Destination guides > Europe > England > East Anglia > Cambridgeshire > Cambridge
Cambridge
This historic city shares many similarities with Oxford but it enjoys a much less hurried pace and attracts fewer tourists than its larger rival. Cambridge is also a thriving base for an increasing number of high-tech businesses although its famous university still dominates the city. The 31 colleges of Cambridge University – England's second-oldest – have educated many notable figures including Charles Darwin, Sir Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking, not to mention John Cleese and Eric Idle.
Practical information
Tourist Information Centre
Wheeler Street, Cambridge
Tel 0906 586 2526 (20p per minute)
Website www.visitcambridge.org
Open Mon-Fri 10am-5.30pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 11am-4pm
Coming & going
AIR
Cambridge is close to Stansted Airport, which has flights to most European destinations including a large choice of destinations served by budget airline, Ryanair.
CrossCountry and National Express East Anglia run trains between Cambridge and Stansted Airport. The airport is also served by frequent National Express bus services.
BUS & COACH
National Express has buses to Cambridge from Birmingham, London, Milton Keynes, Oxford and Stansted Airport. Buses arrive and depart at the coach stop on Drummer Street.
Megabus services to Oxford depart from bay 16 on Parkskide.
TRAIN
Cambridge has good rail connections to London, Stansted Airport and the East Anglia region including Ely, Kings Lynn and Norwich. CrossCountry stop in Cambridge en route between Birmingham and Stansted Airport; First Capital Connect have direct trains to Ely, King's Lynn and London Kings Cross and National Express East Anglia have trains to Ely, Norwich, London Liverpool Street, Peterborough and Stansted Airport.
The train station is south of the city centre, accessible by buses 1, 3 and 7.
Local transport
Stagecoach operate a comprehensive network of seven bus routes in the Cambridge area with buses running every 10 to 20 minutes. An all day pass costs £3.30.
Hostel accommodation
Cambridge YHA
97 Tenison Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB1 2DN
Bus 1, 3, 7
Sightseeing, museums & tourist attractions
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY
More than 60 Nobel Prize winners have graduated from Cambridge University, which is England’s second oldest. The university is divided into 31 colleges, the most prestigious being King’s and Trinity Colleges.
King's College
Henry VI founded King’s College in 1441 to provide higher education to Eton students. Although it was restricted to former Eton students until 1861, King’s College is now Cambridge’s most liberal college, however its outward appearance is one of the most traditional. Its highlight is the impressive King’s College Chapel, a Gothic masterpiece that is Cambridge’s largest college chapel.
King's Parade, Cambridge
Bus 1, 2, 5, 6
Tel (01223) 331 100
Website www.kings.cam.ac.uk
Admission £5
Open during term time Mon-Fri 9.30am-3.30pm, Sat 9.30am-3.15pm, Sun 1.15pm-2.15pm & 5pm-5.30pm; out of term Mon-Sat 9.30am-4.30pm, Sun 10am-5pm
Trinity College
Henry VIII founded Trinity College in 1546 by combining two earlier buildings dating from 1317 and 1324, however most of the college’s buildings date from the 16th and 17th centuries. Trinity College is the largest of Cambridge’s colleges and is noted for its large courts and the library designed by Christopher Wren. Trinity has educated six British prime ministers and 31 Nobel Prize winners. Famous former students include Francis Bacon, Earl Grey, Sir Isaac Newton and Ernest Rutherford.
Trinity Street, Cambridge
Bus 1, 2, 5, 6
Tel (01223) 338 400
Website www.trin.cam.ac.uk
Admission 1 Jan-6 Mar free; 7 Mar-10 Jun £2.50; 19-23 Jun £2.50; 25 Jun-30 Sep £2.50; 6-24 Oct £2.50; 25 Oct-24 Dec free; 26-31 Dec free
Open 1 Jan-10 Jun 10am-5pm daily; 19-23 Jun 10am-5pm daily; 25 Jun-30 Sep 10am-5pm daily; 6 Oct-24 Dec 10am-5pm daily; 26-31 Dec 10am-5pm daily
OTHER ATTRACTIONS
Imperial War Museum at Duxford
The Duxford branch of the Imperial War Museum houses a huge collection of 180 aircraft ranging from World War I biplanes to the Concord. It is in Duxford, 15km south of Cambridge.
A505, Duxford
Bus 7
Tel (01223) 835 000
Website http://duxford.iwm.org.uk
Admission £16 (£12.80 students)
Open 1 Jan-12 Mar 10am-3.15pm daily; 13 Mar-30 Oct 10am-5.15pm daily; 31 Oct-31 Dec 10am-3.15pm daily
Fitzwilliam Museum
Cambridge University’s art museum has been described as Europe’s finest small museum. The neoclassical building houses a collection that encompasses Egyptian, Greek and east Asian antiquities as well an art collection that includes works by the French Impressionists.
Trumpington Street, Cambridge
Bus 4
Tel (01223) 322 900
Website www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk
Admission free
Open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm
Kettle's Yard
This small museum displays contemporary art through a programme of temporary exhibits.
Castle Street, Cambridge
Bus 1, 2, 5, 6
Tel (01223) 352 124
Website www.kettlesyard.co.uk
Admission free
Open Jan-mid Apr Tue-Sun 2pm-4pm; mid Apr-mid Sep Tue-Sun 1.30pm-4.30pm; mid Sep-Dec Tue-Sun 2pm-4pm
Museum of Classical Archaeology
This museum is home to the world’s finest collection of plaster casts of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. This museum is temporarily closed for renovation and will reopen in the Spring of 2010.
Sidgwick Avenue, Cambridge
Bus 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
Tel (01223) 335 153
Website www.classics.cam.ac.uk/museum/
Scott Polar Research Institute
The museum run by the Scott Polar Research Institute displays artefacts relating to polar exploration. This museum is temporarily closed for renovation and will reopen in the Spring of 2010.
Lensfield Road, Cambridge
Bus 1, 4, 7
Tel (01223) 336 540
Website www.spri.cam.ac.uk
Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
This museum has a large collection of rocks and fossils from around the world. Exhibits include dinosaurs and other prehistoric wildlife plus specimens collected by Charles Darwin's 1831 voyage on the Beagle.
Downing Street, Cambridge
Bus 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7
Tel (01223) 333 456
Website www.sedgwickmuseum.org
Admission free
Open Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 2pm-5pm, Sat 10am-1pm
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