The DNA pub
The Eagle
What to order: a pie or fish and chips, and a pint in the courtyard if the weather is good.
Open every day; on Sundays food is served from 12:00 to 21:00 · book online
geocalia
Day itinerary · 52.21° N · 0.12° E
Cambridge in a day from London, King's Chapel and the river from a boat.
48 minutes by train from King's Cross: King's Chapel, the college gardens on foot and by punt, lunch at the pub where DNA was announced and a free museum.
Leaving from
Direct flight to Londres fromSantander 2 hBarcelona 2 h 15Girona 2 h 15Santiago de Compostela 2 h 15Zaragoza 2 h 15Madrid 2 h 30Palma de Mallorca 2 h 30Valencia 2 h 30Alicante 2 h 45Murcia 2 h 45
Part of Cambridge
Add to my trip
Total time10 h
By car1 h 45 each way
Train48 min from King's Cross
King's CollegeTimed ticket
Punt45–60 min
MuseumFree
DifficultyEasy and flat
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave London 45 min by train
direct train from King's Cross · from the station, 20 min on foot or the U bus
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1
King's College and its chapel
timed ticket bought online · 1h
- 5 min on foot
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2
The Backs and the Mathematical Bridge, on foot
from Silver Street to Garret Hostel Lane · free
- 5 min on foot
- 3
- 6 min on foot
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4
Punting on the River Cam and The Backs
chauffeured from Mill Lane or Quayside · book in summer
- 6 min on foot
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5
Fitzwilliam Museum
free · opens at 12:00 on Sundays · closed Mondays
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Back home 45 min by train
direct train to King's Cross · you arrive around 18:30
Approximate cost
About €20–35 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
King's College and its chapel
Cambridge is 48 minutes by train from King's Cross and is a small, flat city, so it makes a full day without rushing. This plan follows the order that works best: King's Chapel in the morning, when it is least crowded; the college gardens on foot; a historic pub for lunch; the river by punt in the afternoon and, if there is time, a free museum before the train.
The day, hour by hour
8:45 · Train from King's Cross. Direct Great Northern services take about 48 minutes. Cambridge station is a 20-minute walk from the centre; the U bus gets you closer.
10:00 · King's College Chapel. The stone fan vaulting and the stained glass, and the college lawn running down to the river. Buy a timed ticket: it is cheaper in advance.
11:15 · The Backs on foot. From Silver Street bridge, with the Mathematical Bridge at Queens', north along Queen's Road to Garret Hostel Lane. Free, and with the best views of the colleges from outside.
12:30 · Lunch at The Eagle. The seventeenth-century pub where Crick and Watson announced the DNA double helix in 1953, two minutes from King's. Pub food all afternoon; book at weekends.
14:00 · Punting along The Backs. With a chauffeur, about 45 minutes from Mill Lane or Quayside, passing behind the colleges and under their bridges. In summer and at weekends, book.
15:30 · Fitzwilliam Museum. Antiquities, painting and ceramics, free, on Trumpington Street. Open Tuesday to Sunday; on Sundays, from 12:00. Next door, Fitzbillies for a Chelsea bun.
17:30 · Back. To the station on foot or by U bus. At King's Cross around 18:30.
With children or in good weather
With small children, swap the museum for the Botanic Garden: free for under-17s, with room to run around and on the way to the station. In good weather and if you feel like walking, replace the museum with a walk across the meadows to Grantchester, a flat hour, and tea at The Orchard.
Time1 h
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
The Orchard Tea Garden
What to order: the cream tea, with homemade scones, jam and cream, in a deckchair in the orchard.
No booking for coffee, light lunches or cream tea · may close earlier in bad weather
Takeaway and markets
Fitzbillies (Trumpington Street), Cambridge
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Cambridge
All year; best from April to June and in September. From mid-May to mid-June some colleges close for exams. The Fitzwilliam closes on Mondays.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Buy King's for the first slot
At ten o'clock the chapel is quiet.
- 2Book the punt in summer
On fine weekends the time slots sell out.
- 3On Mondays, a different afternoon plan
The Fitzwilliam is closed: do the Botanic Garden or Grantchester.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get from London to Cambridge?
About 48 minutes on a direct train from King's Cross; by car, an hour and a half or more.
Do you need to book the punt?
In summer and at weekends it is advisable; the rest of the year there is usually room.
Is everything open on Sunday?
Yes, but the Fitzwilliam opens at 12:00; King's has its time slots on its website.
Oxford or Cambridge for a day?
Cambridge if you want river and greenery; Oxford if you want more colleges and museums.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/england/cambridge/itineraries/kings-the-backs-and-punting
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.