A Day Trip to Cambridge
King’s College
If you are in London, exploring the UK, or just want to cross off some classic British sights, then Cambridge is the perfect option. With it’s cobblestone streets and quaint, college town history, Cambridge makes for an affordable and easy day trip.
Getting to Cambridge from London is convenient and comfortable. From Kings Cross Station, you can take either the 45 minute direct or the 1hr 15min train ride which includes a few stops. Make sure to show up at least 20 minutes before departure to snag a seat and give yourself adequate time to get settled.
Tickets range from £10 GBP ($12 USD) to £20 GBP ($24 USD) round trip depending on how far in advance you plan your trip. Book on Trainline for the best rates and paperless tickets!
Eager to head to our first England destination outside of London, we boarded the train and took our seats near a big window to enjoy the landscapes and occasional flock of sheep as we passed by the UK countryside. A short 45 minutes later and we had arrived!
We highly recommend checking out some of the spots we ventured into, as they made for a fantastic day together:)
Upon arrival, we took in our new surroundings and made our way towards the main strip of the city called Trumpington Street. On the way up, we walked past the Botanical Gardens which are highly rated and likely worth a stop in the summertime. However, with it being January, we carried on into town.
We stopped off to look at the famous Corpus Clock, meandered into the free to visit Pembroke College, and listened to the bells of Great St. Mary’s church. This church can be climbed to the top for £5 GBP ($6 USD).
Having missed breakfast, we were keen to have our first meal of the day. We had been recommended a local spot, Bread & Meat for their hearty and filling sandwiches, and they did not disappoint! This was a very good, inexpensive, and fast meal. The one caveat was the portion size and it may serve better as a cozy dinner spot, as the sandwiches were huge and it gave us a bit of post lunch grogginess. Would we go back though? 100% yes.
After lunch, we wandered up the cobblestone streets, through the neighborhoods, and along the paths in the nearby parks.
No trip to Cambridge would be complete without taking a punting boat tour down the river. Don’t hesitate on the price tag, it is 100% worth the investment and was undoubtedly the highlight of our trip. You have the opportunity to lay back, relax, and take a slow cruise down the River Cam. The route offers access into seeing the beautiful colleges that you wouldn’t be able to see otherwise, due to closure for the public.
We HIGHLY recommend The Cambridge Punt Company.
Our tour guide Joe was absolutely fantastic, with his humor and knowledge about Cambridge, its history, and the surrounding area.
The punting tour costs £15 GBP ($18 USD) per person for a shared tour, or £45 GBP ($55 USD) per person for a private boat. Definitely book in advance! We were able to make a reservation an hour before, but it was January and a bit chilly, so better to be safe than sorry!
Punting boat tour as seen from a bridge
We finished the day by walking back through the Cambridge Market Square and towards the Fitzwilliam Museum, which houses the university’s art and antiquities collection comprised of over half a million artifacts.
We stopped at Hot Numbers Cafe for an espresso prior to heading in. The shop has a nice sit down atmosphere and a good cup of coffee.
The sun was beginning to set and the chill was setting in so we opted for to-go cups and had free hand warmers for the walk to the museum. It is a nice sized art gallery with a great arms & armor collection, which Joe’s a total sucker for. There were a number of intriguing artifacts from Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the Middle East, with the top floor of the museum housing a collection of paintings.
The museum is free entry, (or by donation), and a great way to spend an hour to wrap up the day.
We lucked out with an exceptional sunset on the walk back to the train station. It was arguably the best one we’ve seen since our move to the UK.
We had a short 45 minute trip home to London which wrapped up another great day.
Caroline and Joe :)
Sunset over Cambridge
Next, read about our day trip to Oxford here!
OR
Read about Cambridge vs Oxford: If you only have time to see one here!
