# Cambridge King's College Chapel, the college gardens from a punt and a walk across the meadows to Grantchester, 48 minutes by train from London. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/england/cambridge · Revisado: 2026-11-12 Cambridge is the other university city a short hop from London, and for many the prettier of the two: smaller, flatter and with the river at its heart. The colleges turn their backs on the Cam and look at it across their gardens, along the stretch they call The Backs, and the way to see it is from below, in a punt. With a train of under an hour from King's Cross, it makes a perfect day trip. ## How do you get there from London? By train from King's Cross. Great Northern runs direct trains taking about 48 minutes, non-stop every half hour during the day from Monday to Saturday. There are also trains from Liverpool Street, which are slower. The station is about 20 minutes' walk from the centre; the U bus takes you closer to the Fitzwilliam. Book ahead if you want a low fare for a specific time. By car it is about 100 km on the M11, between an hour and a half and two hours from central London depending on traffic. In Cambridge the historic centre barely admits cars and parking is expensive: if you drive, use the park-and-ride sites on the outskirts. ## What to see in a day Start on King's Parade and go into King's College Chapel, with its fan vault; buy your ticket online. Then walk along The Backs: from Silver Street bridge, with the view of the Mathematical Bridge, north along Queen's Road. Have lunch at The Eagle, the pub where the discovery of the DNA double helix was announced. In the afternoon, the punt: 45 minutes with a chauffeur along The Backs from Mill Lane or Quayside. If you have energy left, choose between the Fitzwilliam Museum, free, and the Botanic Garden, perfect with children. And if you stay overnight in Cambridge, leave the next morning for the walk across the meadows to Grantchester and its tea under the apple trees. ## When to go Spring is the best time: daffodils on The Backs, green meadows and fewer people than in summer. From mid-May to mid-June, many colleges close to visitors for exams, so check their notices. In July and August the river fills with boats and the city with groups. In winter it gets dark early, but the museums are open and the punts still go out. On Sundays almost everything opens, though later: the Fitzwilliam from 12:00. The Fitzwilliam is closed on Mondays. ## How much does it cost? The Fitzwilliam is free, the Botanic Garden costs £9.50 (free up to age 16) and King's Chapel has a price by time slot, cheaper if bought in advance. A chauffeured punt costs depending on the trip and the day; self-drive, you pay by the hour. A Chelsea bun at Fitzbillies is the cheapest and most typical expense in the city. ## Dónde está - Cerca: London (a 79.5 km), Windsor (a 94.9 km), Oxford (a 107.1 km), Whitstable (a 112.6 km) ## Qué hacer - **King's College and its chapel** (1 h · All ages · Paid; price depends on the slot, cheaper if bought in advance): King's College Chapel is the image of Cambridge: Perpendicular Gothic from the late Middle Ages, an enormous stone fan vault and 16th-century stained glass. With your ticket you visit the chapel and stroll round the front court and the lawn that slopes down to the river, on The Backs. Tickets are bought online by time slot; those bought in advance are discounted, and the reduced rate closes every Sunday night for the following week. The chapel closes to tourists during rehearsals and services. To hear its choir, go to Evensong: it is a religious service, not a visit, and it is wise to check the days on the college website. - **Punting on the River Cam and The Backs** (50 min · All ages): The Backs stretch is England's most famous boat ride: the river passes behind the colleges, under St John's Bridge of Sighs, Queens' Mathematical Bridge and beside the lawns of King's and Trinity. With a punter, they tell you about it while they pole; if you hire, you do the punting yourself. Scudamore's, Cambridge's oldest punt company (since 1910), leaves from Quayside and Mill Lane and operates all year. There are chauffeured trips along The Backs, a quieter one upstream, past Sheep's Green and the Grantchester meadows, and hire by the hour. Prices change with the season and the size of the group: check them on its website when booking. In summer, book. - **Fitzwilliam Museum** (1 h 30 · All ages · Free): The university's great museum, in a columned building on Trumpington Street: Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities, European painting, Chinese ceramics and modern art. It is free and opens Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 17:00, and Sunday from 12:00 to 17:00; on Mondays it is closed. Until 3 May 2027 there is an exhibition on William Morris and the Pre-Raphaelites. From the station it is about a 20-minute walk, or the U bus, which stops outside. Next door you have Fitzbillies for coffee. - **Cambridge University Botanic Garden** (1 h 30 · All ages, pushchair friendly · Adult £9.50 (£8.60 online); up to 16 years free): Sixteen hectares of scientific garden ten minutes' walk from the station, with tropical glasshouses, a rock garden, a lake and enormous trees. It is Cambridge's breather when the centre is full, and with children it works very well: flat paths for pushchairs, ducks and room to run. An adult ticket costs £9.50 (£8.60 standard) and under 17s do not pay; buying online, 10% less. It has a café. It is on the way between the station and the centre. - **Walk across the Cam meadows to Grantchester** (1 h · 4 km · All ages who can walk · Free): From Newnham, south of the centre, a path follows the Cam upstream through the Grantchester Meadows, open meadows with cows, willows and people swimming in summer. In an easy hour you reach the village of Grantchester and The Orchard, a tea room under the apple trees where students and academics have come for scones for over a century. It is flat and impossible to get lost on: with the river on one side, heading south. Return the same way or, in season, by punt with a punter. In winter and after rain, the meadows get muddy: wear footwear you do not mind getting dirty. - **The Backs and the Mathematical Bridge, on foot** (45 min · All ages, pushchair friendly · Free): The Backs is the strip of meadows and gardens that the colleges have behind them, on the banks of the Cam. Without paying an entry fee, the walk along Queen's Road and the public bridges (Silver Street, Garret Hostel Lane) gives the best views of King's chapel and the gardens of Clare and Trinity. Start at Silver Street bridge, from where you can see Queens' wooden Mathematical Bridge, and continue north along Queen's Road to Garret Hostel Lane, which crosses the river between Trinity Hall and Clare. It takes about 45 minutes with stops. First thing in the morning, without boats or groups, is when it is at its best. ## Dónde comer - **The Eagle** (Bar, Cambridge, €€). Qué pedir: a pie or fish and chips, and a pint in the courtyard if the weather is good. - **The Orchard Tea Garden** (Café, Grantchester, €). Qué pedir: the cream tea, with homemade scones, jam and cream, in a deckchair in the orchard. - **Fitzbillies (Trumpington Street)** (Bakery, Cambridge, €). Qué pedir: a Chelsea bun, the spiral roll of cinnamon and syrup, to take away or with a coffee. ## By plane: Fly to London and take the 48-minute train from King's Cross You reach Cambridge by flying to London, which has direct flights from almost all of Spain, and continuing by train. Stansted, the airport of many low-cost airlines, is the closest to Cambridge; from central London, King's Cross is under an hour away. You do not need a car: the centre is explored on foot. ### Dónde dormir if you're flying - **University Arms** (Hotel): The house Cambridge's best-known hotel, opened in 1834 and thoroughly renovated, on the edge of the great meadow of Parker's Piece. It has 189 rooms and suites spread over four floors, with views over the park, Regent Street or the inner courtyard, a library for guests, a restaurant and a bar. In the afternoon it serves tea. The rooms They range from the Cosy, the smallest, to the Classic, the Superior and the suites. Those facing Parker's Piece are the brightest. On its website, Classic rooms start at £229 a night and suites are considerably more; rates vary a lot with graduation and summer dates. Getting there From Cambridge station it is about 15 minutes' walk along Hills Road and Regent Street, or a short taxi ride. To the historic centre, King's Parade, it is ten minutes' walk across Parker's Piece and the market. It is a good base without a car. - **Hotel du Vin Cambridge** (Small hotel): The house A boutique hotel in several listed Victorian houses on Trumpington Street, a stone's throw from the Fitzwilliam and Peterhouse, the oldest college. It has 41 rooms and suites, with exposed brick, restored fireplaces and dark wooden floors, and on the ground floor a French-cuisine bistro with a strong cellar in Burgundy and Bordeaux. The rooms Made-to-measure beds, Egyptian cotton linen and bathrooms with a rain shower or freestanding bath, depending on the room. In old houses, each room is different: if size matters to you, ask when booking. Getting there From the station it is about a 20-minute walk, or the U bus to the Fitzwilliam, which is next door. King's Parade is five minutes away and the Mill Lane landing stage three. If you are driving, ask about parking when booking: central Cambridge has very little. - **The Varsity Hotel & Spa** (Spa hotel): The house A modern brick hotel by the river, at the northern end of the centre, a step from Bridge Street and the Quayside landing stage. What sets it apart is the rooftop: a terrace with views over the roofs and towers of Cambridge, and the brasserie Six, on the sixth floor. Downstairs, on the banks of the Cam, the River Bar Steakhouse. The rooms and the spa Contemporary rooms and suites, many with river or city views. The spa has a gym, sauna, steam room and hot tub, something rare in the centre of a small city. On its website, rates start at £149 a night. Getting there From the station, about 25–30 minutes' walk or a ten-minute taxi ride. The historic centre is a five-minute walk along Bridge Street, passing the Round Church. If you come by car, check the parking page on its website before you arrive. ### Servicios - **Cambridge station (trains from King's Cross)**: Direct Great Northern trains from London King's Cross in about 48 minutes, every half hour; also from Liverpool Street. 20 minutes from the centre. ## Car-free: Train from King's Cross and the rest on foot or by punt Cambridge is a small, flat city of bicycles, with a historic centre almost free of cars. You arrive by train in under an hour from London and everything else is done on foot, by punt on the river or, if you feel like it, by bike. Presupuesto orientativo: 110–200 € por persona y día. ### Dónde dormir without a car - **University Arms** (Hotel): The house Cambridge's best-known hotel, opened in 1834 and thoroughly renovated, on the edge of the great meadow of Parker's Piece. It has 189 rooms and suites spread over four floors, with views over the park, Regent Street or the inner courtyard, a library for guests, a restaurant and a bar. In the afternoon it serves tea. The rooms They range from the Cosy, the smallest, to the Classic, the Superior and the suites. Those facing Parker's Piece are the brightest. On its website, Classic rooms start at £229 a night and suites are considerably more; rates vary a lot with graduation and summer dates. Getting there From Cambridge station it is about 15 minutes' walk along Hills Road and Regent Street, or a short taxi ride. To the historic centre, King's Parade, it is ten minutes' walk across Parker's Piece and the market. It is a good base without a car. - **Hotel du Vin Cambridge** (Small hotel): The house A boutique hotel in several listed Victorian houses on Trumpington Street, a stone's throw from the Fitzwilliam and Peterhouse, the oldest college. It has 41 rooms and suites, with exposed brick, restored fireplaces and dark wooden floors, and on the ground floor a French-cuisine bistro with a strong cellar in Burgundy and Bordeaux. The rooms Made-to-measure beds, Egyptian cotton linen and bathrooms with a rain shower or freestanding bath, depending on the room. In old houses, each room is different: if size matters to you, ask when booking. Getting there From the station it is about a 20-minute walk, or the U bus to the Fitzwilliam, which is next door. King's Parade is five minutes away and the Mill Lane landing stage three. If you are driving, ask about parking when booking: central Cambridge has very little. - **The Varsity Hotel & Spa** (Spa hotel): The house A modern brick hotel by the river, at the northern end of the centre, a step from Bridge Street and the Quayside landing stage. What sets it apart is the rooftop: a terrace with views over the roofs and towers of Cambridge, and the brasserie Six, on the sixth floor. Downstairs, on the banks of the Cam, the River Bar Steakhouse. The rooms and the spa Contemporary rooms and suites, many with river or city views. The spa has a gym, sauna, steam room and hot tub, something rare in the centre of a small city. On its website, rates start at £149 a night. Getting there From the station, about 25–30 minutes' walk or a ten-minute taxi ride. The historic centre is a five-minute walk along Bridge Street, passing the Round Church. If you come by car, check the parking page on its website before you arrive. ### Servicios - **Cambridge station (trains from King's Cross)**: Direct Great Northern trains from London King's Cross in about 48 minutes, every half hour; also from Liverpool Street. 20 minutes from the centre. ## As a family: A punt, a botanic garden and sticky buns Cambridge is easier with children than Oxford: flatter, greener and with the river in the centre. The punt is what they remember most; the botanic garden and the Grantchester meadows are what let them run. The museums are free and need no booking. ### What works best Punting on The Backs, with a punter if they are small Botanic Garden, free for under 17s Walk to Grantchester, with scones at the end Fitzwilliam Museum, an hour, free ### Where to sleep University Arms, facing Parker's Piece park ### Where to eat Fitzbillies, with a children's menu The Orchard, in the open air The Eagle, with a terrace ### Good to know In King's chapel, silence is requested The walk to Grantchester gets muddy in winter In summer, book the punt in advance ### Qué hacer as a family - King's College and its chapel - Punting on the River Cam and The Backs - Fitzwilliam Museum - Cambridge University Botanic Garden - Walk across the Cam meadows to Grantchester - The Backs and the Mathematical Bridge, on foot ## Consejos ### Choose your landing stage carefully Mill Lane is near Trumpington Street and the Fitzwilliam; Quayside, near the north of the centre and Bridge Street. ### Go to The Backs early At nine, with no boats or groups, the river is still. ### Check exam closures Between May and June many colleges do not let visitors in. ### Book the return train The Sunday afternoon return is the fullest. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### Can you see Cambridge in a day from London? Yes. With the direct train from King's Cross you are there in about 48 minutes; in a day you see King's, The Backs, the punt and a museum. ### Which is better, Oxford or Cambridge? Oxford has more colleges to visit and more of a city feel; Cambridge has the river in the centre and more greenery. If you can only go to one and you want a boat, Cambridge. ### Do you need to book the punt? In summer and at weekends, yes. The rest of the year there is usually room, but booking secures your time. ### Can you go into the colleges? Some, with their own admission and opening hours; King's is the most visited for its chapel. Many close during exams. ### Where is Grantchester? A village about 4 km upriver, an hour's walk across the meadows, with the famous tea room The Orchard.