The Best Things to Do in Cambridge, England: My Favourite Sights, Food Stops & Local Gems

Looking for the best things to do in Cambridge UK? From drifting past the colleges on the River Cam and looking up inside King’s College Chapel to century-old Chelsea buns, brilliant bookshops and a few places that deserve far more attention, these are the Cambridge stops I’d genuinely make time for after returning to the city several times.

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When I moved to London in 2016, Cambridge was one of those places I felt like I already knew before I’d ever been.

I had the whole picture in my head: honey-coloured colleges, bicycles leaning against old stone walls, students slipping through ancient gates and the kind of university city I’d only ever seen from 3,000 miles away.

And yet Cambridge still seems to live slightly in the shadow of Oxford. But after visiting both several times, I really don’t think it should (I mean, have you seen The Theory of Everything?).

Cambridge has its own rhythm entirely—part university city, part riverside escape, with just enough beautiful old things to make an ordinary afternoon feel like you’ve stepped in a storybook.

With that said, here’s what I’d actually do while you’re here.

Shall we?

About the Author

Hi, I’m Candace — a London-based travel writer and content creator who traded the East Coast of the US for the charm of the UK back in 2016. London’s been my home ever since.

On this blog, you’ll find hundreds of thoughtfully crafted London, UK, Europe and Worldwide travel guides alongside lots of insider London tips, honest hotel and restaurant reviews and advice for content creators.

P.S. – For more trip inspiration, travel videos, and behind-the-scenes adventures, be sure to follow along (and say hello, if you fancy) on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube.

🗞️📺 As featured on the BBC, USA Today & Recipe.TV.

Quick Overview: The Best Things to Do in Cambridge, UK

Short on time? No offence taken. Here’s the quick version of what I’d see, eat and absolutely make room for on a first trip to Cambridge.

First Things First: Why Is Cambridge So Famous? (A Little History)

Cambridge was a trading town long before it became synonymous with gowns, colleges and Nobel Prizes. And that Oxford-Cambridge connection isn’t just modern-day rivalry.

In 1209, scholars who had left Oxford settled in Cambridge. That community eventually became the University of Cambridge—now the fourth-oldest university in the world, with 31 colleges stitched into the city around it.

When you visit, you’ll see that history is still very visible. Medieval churches sit beside college gates. The market continues to fill the middle of town, and the River Cam threads through it all.

How Many Days Do You Need in Cambridge?

You can absolutely do Cambridge in a day. I’ve done it myself, and my day trip to Cambridge from London itinerary keeps the route simple around the Fitzwilliam Museum, central colleges, Botanic Garden, Market Square, Great St Mary’s and punting.

But if it’s your first visit, I prefer Cambridge with one night. The city feels much nicer once the day-trippers thin out, so use my weekend in Cambridge itinerary if you can stretch it to two days.

Is Cambridge Walkable?

Very. Once you’re in the historic centre, Cambridge is exactly the sort of city that rewards wandering, and almost everything in this guide is easy enough to reach on foot.

The one thing I’d say first-time visitors tend to underestimate is the station. Cambridge station sits roughly a 20–30 minute walk from King’s Parade, depending on your pace and which way you weave into town.

(Not necessarily a bad thing—it gives you a perfectly good excuse to stop at Norfolk Street Bakery on the way.)

21 Best Things to Do in Cambridge, UK

1. Go Punting on the River Cam

If you only do one unmistakably Cambridge thing, make it punting.

Long before students and visitors were gliding past college lawns for fun, punts were flat-bottomed working boats used on the shallow waterways around the Fens.

Pleasure punting, as it were, arrived in Cambridge around the start of the 20th century and has been part of the city’s identity ever since.

Nowadays, a chauffeured punt will take you along the River Cam, slipping behind the colleges and beneath bridges with views of lawns and the Backs you simply can’t get from the street.

And this isn’t one of those things I recommend because the guidebooks tell me to. Punting—or even just sitting beside the river watching the boats drift past—is one of the experiences that makes Cambridge feel completely different from Oxford to me.

Read my full punting in Cambridge guide before you go!

2. Step Inside King’s College Chapel

Even if you couldn’t name a single Cambridge college, there’s a good chance you’d recognise King’s College Chapel the moment you saw it.

King Henry VI founded King’s in 1441, and the Chapel took much of the following century to complete—which helps explain why it feels far more cathedral than “chapel” once you step inside. Look up first: the fan-vaulted ceiling is extraordinary, then give yourself time for the stained glass and carved woodwork too.

If seeing the interior is high on your list, check the visitor hours before you arrive. King’s is still a working college and place of worship, so closing times can change.

3. Wander Through the Fitzwilliam Museum

For a city this compact, Cambridge is almost unfairly good at museums. Start with The Fitzwilliam Museum.

The collection began with the art and books left to the University by the 7th Viscount Fitzwilliam in 1816. Today the galleries move from ancient Egypt and antiquities to paintings, manuscripts, ceramics and modern art, all inside one rather grand building.

I meant to pop in briefly and ended up staying much longer than planned—which is usually my test for a museum worth recommending.

It’s free too, making it an especially good plan when Cambridge weather decides not to cooperate.

4. Climb the 123 Steps of Great St Mary’s Tower

For the best look over Cambridge’s rooftops, prepare yourself for the climb up Great St Mary’s.

The church has sat at the centre of Cambridge university life for centuries, but I’ll be honest: I came for the tower.

There are 123 steps between you and the top, where the reward is a 360-degree view over the colleges, market stalls and old city centre. Was the staircase enjoyable? Absolutely not. Would I do it again? Yes.

P.S. – The staircase is narrow, and the tower isn’t suitable for wheelchair users or people with limited mobility.

5. Wander Cambridge University Botanic Garden

Of course, even Cambridge’s prettiest garden comes with a university backstory. Enter Cambridge University Botanic Garden.

The University’s first Botanic Garden opened in 1762 for medical teaching, before botany professor John Stevens Henslow campaigned for a much larger site in the 1800s. Henslow also happened to be Charles Darwin’s mentor, and planting at the present garden began in 1846.

Today you’ll find 40 acres to disappear into, with more than 8,000 plant species, glasshouses, water, sweeping lawns and enough quiet corners to make you forget you’re minutes from the centre. Bonus: it’s handy for Cambridge station too.

6. Walk the Backs and Look for Cambridge’s Famous Bridges

If you want the full Cambridge postcard without paying admission to another college, go for a walk along The Backs.

It’s the very Cambridge name for the gardens and green lawns behind several colleges, with the River Cam winding through the middle and punts appearing between the trees.

Keep an eye out—and your camera ready—for the timber Mathematical Bridge at Queens’ and the covered Bridge of Sighs at St John’s.

7. Browse Cambridge Market Square

At some point in central Cambridge, you’ll inevitably spill into Cambridge Market Square. Ideally, arrive hungry.

Markets have occupied the heart of Cambridge for centuries, and today the open-air stalls are a cheerful mix of street food, produce, books, art and independent traders.

I like it best as a browse-and-snack stop between King’s Parade and Great St Mary’s—particularly if you’re about to tackle those 123 steps.

8. Have a Drink in The Eagle (or The Pickerel Inn)

If you only have room for one historic Cambridge pub, I’d make it The Eagle.

Francis Crick and James Watson famously celebrated their proposed DNA double-helix model here in 1953, but the pub isn’t frozen in history; it’s still busy with students, visitors and anyone after a very Cambridge pint.

Order a drink, take a proper look around the walls and settle in with a board game if you’ve got nowhere else to be.

If one historic pub isn’t enough, add The Pickerel Inn on Magdalene Street. Dating back to 1608 and once a gin palace, it’s often described as Cambridge’s oldest pub. I stopped in for a pint and some very decent fish and chips before carrying on around the city.

9. Try a Fitzbillies Chelsea Bun

Fitzbillies

Sweet tooth or not, I wouldn’t come all the way to Cambridge and skip Fitzbillies.

They’ve been making Chelsea buns here since 1920, and yes, they are every bit as glossy and sticky as they look. Get one with a coffee and accept that your fingers are going to need a napkin afterwards.

Fitzbillies

10. Get Gelato at Jack’s Gelato

Fitzbillies has the century-old credentials, but for Cambridge’s more modern sugar fix, head to Jack’s Gelato.

Jack Van Praag started the business in 2010, and it didn’t take long for the tiny shop to earn its very deserved cult following.

Half the fun is that the flavours constantly change. Over the years they’ve made everything from King’s College Lavender and Chelsea bun to Cambridge fig leaf, dark chocolate and sea salt, goat’s cheese and black cherry, pandan and even Fenland celery. I’ve been three times now and always manage to find something new.

It’s also properly woven into student life here, so a cone in hand is one of the quickest ways to feel like you belong with the Cambridge crowd. (P.S. – The Bene’t Street shop is dangerously convenient after The Eagle too…just saying).

11. Sit (& Drink) Beside the River at The Anchor

One of my favourite Cambridge memories was simply sitting at The Anchor, drink on the table, River Cam beside me and punts sliding past every few minutes.

You’ll find it on Silver Street near Queens’ College and the Mathematical Bridge. On a sunny day, I’d happily stop for lunch or a drink here—and if punting yourself sounds like too much effort, watching everybody else attempt it is excellent entertainment.

12. Visit Kettle’s Yard

Kettle’s Yard

Once you’ve had your fill of grand galleries and university formality, Kettle’s Yard will be a much-needed change of pace.

Jim and Helen Ede lived here from 1957 to 1973, placing modern art, furniture, ceramics and natural objects around the rooms as part of everyday life. The result feels less like visiting a museum and more like being allowed inside somebody’s impossibly tasteful home.

P.S. – Get your tickets in advance.

13. Find the Corpus Clock

For something that feels slightly stranger than Cambridge’s usual chapels-and-colleges routine, find the Corpus Clock.

Stephen Hawking unveiled it in 2008, and despite the name, there isn’t a normal clock hand in sight. Lights mark the time while the mechanical Chronophage—or “time eater”—perches above, quite literally swallowing the seconds. Cheerful stuff.

14. Do a Cambridge Bookshop Crawl

Cambridge University Press Bookshop

Cambridge is very, very good for bookshops. Frankly, it would be worrying if it wasn’t.

Start at the Cambridge University Press Bookshop at 1 Trinity Street, where books have been sold on the site since 1581. Then slip into St Edward’s Passage for G. David Bookseller and the wonderfully tiny Haunted Bookshop.

If crime is more your section of choice, keep going to Bodies in the Bookshop…

15. Explore Cambridge’s Café Scene

Cambridge does cafés extremely well once you step beyond the obvious chains in the centre. So give yourself permission to turn coffee scoping into an actual activity.

Personally, I’d save Bould Brothers, Hot Numbers, Espresso Library and Norfolk Street Bakery for your trip. For the full caffeine-fuelled version, see my Cambridge café guide!

16. Eat Your Way Through Cambridge’s Restaurant Scene

The Dumpling Tree, Cambridge

The restaurant scene in Cambridge definitely deserves more attention than it gets too, especially around Mill Road and the streets just beyond the polished historic centre.

There’s plenty more I’d happily eat my way through, so save my Cambridge restaurant guide for when hunger inevitably strikes on your trip.

17. Go Inside David Parr House

David Parr House

From the pavement, David Parr House looks like an ordinary Gwydir Street terrace. Then you step inside.

David Parr was a working-class decorative artist who spent decades hand-painting his own home while working on far grander Arts and Crafts interiors elsewhere. What he created behind this very normal façade is extraordinary—the house looks like this.

Pair it with Mill Road and you’ve got a slower, more local-feeling Cambridge afternoon away from the college and tourist crowds.

18. Pick a Smaller Cambridge Museum

Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

The Fitzwilliam gets the headlines, but Cambridge is almost ridiculously well-stocked with smaller museums too.

Pick according to whatever rabbit hole interests you most: the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Sedgwick Museum, Whipple Museum, Museum of Zoology or The Polar Museum. Several are free, which makes choosing more than one very easy.

19. See Cambridge’s Greener Side

Cambridge may be famous for stone courtyards and college towers, but there’s a surprisingly green side to the city too.

South of the centre, Sheep’s Green and Coe Fen give you meadows, river paths and the occasional cow. North of town, Jesus Green and Midsummer Common are lovely for a longer wander beside the Cam.

If you’re staying overnight, I’d go a little further and spend part of the afternoon around Grantchester Meadows and The Orchard Tea Gardens too.

20. Go to Evensong at King’s College Chapel

If your timing works out, there’s another way to experience King’s College Chapel: Evensong.

Services are free and open to visitors, with Evensong usually taking place during term time.

Just remember this is an actual chapel service rather than an attraction, so arrive on time, be respectful and keep the cameras away.

21. Bike Through Cambridge

If you’re staying overnight, I’d seriously consider hiring a bike for a few hours. You are in Cambridge, after all!

You can hire one from Primo Cycles in the Grand Arcade, with town bikes available from four hours upwards. I’d use the extra range for Jesus Green, Midsummer Common or a longer ride towards Grantchester.

If you’d rather have the route handled for you, you can also book this Cambridge to Grantchester bike tour.

Where to Stay in Cambridge

University Arms, Cambridge

Cambridge works beautifully as a day trip from London, but staying overnight changes the pace completely. You can linger over dinner, catch the centre when it’s a bit quieter and stop planning your afternoon around the last sensible train home (very much guilty as charged).

For a central stay, I personally recommend University Arms beside Parker’s Piece for something elegant and very well placed, or Graduate by Hilton Cambridge if waking up right beside the River Cam sounds more your speed.

How to Get to Cambridge From London

From London, I’d take the train without thinking twice.

The fastest direct trains from London King’s Cross to Cambridge take around 50 minutes, which is part of what makes the city such an easy escape from London.

You can also travel direct from Liverpool Street, although those services are generally slower, with the quickest journeys taking around 1 hour 12 minutes. If King’s Cross is convenient for you, that’s the route I’d choose first.

P.S. – You can compare London to Cambridge train times and fares here before you go.

Final Thoughts on the Best Things to Do in Cambridge, UK

The best things to do in Cambridge go well beyond simply walking past beautiful colleges—although, admittedly, that part is lovely too.

Between punting, museums, pubs, bookshops, very good things to eat and more green space than you might expect, one day fills up remarkably quickly. And personally, I think the city gets even better when you can stay overnight.

If you’re still deciding between England’s two famous university cities, have a read of my Oxford or Cambridge comparison before you book.

Have the best time in Cambridge—and save some room for a Chelsea bun…

Happy travels,
Candace x

FAQ: Things to Do in Cambridge, UK

What Should You Not Miss in Cambridge?

For a first trip, I’d prioritise King’s College Chapel, The Fitzwilliam Museum, punting on the River Cam, Cambridge Market Square and a walk around The Backs. They’ll give you a very good feel for the city in one day!

What to Do in Cambridge UK for a Day?

I’d follow my one-day Cambridge itinerary and keep your day focused on the Fitzwilliam, central colleges, Market Square, Great St Mary’s and punting. If you still have energy—and daylight—add the Botanic Garden.

Is Cambridge, UK Worth Visiting?

Absolutely. The colleges may be the obvious reason to come, but the River Cam, museums, bookshops, pubs and green spaces are what make Cambridge feel like more than a university backdrop. I’ve shared more in my is Cambridge worth visiting guide.

What Are the Best Free Things to Do in Cambridge?

Start with The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge Market Square, the Corpus Clock, Coe Fen and Jesus Green, then look at the smaller University museums with free admission, such as the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

How Many Days Do You Need in Cambridge?

One day is enough for the highlights, but I prefer Cambridge as a weekend. Two days give you room for the big sights without squeezing lunch, punting and every interesting side street around your train home.

Is Punting in Cambridge Worth It?

Yes—especially on a first visit. Punting gives you views of the college Backs that you simply can’t get from the street. Read my punting in Cambridge guide for what to expect, or grab a riverside seat and watch the punts if you’d rather save the money.

Plan the Rest of Your Cambridge Trip

Still planning? Here’s the rest of my Cambridge guides for what to do, where to eat and stay, punting, tours and what else to see nearby.

Cambridge Itineraries & Things to Do

• The Best Things to Do in Cambridge, England: My Favourite Sights, Food Stops & Local Gems
• Day Trip from London to Cambridge: The Perfect One-Day Itinerary

Where to Eat & Stay

• The Best Restaurants in Cambridge, UK: My Favourite Places to Recommend
• The Best Cafés in Cambridge, UK: My Favourite Places for Coffee & Brunch
• The Best Hotels in Cambridge, UK: Where to Stay in the City Centre

Punting & Tours

• Punting in Cambridge: Everything You Need to Know Before You Go
• The Best Cambridge Tours, UK: Walking, University & Punting Tours I Recommend

More Cambridge Trip Planning

• The Best Day Trips from Cambridge, UK: Easy Trips by Train & Car
• Oxford or Cambridge: Which Is Better to Visit? An Honest Comparison for Tourists
• Is Cambridge Worth Visiting? My Honest Take After Visiting the City