the United Kingdom
Inglaterra · the United Kingdom
The university town on the banks of the River Cam, with the Gothic chapel of King's College, Trinity, St John's and the Bridge of Sighs, the Backs gardens, punt rides and the Fitzwilliam Museum.
In the photo: The Backs and River Cam
Illustrative images. The pictures in this guide are illustrations based on the real place, not photographs, and may differ from it.
Get to know the place
Cambridge is in the county of Cambridgeshire, in the east of England, about 100 km north of London. The university was founded in 1209 by scholars who left Oxford, and it is the second oldest English‑language university in the world. As in Oxford, there is no single campus: there are 31 colleges spread across the city, each with a chapel, dining hall and inner courtyards, here called courts. Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking passed through them.
The historic centre is small and flat, crossed by the River Cam. The chapel of King's College, Gothic, with the largest fan‑vault ceiling in the world, is the city's most recognisable image. Beside it are Trinity College, founded by Henry VIII, and St John's College, with the Bridge of Sighs over the river. Behind those colleges, the Backs are the lawns and gardens that slope down to the riverbank, seen from the boats.
The punt ride, the flat boat pushed with a pole, is the typical activity: the punters tell the history of the colleges while the boat passes under the bridges. The Fitzwilliam Museum, with free admission to its collection, has antiquities and European painting, and the university Botanic Garden is a 15‑minute walk from the centre. The town has a daily market in the central square.
You can see the essentials in one day, but with an overnight stay the town becomes calmer once day‑trippers leave. It's explored on foot or by bicycle, which students use a lot.
This destination brings together 1 city: Cambridge.
One destination, many paths
Start with one city or combine several in your itinerary.
Contornos: Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0; contém dados OS © Crown copyright 2026. Adaptação do Cidade Turismo.
✈ London Stansted Airport (STN), in Stansted Mountfitchet · 45 km to Cambridge
Check before you buy. From London, trains depart from King's Cross and arrive in Cambridge in about 50 minutes; there are also trains from Liverpool Street. Stansted Airport is about 40 minutes away by train. The station is about a 25‑minute walk from the centre, or reachable by bus.
The local experience
The Gothic chapel of King's College, built between 1446 and 1515, with the largest stone fan vault in the world, 16th‑century stained glass windows and Rubens' Adoration of the Magi on the altar.
The largest college in Cambridge, founded by Henry VIII in 1546, with the Great Court, Christopher Wren's Wren Library and the apple tree associated with Isaac Newton at the entrance.
The college founded in 1511 by the mother of Henry VII, with a Tudor gate, a sequence of courts down to the river and the neogothic Ponte dos Suspiros, dating from 1831, over the Cam.
The art and antiquities museum of the Universidade de Cambridge, in a neoclassical building from 1848, with Egyptian, Greek and Roman antiquities and paintings by Titian, Rubens, Monet and Picasso. Admission to the permanent collection is usually free; check in advance.
The lawns and gardens behind the colleges on the banks of the rio Cam, from Queens' to St John's, seen from a punt or on foot, with the Ponte Matemática, the Clare Bridge and the capela do King's in the background.
Before you go
A little planning leaves more time to enjoy the journey.
From May to September the days are long and the punts operate all day; June has college graduation parties, and some colleges close for exams between April and June. July and August see more tourists. In winter it is cold, but the King's College choir sings the famous Christmas service in December.
The seasons shown are the most usual ones; nature doesn't always follow the calendar.
A full day is enough for King's College, Trinity, St John's, a punt ride and the Fitzwilliam. With one night, there is time for the Botanic Garden, Grantchester—the village on the riverbank—and a more relaxed visit to the market.
The historic centre, near the Market Square and the colleges, makes everything walkable. The area near the station has newer hotels and is about a 25‑minute walk or 10 minutes by bus from the centre. Residential neighbourhoods such as Mill Road, to the east, have guesthouses and restaurants from many countries.
Take your trash with you, follow the signs and support local businesses. In natural areas, follow the visiting guidelines.
Get your questions answered
Yes. The train from King's Cross takes about 50 minutes, and one day is enough for the essentials.
A flat-bottomed boat pushed with a pole resting on the riverbed. In Cambridge, punt rides with a punter go along the Backs, behind the colleges.
Many open to visitors at set times, some with an admission fee, and they can close during exam periods and events. Check each college's website.
No. The centre is small, flat and largely restricted to cars. Use the park and ride car parks if you arrive by car; driving is on the left.
Both have historic colleges and rivers with punts. Cambridge is smaller and more focused on the river and the Backs; Oxford has more museums and is a base for exploring the Cotswolds.
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