Cambridge Staycation Guide: Where to Stay, What to Do and Where to Eat

Cambridge is a small, flat city where almost everything worth seeing sits within a mile of the market square: medieval colleges, King's College Chapel, the Fitzwilliam Museum and the stretch of the River Cam known as the Backs. Trains from London take under an hour, and once you arrive you can walk or cycle everywhere, which makes it one of the easiest city staycations in England.

How long to stay

Two nights covers the colleges, a punt and the main museums at an easy pace. Add a third if you want to visit Imperial War Museum Duxford or make a day trip to Ely. Spring and early summer are best for the river and the meadows; in winter the city is quieter and the museums and chapel choirs come into their own.

Where to stay in Cambridge

Central rooms are in short supply at graduation time and during the May Week celebrations in June, so book ahead. See all options on our Cambridge hotels page.

Classic central hotels

University Arms is the city's grandest hotel, a five-star on Regent Street with rooms overlooking Parker's Piece. The Varsity Hotel & Spa is an independent boutique hotel by the river with a spa and a rooftop terrace, closer to St John's and Trinity than anywhere else. Hotel du Vin Cambridge occupies a run of listed buildings on Trumpington Street, a short walk from the Fitzwilliam.

With a dog

The four-star Gonville Hotel faces Parker's Piece and accepts dogs, as does the Hilton Cambridge City Centre on Downing Street, right among the colleges. Crown & Punchbowl is a historic inn that also welcomes dogs and has a strong reputation for its food.

Practical and family bases

Arriving by train, ibis Cambridge Central Station is next to the station, about 20 minutes' walk from the centre. Novotel Cambridge North has a pool, which helps with children, and for something more unusual, Madingley Hall offers bed and breakfast in a historic house with grand gardens just west of the city.

Things to do in Cambridge

The full list is on our Cambridge attractions page. These are the essentials.

King's College Chapel is the building most people come to see, with its vast fan-vaulted ceiling and stained glass. Choral Evensong during term is open to all and is the most memorable way to experience it. The Fitzwilliam Museum holds antiquities, armour, ceramics and paintings, and the smaller Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences has fossils and specimens including some collected by Charles Darwin.

Punting is the other essential. You can hire a punt and steer yourself or take a chauffeured tour along the Backs, past the college lawns and bridges. Let's Go Punting, Scholars Punting and Rutherford's Punting are all rated 4.9 on Google.

For green space, Cambridge University Botanic Garden has 40 acres of planting plus glasshouses, and Wandlebury Country Park south of the city has footpaths through grazed chalk grassland and is fine for dogs. Just outside the city, Imperial War Museum Duxford is rated 4.8 from over 18,000 Google reviews and fills a full day with aircraft and military vehicles in huge hangars.

Where to eat

Cambridge's independent food scene is spread out, with Mill Road the best street for varied, good-value restaurants. Golpo Bengal is one of the best-rated places in the city, and the colleges' area around King's Parade has plenty of cafes for lunch. Browse more on our Cambridge restaurants page.

A two-day plan

Day one

Start at King's College Chapel, then walk King's Parade and Trinity Street past the college gates, climbing the tower of Great St Mary's for a view over the rooftops. After lunch, take a punt along the Backs, then spend the late afternoon at the Fitzwilliam. If it is term time, finish with Evensong at King's.

Day two

Walk or cycle along the river through Grantchester Meadows to the village of Grantchester, a classic Cambridge outing, and back. Spend the afternoon at the Botanic Garden or the Sedgwick Museum, then eat on Mill Road.

Day trips from Cambridge

Ely, with its cathedral rising out of the Fens, is only a short train ride away and the best half-day trip. Bury St Edmunds has abbey ruins and gardens, Newmarket is the home of British horse racing, and Peterborough has another fine Norman cathedral. St Albans is an easy stop on the way to or from London.

Camping and cottages near Cambridge

The Orchard at Fen End Farm is a small eco site with tents, yurts, tipis and bell tents, and campfires are allowed. Gayton Farm takes tents, caravans and motorhomes, has electric hook-ups and accepts dogs. Cuckoo Fen Campsite near Over is a quieter option for tents and motorhomes. See camping near Cambridge or cottages near Cambridge for more.

Practical tips

Driving into central Cambridge is slow and parking is limited, so use the Park and Ride or come by train. Many colleges charge visitors and close during exam periods. Cambridge fits neatly into our guides to UK city breaks without flying and staycations without a car, and it is a good choice for cyclists too.