, a sumptuous stretch of park reclaimed from the river Cam that runs alongside many of Cambridge’s most beautiful colleges.
Punting is a popular pastime here – you can either do it yourself or pay a student to take the strain for you – but just picnicking or lazing on the grass is a tempting option too.
This part of the river Cam is particularly scenic and is crossed by a number of well-known bridges, including the spectacular Bridge of Sighs at St John's College and the intricate 18th-century Mathematical Bridge further downstream.
Easy access to the countryside
One of the most appealing things about Cambridge is how easy it is to get out into the countryside. Even in the city centre, there’s so much green space around that you’ll rarely feel overwhelmed by all the hustle and bustle. You might even see cows grazing on common land right within full view of the colleges, creating a dreamy atmosphere that feels as rustic as it does cosmopolitan.
Getting around by bike is synonymous with the city for a good reason, as the roads and paths around Cambridge are flat even by East Anglian standards. Hiring a versatile mountain bike or an electric-two wheeler in the city centre is a great way to see a bit of the countryside if you’re looking for a car-free day.
The best things to do in and around Cambridge
In town
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Admire the fab foliage and elegant greenhouses at Cambridge University Botanic Garden.
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Explore a world-class collection of artefacts and artworks at the Fitzwilliam Museum.
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Meander through the fields and go canoeing, paddleboarding or fishing at Milton Country Park, just north of the city centre.
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Find inspiration at Kettle's Yard, the university’s unique modern and contemporary art gallery.
The best attractions within an hour’s drive of Cambridge
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Check out the stately house and gardens at Anglesey Abbey (15 minutes’ drive) and the pretty Cambridgeshire village of Lode.
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See 200 vintage aircraft, military vehicles and naval vessels at IWM Duxford (20 minutes).
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Visit the nearby city of Ely (30 minutes) and admire the Gothic arches of its cathedral soaring over the fens.
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Make a splash at Southlake Aqua Park near St Neots (40 minutes), an outdoor family-friendly option that’s great for active kids.
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Head over into Hertfordshire for a day filled with sculptures and contemplation at the fab Henry Moore Foundation (an hour).
Delve deeper
Explore the fens
The surrounding Cambridgeshire countryside is full of wildlife-rich fens – low-lying rural areas that were once marshes before being drained hundreds of years ago by the locals for agriculture.
Nearby Holme Fen National Nature Reserve, located just south of Peterborough, is the lowest point in Britain and is still sinking. The Fen Edge Trail, meanwhile, is available for longer walks and exploring the fringes of this unique habitat; conveniently, it also passes through the centre of Cambridge.
Grantchester greenery
Just a couple of miles south of the city, the peaceful village of Grantchester is perhaps best known for the popular TV series of the same name.
Period drama isn’t this place’s only claim to fame, though – the village is reported to have more Nobel Prize-winning inhabitants per head than anywhere else in the world, and it’s rumoured that there’s even a secret tunnel linking it to King's College Chapel two miles away…
While you might not get to the bottom of that particular mystery any time soon, it’s unlikely to trouble you overly much – Grantchester is a pleasant place surrounded by lush green meadows on the banks of the river Cam, making it a great spot for punting or wild swimming away from the crowds of the city centre.
Cambridge’s best chapels and churches
Few places in England have quite as many exceptional churches within easy strolling distance of each other as Cambridge.
As well as the chapels attached to each of the University’s 31 colleges, visitors can see St Bene't's, the oldest in-tact building in Cambridge, or more modern examples like All Saints’ Church, a 19th-century structure where almost every interior surface was painted, stencilled or gilded by leading Arts and Crafts artists like William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones and Ford Madox Brown.
Here’s how
If you could do with an escape to Cambridge, browse the options on this page to get a full list of sites with availability for your dates. Alternatively, if you have something particular in mind – a Cambridge glamping city break, for instance, or a quiet adults-only campsite – you might prefer to use the tick-box filters on this page to find exactly what you’re after.
Some of our most popular categories include:
If you’re looking for day trips to the city but don’t fancy being too close to the heart of the action, consider expanding your search range to take in the wider Cambridgeshire area, or even zooming out to the whole East Anglia region, much of which is well-placed for Cambridge sightseeing.
