The Perfect Day Trip to Cambridge

Cambridge has been on my bucket list for a long time so when the opportunity arose to spend the weekend in Cambridge, I was really excited.

It’s a university town, home to the University of Cambridge, a world-famous institution. Cambridge University was founded in 1209 when a group of disgruntled Scholars broke off from Oxford University to form their own institution.

These two traditional universities have a lot in common so as a former Oxford student, the town felt somehow very familiar and very new all at the same time. They’ve both got beautiful colleges, narrow passageways, cute coffee shops and more.

Cambridge is a very small town, which makes it the perfect place to visit as a day trip from London. Keep reading for the perfect Cambridge day trip itinerary!

Disclosure
This post is sponsored by National Express, who kindly provided return coach tickets to Cambridge. I paid for all the activities mentioned in this post and, as always, all opinions are my own.

How to Get to Cambridge

A day trip to Cambridge from London couldn’t be easier. Cambridge is between an hour and a half and two hours from London. The cheapest way to travel is by coach, which depart regularly from Victoria Coach Station in London.

London to Cambridge Coach

National Express coaches travel to Cambridge every day at regular intervals so you’ve got plenty of travel options. The earliest coach is at around 6am with the latest return from Cambridge departing at around 11pm so you can choose to spend as long or as short a time in Cambridge as you like.

To make the most of your Cambridge day trip, I’d recommend taking the 8:30am coach, which arrives in Cambridge at 10:35am. You’ll want to book your tickets to Cambridge Parkside (City Centre).

The London to Cambridge coach via National Express is usually the cheapest method of getting to Cambridge. If you’re booking in advance. Tickets can be as low as £5 per journey!

The coach is comfortable with leather seats, air conditioning and plug sockets in front of every seat. What more could you want? There’s even some entertainment onboard via VUER, which offers films, television programmes and magazines for free via their wifi.

Brunch at the Old Bicycle Shop

There are plenty of wonderful coffee shops and brunch locations in Cambridge but in the end, I chose the Old Bicycle Shop. It’s a quaint restaurant with a rustic and homely feel. Think wood structures, exposed brick, fairy lights and more.

The decor is lovely and, if you can, I’d try to get a table in the courtyard area, which is outside the main restaurant. It’s covered over and there are heaters and blankets but it’s just that little bit extra cosy in here.

I stopped by for brunch as soon as I got off the coach – I was ravenous! At weekends you can choose from the brunch, which has all the classics you’d expect – with a twist.

Sure, you’d expect to see pancakes on a brunch menu. But how about sweet potato pancakes with dried apricot, coconut yoghurt, oat crumble and banana powder?

You’d also expect a full English to be on the cards, but their version is a smoked bratwurst & red onion hash with roast tomatoes, field mushrooms and a fried egg. I opted for this and it was delicious. It was honestly one of the best brunch dishes I’ve ever had and it was super filling, which is important ahead of a full day of exploring!

With large sharing tables as well as intimate booths, this is the perfect place for a large group of friends or a date. It’s also vegan and veggie-friendly so it caters for all.

Address: 104 Regent Street, Cambridge, CB2 1DP
Opening Hours: 9.30am – 11.00pm Monday to Sunday
Website: www.oldbicycleshop.com

Visit Kings College Chapel

Kings College is the most famous of all the Cambridge colleges and the silhouette of its chapel is the very symbol of the town. If you’ve got just one day in Cambridge then make sure King’s College is on the list.

You’ll need to purchase tickets from King’s College visitor centre across the road from the college’s entrance. There’s usually a queue but it moves quite quickly.

Tickets are quite pricey at £9 for adults and £6 for children and students so it’s definitely worth factoring in college entrance fees into your budget. Whilst some are free, the bigger ones are much more expensive so you may need to pick and choose which of the grand colleges you want to visit.

You’ll enter King’s College into a magnificent quad with different styles of architecture. On the right there’s the exterior of King’s College chapel, straight ahead there’s the Gibb’s building dating back to the 18th century. As you walk around towards the chapel’s entrance you can look back and admire the beautiful gate too.

The chapel was built over hundreds of years and features the world’s largest fan vault ceiling. You’ll find yourself craning your neck to take it all in as you walk through the heavy wooden doors. Enormous, tall and beautiful stained glass windows line the chapel and in the centre, there’s a giant organ.

In smaller side rooms there’s some information on the history of the chapel including how and when it was built. The chapel was finished off by the infamous Henry VIII and started by his forefathers. There’s plenty to read!

Visitors are also allowed to wander in the grounds down to the river. As you walk along the river you can watch punters float on by, which should whet your appetite for your afternoon punting trip!

Address: King’s College, King’s Parade, Cambridge, CB2 1ST
Opening Hours: 9:30am – 3:30pm
Price: £6-9

Admire the Bridge of Sighs

The Bridge of Sighs in Cambridge was copied from the bridge of the same name in Oxford, which in turn was a copy of the Bridge of Sighs in Venice. It crosses the River Cam and connects two buildings of St John’s College so you’ll have to pay to enter the college in order to see it.

It was built in 1831 and is one of the most beautiful features of Cambridge. You’ll no doubt see plenty of punts drifting by underneath it as you stare and take your photos.

The bridge is around halfway through the visitor’s path at St John’s and there are plenty of other spectacular buildings to see too. There are cloisters, ivy-covered walls, the oldest building in Cambridge and more.

What’s more, the porters (the men in uniform and hats at the doors) are incredibly friendly, a rarity for very large and touristy colleges. Want to read more about what I mean? Check out this post I wrote about being mistaken for a Chinese tourist at Oxford University.

NB. If you think that don’t have time for all the items on this list or you don’t want to pay to enter another Cambridge college, then skip straight to the next item on the itinerary: punting down the River Cam. This tour will include this beautiful bridge but, of course, you’ll be viewing it from down below!

Address: St John’s College, St John’s Street, Cambridge, CB2 1TP

Punt Down the River Cam

The River Cam is one of Cambridge’s best features and you simply must book a punting tour of the city when you visit.

But what is punting?

Punts are long, wooden pleasure boats with flat bottoms, which are propelled forward by pushing against the river bed with a pole. Generally, the punter stands on the back of the punt and uses this enormous pole to both steer the boat and push it forward.

Punting is an incredibly fun summer activity, but I’d recommend booking a tour with one of Cambridge’s punting services on your first visit so you can just sit back and enjoy the view.

Each tour lasts for 45 minutes is a great way to get a feel for the city if you’re on a day trip to Cambridge. You’ll go past seven different colleges and other important Cambridge sights including the back of Kings Collge, the Bridge of Sighs and the Mathematical Bridge.

Punting in Cambridge is very popular and it is thought that the River Cam has the most punts operating on it compared to all other UK rivers. There are certainly more punts on the River Cam than any other vessel. So what I’m saying is… If you’re going to try punting anywhere, it’s got to be in Cambridge!

Whilst punting is the most fun in the summer, I’d recommend punting in Cambridge all year round. The boats come with cushions, blankets and umbrellas so even when the weather is acting up, you can enjoy your tour.

NB. If you book online, you can get tickets for around 50% of what they would be on the day so I would recommend booking in advance. There are a number of different punting companies in Cambridge to choose from, one being:

Book: https://www.letsgopunting.co.uk/cambridge-punting-tours/shared-tour-tickets/
Price: ~£14 (concessions available)
Address: La Mimosa Landing Stage, CB5 8AG

Indulge in a Chelsea Bun from Fitzbillies

By this point in the afternoon, you may be feeling a little peckish. Head to Fitzbillies for a pick-me-up and sweet treat in the form of their infamous Chelsea buns.

The original shop on Trumpington Street opened way back in 1920 and proved to be so popular that people would queue outside in order to get their hands on these Chelsea buns.

A Chelsea Bun is a current bun made in a soft of square swirl. It’s incredibly sweet and syrupy but it’s also soft and doughy. You’ll have to try one for yourself to find out just how great they are!

NB. A second Fitzbillies opened on Bridge Street in 2016 if you fancy popping into that one instead. However, the Trumpington Street location has a beautiful Art Nouveau facade, in the style of the original bakery that stood here a century ago.

Address: 51-52 Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RG

Explore the Fitzwilliam Museum

The Fitzwilliam Museum is a beautiful building both inside and out and a must-visit on a day trip to Cambridge.

I was surprised by how extensive the collection is here and the breadth of material it covers. Whether you’re interested in ancient Egypt, Rembrandt’s paintings, fine China or shiny armour, there really is something for everyone.

I spent a number of hours here and I still didn’t manage to see everything so you may need to pick and choose which collections to focus on.

Personally, I’d recommend starting on the bottom floor with ancient Rome and ancient Egypt. Then you can head upstairs, via the gorgeous marble stairway, to the art collections.

And the best part? It’s completely free!

Address: Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 1RB
Website: www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk

Dinner at The Pint Shop

The Pint Shop makes it onto this list for one main reason – this grade II listed building was once home to EM Forster, and for a literary traveller, that’s too cool an opportunity to pass up.

The Pint Shop has an extensive range of beers on offer, with traditional British dishes making up the menu. Think steak and chips, pie, kebabs. It’s comfort food and the perfect accompaniment for beer.

It’s fairly meat-heavy but they’ve also got some veggie and vegan-friendly dishes too with beyond meat burgers and plenty of vegetable small plates.

I’d recommend booking in advance if you’re going at the weekend as it can get very busy.

Address: 10 Peas Hill, Cambridge, CB2 3PN
Website: pintshop.co.uk/locations/cambridge/

Grab a Pint at The Eagle

There are many English pubs to visit in Cambridge, but one firm favourite seems to be The Eagle. It’s definitely the Cambridge pub with the coolest back story in any case!

This is the pub where Francis Crick ran in to announce that he and James Watson had discovered the structure of DNA. There’s a blue plaque on the wall outside to commemorate the occasion and two inside too where Watson and Crick used to lunch.

Aside from that, it’s also one of the oldest pubs in Cambridge and dates back to the 14th century. You’ll also find the wall and ceiling at the back of the pub covered in graffiti from WWII RAF men. You’d be hard-pressed to find a pub in Cambridge with more history.

Address: 8 Bene’t St, Cambridge, CB2 3QN
Website: greeneking-pubs.co.uk/pubs/cambridgeshire/eagle/

It’s probably quite late in the evening by this point so it’s time to hop back on the National Express coach and make your way back to London! I’d recommend taking the 9:30pm coach so you can enjoy a leisurely dinner and visit a pub or two.

Want to extend your day trip to a weekend in Cambridge? Stay at the University Arms! A beautiful literary hotel in the heart of Cambridge. Full review of The University Arms here.

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