Cambridge great ideas

Boats lined up on River Cam, Cambridge

What to do indoors

Wren Library
The Wren Library was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Today it contains the manuscripts and printed books which were in the college library by 1820, together with various special collections given to the college during the last 180 years.

Kings College Chapel
Founded by Henry VI in 1441, the Chapel includes the breathtaking fan-vault ceiling, magnificent stained-glassed windows, beautiful carved-oak organ screen presented to the college by Henry VIII and Ruben's masterpiece, The Adoration of the Magi.

Great St. Mary's Church
Located in the centre of the city, the church is open every day of the week for students, local people, tourists – and anyone who wants to look around.

St Botolph's Church
St Botolph's is the parish church of an ancient parish, which extends from the centre of Cambridge to the suburb of Newnham. All visitors to our church are most welcome – it is open every day.

St Edward's Church
There was almost certainly a Saxon church on this site, though the present church dates back to the thirteenth century. The church was rebuilt around 1400, and the lofty chancel arch and the tall pointed arches in the nave date from this period.

What to do outdoors

Cambridge University Botanic Gardens
Set within a fine framework of mature trees, the Cambridge University Botanic Garden holds a treasure trove of some 80,000 plant species.

King’s College
Founded in 1441 by Henry VI, King's College was one of the first colleges to admit women and pioneered admissions for students from non-traditional backgrounds.

St Johns College
St John's College was founded in 1511 by Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII. The second largest of the constituent Colleges of the University of Cambridge, it has about 135 Fellows, 530 undergraduates and 300 graduate students.

Trinity College
Founded by Henry VIII in 1546 as part of the University of Cambridge, Trinity College welcomes all visitors.

Guided Walking Tours
Official Tours of Cambridge organised by Cambridge City Council.

Cambridge Chauffeur Punts 
Customers can choose from taking a tour with a chauffeur guide or punting themselves. The punts operate on upper river, towards Granchester and along the middle river which passes the famous college Backs.

City Cycle Hire
Cambridge is a very cycle friendly place with many cycle-ways connecting all parts of the city. In addition, many recreational and commuter routes have recently been created, as part of the National Cycle Network.

What to do in the daytime

Museums and Galleries

Fitzwilliam Museum
The museum contains fascinating Egyptian, Greek, Roman and other antiquities, an internationally-renowned collection of European paintings, drawings and prints some fine furniture and sculpture, coins and medals and manuscripts and printed books.

Whipple Museum of the History of Science
The Whipple Museum's collection includes scientific instruments, apparatus, models, pictures, prints, photographs, books and other material related to the history of science.

Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
A hidden treasure, the Sedgwick Museum is packed with rocks and fossils with more than 1 million in its collection.

Kettle’s Yard House and Gallery
Kettle's Yard is a house with a major collection of 20th century paintings and sculpture shown in a unique domestic setting and a gallery with a changing programme of exhibitions.

University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Primarily a university institution devoted to teaching and research, the museum's public display galleries contain much to interest non-specialist visitors.

University Museum of Zoology
Spectacular displays of internationally important specimens - including fossils, mammal skeletons, birds, dinosaurs, beautiful shells and a huge whale.

Museum of Classical Archaeology
The Museum of Classical Archaeology is one of the few surviving collections of casts of Greek & Roman sculpture in the world.

Scott Polar Research Institute
The Institute is a well-known and long-established centre for research into both polar regions and part of the University of Cambridge.

Cambridge and County Folk Museum
A part timber-framed 17thC inn, retaining many original fittings, established as a museum of Cambridgeshire life in 1936.

Cambridge Museum of Technology
A preserved Victorian pumping station housing unique Hawthorn Davey steam pumping engines, electrical equipment, a working letterpress print shop and other items from the industrial past.

Eating and Drinking

Fitzbillies
Established in 1922 by the Mason brothers, Fitzbillies soon became Cambridge's most popular bakery.

Browns Restaurant and Bar
Over the last three decades Browns has won a place in the hearts of the British public to become ‘an institution’ on a par with the ‘Bodleian’ in the words of the Good Food Guide.

The Eagle
Enjoy a beer in the outdoor courtyard or a delicious Sunday roast.

The Pickerel
Good food and a great choice of beer.

The Granta
A popular Cambridge pub overlooking the millpond, with punts for hire alongside.

Midsummer House
A popular Cambridge pub overlooking the millpond, with punts for hire alongside.

Three Horse Shoes

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