Things to Do in Cambridge
Prices, opening hours, best times to visit and the stuff nobody tells you, everything you need for a first trip to Cambridge, England, plus one pigeon's opinions on all of it.
Cambridge exists because a group of scholars had a proper falling out with the people of Oxford in 1209 and decided to start again somewhere else entirely, which I still think is the best origin story of any UK city. This is the proper guide to things to do in Cambridge, what things actually cost, when to go, and which bits are worth the money. Six main stops below, plus a quiz at the bottom to see if you were paying attention.
King's College Chapel
The largest fan-vaulted ceiling in the world, Rubens' Adoration of the Magi behind the altar, and the building most people are actually picturing when they imagine Cambridge. Founded in 1441 by Henry VI, and still home to the famous King's College Choir, whose Christmas Eve carol service is broadcast to millions worldwide.
Admission includes the chapel and the college grounds. If you can time a visit for choral evensong, generally around 5.30pm on weekdays, it's free to attend as a service, and hearing that choir in that space is a genuinely different experience to walking round with an audio guide.
Hours Generally 9am-5pm, subject to closures for services and events
Address King's Parade, Cambridge CB2 1ST
Official site kings.cam.ac.uk/visit
The Mathematical Bridge
I asked about this one in the quiz, and here's the fuller, slightly less exciting truth: the wooden bridge at Queens' College, crossing the Cam near King's, is popularly said to have been designed by Isaac Newton without a single nail or bolt, and later taken apart by curious students who couldn't put it back together the same way. Neither part is true, it was actually built in 1749, after Newton's death, and it's always used metal fixings. It's a good story anyway, and the college doesn't seem in a hurry to correct it.
You can walk across it with admission to Queens' College, or see it for free from Silver Street Bridge, or best of all, glide right underneath it on a punt.
Hours Generally 10am-4pm Tue-Sat, seasonal
Punting on the River Cam
Flat-bottomed boats, propelled by a pole rather than paddles, gliding along the Backs past King's, Trinity, St John's and the Bridge of Sighs. You can hire a punt yourself if you fancy the challenge (harder than it looks, and properly fun to watch other people attempt) or pay for a chauffeured tour where someone else does the work and the talking.
Chauffeured tours run around 45 minutes to an hour and are the easier option for a first visit, particularly if the river's busy, which it often is in summer.
Best time Late morning to early evening; quieter outside peak summer weekends
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Half a million objects, Ancient Egyptian artefacts, rare coins, illuminated manuscripts, and paintings running from old masters through to contemporary work, all free to walk round in a grand neoclassical building that's been doing this since 1848. It's one of the best free museums outside London by any reasonable measure.
The entrance hall alone, marble floor, painted ceiling, is worth a minute of standing still in before you head into the galleries proper.
Hours Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 12pm-5pm, closed Mondays
Address Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB
Official site fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk
Trinity College & Newton's Apple Tree
Trinity's Great Court is the largest enclosed court of any Oxford or Cambridge college, properly impressive to walk into, and the college where Isaac Newton studied and later taught. Newton himself is buried at Westminster Abbey rather than here, but Trinity keeps a descendant of the original apple tree growing near the Great Gate, said to be from cuttings of the very tree that inspired him.
The college's Wren Library, designed by Christopher Wren, holds an extraordinary collection including Newton's own annotated copy of his Principia Mathematica, open to visitors for limited hours and free of charge.
Hours Check current college visiting hours, term-time restrictions apply
Address Trinity Street, Cambridge CB2 1TQ
St Mary's Church Tower
The Great St Mary's Church tower is a 123-step spiral climb up from street level, and the reward is a clean panorama across the rooftops straight to King's College Chapel and the colleges beyond, one of the better value viewpoints in the city. The church itself is free to enter; it's only the tower climb that charges.
It's a properly tight staircase, worth knowing if you're not keen on confined spaces, but it's over quickly and the view at the top makes the climb worthwhile.
Address Senate House Hill, Cambridge CB2 3PQ
Best time to visit Cambridge
May to September gives you the best weather for punting and walking the Backs, though it's also when the river and the colleges are busiest with visitors. If you want to see the university at its most atmospheric, term-time (roughly October to June, with breaks) has students actually around, choirs rehearsing, bikes everywhere, versus the quieter, emptier feel of the long summer vacation. For the full month-by-month breakdown, see our Best Time to Visit Cambridge guide.
Getting around Cambridge
Central Cambridge is compact and best explored on foot or, like the locals, on a bicycle, hire options are widely available. Most of the colleges, the Fitzwilliam and the river all sit within a 20-minute walk of each other. Cambridge station is about a 20-minute walk or a short bus ride from the city centre. If you're mapping out exactly how to spend your time, our 24 Hours in Cambridge and 2 Day Cambridge Itinerary guides lay out an hour-by-hour and day-by-day plan.
Keeping an eye on costs? Cambridge on a Budget covers what's free and where the tourist markup actually is. Travelling as a couple? Cambridge for Couples covers a sunset punt and Great St Mary's tower. And once your dates are set, Where to Stay & Eat in Cambridge breaks down the areas.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Cambridge worth visiting?
- Yes, particularly for King's College Chapel and a punt along the Backs, two things genuinely unlike anywhere else in the UK, plus a free, world-class museum in the Fitzwilliam.
- How many days do you need in Cambridge?
- A day trip from London covers King's College, a punt and the Fitzwilliam comfortably. An overnight stay lets you add Trinity's Wren Library and a proper wander without rushing.
- Is Cambridge expensive?
- College admission and punting tours add up if you do several, but the Fitzwilliam is free, and walking the Backs and the town centre costs nothing at all.
- What is Cambridge famous for?
- Its university, the second oldest in the English-speaking world, King's College Chapel's fan-vaulted ceiling, and Sir Isaac Newton, who studied and taught at Trinity College.
That's everything I've got.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
