Cambridge travel guide

Cambridge, Canada

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Cambridge

Introduction

Cambridge sits in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers in the central part of the Ontario Peninsula. It is one of the three core cities of the region, alongside Kitchener and Waterloo.

Before you go

Cambridge packs a historic city, a world-renowned university and a modern centre of technology and science into a compact area, so most of the main attractions sit within easy walking distance of one another. The university was founded in 1209 by scholars who left Oxford after a dispute with the townsfolk, and its alumni range from Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin to Stephen Hawking, John Milton and Lord Byron. The city was spared the wartime bombing that devastated many other British cities, which helps explain why it remains one of the best-preserved medieval cities in the UK. It also makes a useful base for exploring the surrounding heritage towns and monuments, such as Ely and Peterborough, and some of the gentlest, flattest countryside in England.

Bear a few practical points in mind before you arrive. Cambridge is one of the safer UK cities, but use your common sense at night and take care in badly lit areas outside the centre; pickpockets work the crowds on King's Parade and in the nearby shops, and Regent Street and St Andrew's Street can see anti-social behaviour after midnight when pub and club crowds spill out. Bicycle theft is an ongoing problem, so if you hire or bring a bike, lock it to a solid object with a strong lock, preferably a D-lock; secure covered cycle parking with CCTV is available at the Park Street car park and the Grand Arcade cycle park. The police station is on Parkside, and the Accident and Emergency department is at Addenbrooke's Hospital on Hills Road, south of the city centre.

Getting there

Cambridge sits roughly 50 miles north of London, with two railway routes linking it to the capital and additional services to towns and cities across the East of England and the Midlands. Several major roads, including the M11 motorway, connect the city with other UK destinations. If you're arriving by air, London Stansted is the closest airport, about 30 miles away, with flights from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa as well as domestic routes. From Stansted you can reach Cambridge by train in roughly 35 minutes, or by National Express coach; a car rental village at the airport lets drivers hire from several companies. Other airports with links to the city include London City, Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton, plus Norwich International, which is further away by road.

Three railway stations serve the city, all on the National Rail network: Cambridge, about a mile and a quarter south of the centre and connected by several bus routes, e-scooters and e-bikes; Cambridge North, near the Science Park and linked by The Busway; and Cambridge South, between the Biomedical Campus and Trumpington. Direct trains run from several London stations, including King's Cross, where the non-stop "Cambridge Cruiser" takes between 40 and 45 minutes, as well as Farringdon, Finsbury Park, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, St Pancras International and Tottenham Hale. Direct services also reach Cambridge from Gatwick and Stansted airports and from destinations further afield such as Birmingham New Street, Brighton, Ely, Ipswich, King's Lynn, Leicester, Norwich, Peterborough and Stevenage. Drivers can use the M11 and other major routes, with signed junctions for the Park and Ride sites and the city centre; five Park and Ride sites on the outskirts offer free parking with buses into the centre. Cycling is another option, with signposted routes from surrounding towns including National Cycle Network Route 11 and Route 51, and bikes can be hired in the city.

Getting around

Cambridge is a compact city where walking will get you to most of the sights, and much of the centre is traffic-free. Watch out for pavements that are shared between pedestrians and cyclists, as this can catch you unawares. Cycling is a popular way to get around among students and locals, and hiring a bike is a viable alternative to walking; you can rent from City Cycle Hire off Fen Causeway in Newnham, west of the city, or from Primo Cycles in the Grand Arcade on Corn Exchange Street. Voi e-bikes are also available through a mobile app within designated zones. Cycling on pavements is not permitted unless marked otherwise, and bike theft is a significant problem, so lock your bike securely.

If you'd rather ride, a hop-on, hop-off open-top sightseeing bus offers commentary in several languages and passes the railway station, the American Cemetery and many of the historic colleges; because the centre is pedestrianised, it can approach the more central colleges only on Sundays. Local buses are clean and efficient but there is little need for them unless you're staying in a far-flung part of the city. Stagecoach is the dominant operator, with Whippet also running services within the city; contactless payment is available on most buses, and a multi-operator day ticket can be bought on the buses of any participating operator. Buses are in principle frequent except on Sundays and public holidays, but staffing and shift changes mean they may fail to appear whatever the timetable or live signs say; the Stagecoach app's live GPS map is a more reliable check for time-sensitive trips. Drivers are discouraged from bringing cars into the centre: parking charges are high, and bus gates and lanes monitored by cameras issue fines to unauthorised vehicles. Uber ride-hailing is available, and there are many taxi companies in the city.

Where to stay

Cambridge has plenty of places to stay, though budget travellers will find the choice more limited. Beyond the usual guesthouses and hotels, you can book a room in one of the colleges; these are often old rooms with original features and make a memorable base for exploring the city. Outside term time they are frequently rooms that students have vacated for the holidays. Contact colleges directly, or book through UniversityRooms.

Food & drink

You can eat well across the price range in Cambridge. For a cheap, flexible lunch, head to the daily market next to Great St Mary's Church, where a cluster of food stalls sells reasonably priced fare with plenty of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free choices. Indoors, Michaelhouse Cafe inside St. Michael's Church serves sandwiches, salads, soups and hot dishes with vegetarian options always available, while Tatties is a busy cafe popular with students at lunchtime for jacket potatoes and sandwiches. Savinos is an authentic Italian coffee bar, and you'll find further casual options along Mill Road and around Burleigh Street.

For something more substantial, Fitzbillies is a Cambridge institution for refined lunches and afternoon tea and pastries, and its adjacent shop sells the Chelsea Bun; a smaller branch on Bridge Street is often less busy. The Cambridge Chop House offers British cooking and well-kept real ale, De Luca Cucina & Bar is an Italian-British fusion restaurant, and the Little Rose serves gastro-pub style food. Thai choices include Sala Thong and Luk Thai at the Cricketers, Thanh Binh serves very good Vietnamese food and lets you bring your own wine, and Tipsy Vegan is a vegan bar-restaurant with an outdoor area. Many pubs also serve good food at reasonable prices, among them The Eagle, the Cambridge Blue, the Kingston Arms, the Portland Arms and The Mitre. At the top end, Restaurant 22 serves seasonal food from a monthly changing menu in a converted Victorian house, and Midsummer House is the city's finest restaurant. For drinks, Cambridge has a huge number of pubs; The Castle Inn is one of the busiest traditional pubs and its Castle Burger is a popular choice, the Champion of the Thames keeps a blazing fireplace in winter and sells a local cider, and The Maypole is a smart independent pub with a heated outdoor area and a late licence.

What to see and do

Cambridge is defined by its colleges, and a good selection of them are open to visitors. King's College and its chapel are the most visited attraction, the chapel's architecture towering above the town and its choir known around the world. Queens' College stretches across both sides of the Cam, linked by the Mathematical Bridge, and its medieval Old Hall is worth a look. Trinity College has a large courtyard and a library designed by Sir Christopher Wren, its interior holding medieval bibles, items from Isaac Newton's possession and manuscripts by Wittgenstein and A.A. Milne. St John's College has several large courtyards and the Bridge of Sighs, while Peterhouse, the oldest college, has two large gardens you can walk all over. Corpus Christi's Old Court is the oldest courtyard in Cambridge, and St Catharine's three-sided brick Main Court is almost unique among the colleges. Homerton College, a short walk from the centre, has tranquil grounds and a picturesque orchard, and Newnham's huge, peaceful grounds sit away from the central colleges and see far fewer visitors.

Bear in mind that some colleges charge for entrance and that colleges typically close to visitors during the exam period at the end of May and the first week of June. Remember you are visiting students' homes: don't enter buildings you aren't invited into, don't stare into windows, be polite when taking photographs and discreet in the libraries. Beyond the colleges, the Backs are the gardens by the river behind them, and you can pass through those of Clare, Trinity and St John's. The Botanic Garden, open to the public since 1846, makes a relaxing few hours away from the bustle. Jesus Green offers a quiet retreat with tennis courts and an outdoor pool, Parker's Piece and Christ's Pieces are well-known central open spaces, and Coe Fen is a semi-wild green where cows roam and the Cam runs through. The Fitzwilliam Museum on Trumpington Street is the city's main gallery.

When to go

Cambridge has a dry, low-lying maritime climate, and the seasons shape a visit considerably. Summer is the warmest stretch, often hotter than areas further west and sometimes rivalling London, with heat that can build strongly; the year's highest temperatures are typically recorded then. If you want long, bright days for wandering between colleges and along the river, this is the time to plan around.

Winter brings cold nights and air frosts, which occur on roughly 40 to 50 days a year. Snowfall accumulations are usually small, so snow is rarely deep or lasting — expect crisp, frosty mornings rather than snowy streets. Pack for genuine cold if you visit in the winter months, and layers for the strong summer heat.

Three days in Cambridge

Day one: Start in Cambridge, Ontario, and get your bearings along the Grand and Speed rivers, which meet in the city. The downtown core around King Street and the Parade area is walkable, and Regent Street and St Andrew Street lead you past the main shopping streets. If you need supplies or a break from the weather, the Grand Arcade is the central shopping stop. Pick up a bicycle if you can — this is a city built for cycling, and two wheels make it easy to reach the riverside paths and the green space around Park Street and Parkside.

Day two: Head out to the wider Regional Municipality of Waterloo, with Kitchener next door and Waterloo a short ride away. The three cities sit close together on the Ontario Peninsula, so you can move between them by bicycle or on foot without much trouble. Note that CCTV covers parts of the downtown core, and if anything goes wrong, the Accident and Emergency department is at Addenbrooke Hospital on Hills Road. Keep your plans flexible — the weather here swings between warm and humid summers and bitterly cold winters.

Day three: Give the day to the city's academic character. Cambridge, Ontario, takes its name from the British original in England, and the connection runs through figures like Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Stephen Hawking, John Milton and Lord Byron — all associated with the UK city. If you want to follow that thread further, the road east leads toward Ely and Peterborough in England, though the Ontario version keeps its own identity. Finish with a slow loop along the Grand and Speed rivers before you head back toward London or onward across the Ontario Peninsula.

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