Final Up to date on seventh June 2024 by Sophie Nadeau
Cambridge is a pleasant college metropolis with centuries’ value of historical past. Greatest visited over a protracted weekend, a number of the finest issues to do on the town embrace ingesting pints in historic pubs, visiting church buildings, and exploring the free college museums (I notably advocate the Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences), and visiting the universities. Right here’s your information on spend the right day in Cambridge.
What’s Cambridge recognized for?
Cambridge is finest recognized for its world-leading college, which is comprised of 31 schools. Some are free to go to whereas for probably the most well-known (similar to King’s School and St John’s School) you’ll need to pay as much as £11 to enter. Alternatively, you might decide to ebook a university tour led by a college graduate like this one.
How lengthy do you want in Cambridge?
Cambridge sits on the intersection of being a small metropolis, however a giant city. Ideally, a go to over a protracted weekend is one of the best ways to discover Cambridge, that being mentioned, when you solely have sooner or later it’s fully doable to see nearly all of its essential sights and expertise the Cambridgeshire life for twenty-four hours!
Urged sooner or later in Cambridge itinerary
Nice St Mary’s
Begin your day on the largest church in Cambridge, which serves a twin goal as a Church of England parish and the college church. The church has a historical past of over 1,000 years, nevertheless, the magnificent construction we see immediately is simply over 500 years previous, because it fully burnt down in 1291.
A historical past intertwined with royals, the price of development was largely lined by Richard III and Henry VII, who additionally donated 100 oaks for the roof. Queen Elizabeth I visited in 1564 and gave a prolonged Latin speech which left her viewers in awe, nevertheless the go to itself was chaotic to say the least as she visited throughout renovations… and he or she additionally ended up fining the church for not ringing the bells upon her arrival!
Nice St Mary’s was additionally frequented by famend theoretical physicist and cosmologist, Stephen Hawking, who attended the College of Cambridge. In 2018 a whole lot of individuals gathered on the church to pay their respects for Prof Stephen Hawking’s funeral (nevertheless, he’s buried at Westminster Abbey). Right now there’s a plaque within the church honouring Hawking.
A spotlight of visiting Nice St Mary’s is climbing up the 123 steps of the church tower (prices a price of £7) and being greeted by panoramic views overlooking the town. The church itself is free to go to and opens from 10 AM daily, aside from Sundays when it opens at midday.
Pembroke School
Lesser recognized, and arguably probably the most underrated a part of the college, Pembroke School is the third oldest of Cambridge’s schools and was based in 1347. Usually free to enter and wander round, except throughout examination season, this tranquil pocket of historical past is house to an exquisite library which homes over 30,000 books and peaceable gardens.
The Spherical Church
Head to the second oldest constructing of Cambridge and step again in time by exploring one of many metropolis’s most treasured gems, a sacred spot which has been an energetic place of worship for over 900 years.
Formally generally known as The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, however largely known as the Spherical Church, the construction was inbuilt 1130, drawing inspiration from the rotunda of the Holy Sepulchre church in Jerusalem.
If something, a go to to this church is an absolute should for these fascinated by structure and spiritual historical past! The spherical design is uncommon and is one in every of solely 4 medieval spherical church buildings in England that remian in use immediately.
Please be aware, the Spherical Church is just open Wednesday-Saturday from 10 AM – 5 PM and there’s a cost of £3.50 to go to. If you wish to be taught much more in-depth in regards to the church and its historical past, they provide paid guided walks.
St John’s School
Take a go to to one of many largest, wealthiest and most prestigious of the college’s schools, a truth that can grow to be obvious as quickly as you lay eyes on it! St John’s School was based by the Tudor matriarch Woman Margaret Beaufort in 1511, and it sits on the previous web site of a hospital which was generally known as the Hospital of St John the Evangelist.
An architectural neo-Gothic masterpiece! A selected spotlight is the chapel, which is among the most recognisable sights of Cambridge, merely due to how gorgeous it’s! Because the 1670s the chapel has been house to each spiritual and musical actions, the primary spot the place the world-famous School Choir sing for providers throughout the college time period time.
King’s School
Yet one more faculty you merely need to see is King’s School, which was based in 1441 by King Henry VI. King’s School Chapel is taken into account an architectural masterpiece, constructed within the Perpendicular Gothic fashion, which was the third and remaining stage of English Gothic structure developed within the Late Center Ages.
One thing actually distinctive to King’s School Chapel is its 26 medieval stained glass home windows, that are so useful that the home windows had been eliminated throughout the Second World Conflict to maintain them protected from hurt!
The Corpus Clock
Lower than a minute’s stroll from King’s School, you’ll want to cease by and admire one in every of Cambridge’s most distinctive public monuments, which is often known as the Grasshopper Clock, due to the metallic sculpture of a grasshopper that sits atop the gold plated clock face.
There’s no typical indication of time because the clock doesn’t have fingers or numbers, as a substitute, it has slits minimize into the face that are lit up by the LED lighting behind. The grasshopper sitting above the clock seems to eat away on the seconds and the lights behind the slits pause on the right hour, minute and second.
Unveiled in 2008 by Stephen Hawking, The Corpus Clock has been described as one in every of time’s biggest creations, and is taken into account a masterpiece of clockmaking!
Trinity School
A brief stroll away you’ll come throughout the biggest of Cambridge’s Schools which can also be much like King’s School in that it has robust hyperlinks to the Tudors. Residence to a exceptional Tudor gateway, a sweeping courtyard and The Wren Library, the place some extremely useful books are saved, a lot of which had been printed earlier than 1820.
Trinity School was based in 1546 within the penultimate 12 months of the reign of Henry VIII. It’s the wealthiest college faculty and has seen fairly just a few faces as its alumni… to call just a few, six prime ministers, twelve archbishops, Sir Isaac Newton and (former prince) now King Charles!
Entry for Trinity School is £3.50 and guests are welcome to The Nice Courtroom (essential courtyard) and chapel on their go to, however you’ll want to examine upfront for The Wren Library because it’s not all the time open to the general public.
Michaelhouse Café
Head again to Nice St Mary’s Church and located inside the medieval chapel you’ll discover a charming little no-fuss café that serves scrumptious and easy lunches in a canteen fashion, the place you possibly can queue and select what you need from their reasonably giant menu.
Emmanuel School
Nicknamed ‘Emma’, this school is finest recognized to be a tranquil oasis of inexperienced. One of the vital stunning issues to see at this school is The Paddock, which is a pool of water the place vegetation thrive that sits on the finish of a protracted and flat inexperienced expanse of extraordinarily well-maintained grass. Emma School is open to the general public and free to wander round, finest loved on a sunny day when you possibly can benefit from the grounds!
Fitzwilliam Museum
Subsequent, head to the college’s very personal artwork and antiques museum which is house to an intensive assortment of over half 1,000,000 artworks and objects from all through historical past from a number of the biggest artists on the planet! And, what’s extra, the museum is totally free to enter and discover.
Museum of Zoology
One other fascinating museum which can also be a part of the college is the Museum of Zoology, which can also be free to go to! One in all Cambridge’s hottest points of interest, this exceptional assortment shows hundreds of specimens spanning your entire animal kingdom, a few of which had been found by the likes of the nice naturalists, Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace.
Whereas visiting, you’ll want to see the skeleton of the extinct Dodo!
Go Punting
(If time and climate permit) go punting! A punt is an English time period for a protracted and slender flat-bottomed boat which is sq. at each ends. Punting is actually Cambridge’s much less romantic reply to a gondola in Venice. Expertise the town by boat by cruising alongside the River Cam and absorbing all the metropolis’s essential sights in a sweep-by-styled go to. E-book a guided punting tour like this one.
The Eagle
Finish your day the standard method by heading to a pub! Cambridge is stuffed with historic public homes, however one in every of our favorite stops was The Eagle, which boasts to be the second oldest pub within the metropolis (after the Pickerell Inn) and opened method again in 1667. Right now, it’s a Grade II listed public home.
One of the vital distinctive elements of The Eagle is trying up on the ceiling, which at first seems to be like a graffiti design however is as a substitute a chunk of historical past. Throughout the Second World Conflict, the Allied airmen who socialised and drank in The Eagle would use wax candles, petrol lighters and lipstick to write down their names and squadron numbers, and varied different doodles. Ever since, the pub has been nicknamed the “RAF Bar”.
The place to remain in Cambridge
There are many choices on the subject of selecting the place to remain in Cambridge, however the extra central, the extra it prices. In fact as all the time when travelling, the lodging is totally dependent in your wants and funds. For this goal, I’ll counsel a variety of resorts with various costs. Listed below are just a few ideas (primarily based on internet opinions):
Funds-friendly: YHA Cambridge Hostel – Positioned a 6-minute stroll from Cambridge practice station and a mile from the Fitzwilliam Museum and King’s School Chapel. Non-public rooms with en-suites can be found. Facilities embrace free Wifi and a communal room, in addition to lockers. Test costs and availability right here.
Mid-range: The Orlando – Located 4 minutes stroll from Cambridge practice station, this quaint resort is ready inside a brick townhouse and presents 8 clear and cozy visitor rooms, every with its personal en-suite. Facilities embrace free WiFi, TVs and a mini fridge. Test costs and availability right here.
Luxurious: Graduate Cambridge – With views overlooking the River Cam, this refined resort is a stone’s throw away from the College of Cambridge campus and boasts elegant refined rooms which provide the texture of luxurious. There’s additionally the choice to improve your room to a personal balcony! The elegant resort restaurant and bar supply riverfront eating. Test costs and availability right here.
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Charlotte is a photographer, cat lover and an avid knitter. When she’s not curled up on the couch together with her latest knitting venture (and Rico her cat!) you could find her out and about on lengthy walks. At the moment residing within the magical metropolis of Edinburgh, she seems to be ahead to travelling and seeing extra of the world!