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Exploring Cambridge | Where to Eat in Cambridge
60 miles (97 km) northeast of London.
With the spires of its university buildings framed by towering trees and expansive meadows, its medieval streets and passages enhanced by gardens and riverbanks, the city of Cambridge is among the loveliest in England. The city predates the Roman occupation of Britain, but the university was not founded until the 13th century. There’s disagreement about the birth of the university: one story attributes its founding to impoverished students from Oxford, who came in search of eels—a cheap source of nourishment. Today a healthy rivalry persists between the two schools.
This university town may be beautiful, but it’s no museum. Even when the students are on vacation, there’s a cultural and intellectual buzz here. Well-preserved medieval buildings sit cheek-by-jowl next to the latest in modern architecture (for example the William Gates building, which houses Cambridge University’s computer laboratory) in this growing city dominated culturally and architecturally by its famous university (whose students make up around one-fifth of the city’s 109,000 inhabitants), and beautified by parks, gardens, and the quietly flowing River Cam. A quintessential Cambridge pursuit is punting on the Cam (one occupant propels the narrow, square-end, flat-bottom boat with a long pole), followed by a stroll along the Backs, the left bank of the river fringed by St. John’s, Trinity, Clare, King’s, and Queens’ colleges, and by Trinity Hall.
Visiting the Colleges
College visits are certainly a highlight of a Cambridge tour, but remember that the colleges are private residences and workplaces, even when school isn’t in session. Each is an independent entity within the university; some are closed to the public, but at others you can see the chapels, dining rooms (called halls), and sometimes the libraries, too. Some colleges charge a small fee for the privilege of nosing around. All are closed during exams, usually from mid-April to late June, and the opening hours often vary. Additionally, all are subject to closures at short notice, especially King’s; check the websites in advance. For details about visiting specific colleges not listed here, contact Cambridge University (01223/337733 | www.cam.ac.uk).
By far the best way to gain access without annoying anyone is to join a walking tour led by an official Blue Badge guide—in fact, many areas are off-limits unless you do. The two-hour tours (£16) leave from the Tourist Information Centre.
Hours vary according to the tour, with the earliest leaving at 11 am and the latest at 1 pm in winter, 2 in summer. | Peas Hill | CB2 3AD | 0871/226–8006, 1223/464732 from abroad | www.visitcambridge.org | Apr.–Sept., weekdays 10–5, Sat. 10–5, Sun. 11–3; Oct.–Mar., weekdays 10–5, Sat. 10–5.
Essentials
Visitor Information Cambridge (0871/226–8006, 1223/464732 from outside U.K. | www.visitcambridge.org).
Exploring Cambridge
In 1284 the Bishop of Ely founded Peterhouse College, Cambridge’s smallest and oldest college. Take a tranquil walk through its former deer park, by the river side of its ivy-clad buildings; nearby is the Fitzwilliam Museum. | Trumpington St. | CB2 1RD | 01223/338200 | www.pet.cam.ac.uk | Free | Daily 9–5 (groups 1–5).
Fodor’s Choice | One of England’s finest art galleries, the Fitzwilliam Museum houses an outstanding collection of art, as well as striking antiquities from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Highlights include two large Titians, an extensive collection of French impressionist paintings, and many paintings by Matisse and Picasso. The gallery holds occasional free classical music concerts. | Trumpington St. | CB2 1RB | 01223/332900 | www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk | Free | Tues.–Sat. 10–5, Sun. noon–5.
Across from Peterhouse is Pembroke College (1347), with delightful gardens and a bowling green. Its chapel, completed in 1665, was the architect Christopher Wren’s first commission. | Trumpington St. | CB2 1RF | 01223/338100 | www.pem.cam.ac.uk | Free | Daily 9–dusk.
Head down Pembroke Street to reach Emmanuel College (1584), the alma mater of one John Harvard, who gave his books and his name to the American university. A number of the Pilgrims were Emmanuel alumni; they named Cambridge, Massachusetts, after their onetime home. | St. Andrew’s St. | CB2 3AP | 01223/334200 | www.emma.cam.ac.uk | Free | Daily 9–6.
Fodor’s Choice | Westward from Jesus College is St. John’s College (1511), the university’s largest, which boasts noted alumni (Wordsworth studied here), a series of beautiful courtyards, and two of the finest sights in town: the School of Pythagoras, the oldest house in Cambridge; and the 1831 Bridge of Sighs, modeled on its Venetian counterpart. The windowed, covered stone bridge reaches across the Cam to the mock-Gothic New Court (1825–31). The New Court cupola’s white crenellations have earned it the nickname “the wedding cake.” | St. John’s St. | CB2 1TP | 01223/338600 | www.joh.cam.ac.uk | £3.20 | Mar.–Oct., daily 10–5:30; Nov.–Feb., daily 10–3:30.
Fodor’s Choice | Trinity College was founded by Henry VIII in 1546, and has the largest student population of all the colleges. It’s also famous for having been attended by Byron, Thackeray, Tennyson, Bertrand Russell, Nabokov, Nehru, and 31 Nobel Prize winners. Many of Trinity’s features reflect its status as one of Cambridge’s largest colleges, not least its 17th-century “great court,” scene of the university race in Chariots of Fire. Don’t miss the wonderful library by Christopher Wren, where you can see a letter written by alumnus Isaac Newton with early notes on gravity, and A. A. Milne’s handwritten manuscript of The House at Pooh Corner. | Trinity St. | CB2 1TQ | 01223/338400 | www.trin.cam.ac.uk | £3 mid-Mar.–Oct. | College daily 10–5; library weekdays noon–2, Sat. in term time 10:30–12:30; hall and chapel open to visitors, but hrs vary.
Fodor’s Choice | South of Trinity College is King’s College(1441), notable as the site of the world-famous Gothic-style King’s College Chapel (built 1446–1547). With its great fan-vaulted roof, the largest ever built, supported by a delicate tracery of perpendicular buttresses, it is widely considered to be one of the finest examples of Perpendicular Gothic in Europe. It’s the home of the famous King’s College Choir, and, to cap it all, Rubens’s Adoration of the Magi is tucked away behind the altar. The college’s Back Lawn leads down to the river, from which the panorama of college and chapel is one of the university’s most photographed views. | King’s Parade | CB2 1ST | 01223/331212 | www.kings.cam.ac.uk | £7.50 | Term time, weekdays 9:30–3:30, Sat. 9:30–3:15, Sun. 1:15–2:15; out of term, Mon.–Sat. 9:30–4:30, Sun. 10–5. Hrs may vary, grounds closed during exams; call in advance or see website.
Reached along the Backs and tucked away on Queen’s Road is Queens’ College. Originally established in 1447 as the College of St. Bernard’s, one of Cambridge’s most eye-catching colleges was re-founded a year later by Margaret of Anjou, queen of Henry VI, and then re-founded again in 1475 by Elizabeth, queen of Edward IV—hence the new name.
Cross over the Cam via the Wooden Bridge , also known as the Mathematical Bridge. A popular myth tells of how it was built by Isaac Newton without any binding save gravity, then dismantled by curious scholars eager to learn Sir Isaac’s secret. However, the bridge wasn’t actually put together until 1749, 22 years after Newton’s death. | Queens’ College | CB3 9ET | 01223/335511 | www.queens.cam.ac.uk | £2.50. Free to individuals Nov.–mid-Mar., Oct., weekdays | Mid-Mar.–mid-May, daily 10–4:30; mid-June–Sept., daily 10–4:30; Oct., weekdays 2–4, weekends 10–4:30; Nov.–mid-Mar., daily 2–4.
The only Cambridge College founded by townspeople (in 1352) is Corpus Christi College,whose beautiful, serene, 14th-century Old Court is the oldest college quadrangle in Cambridge. The college’s Parker Library contains one of the world’s finest collections of medieval manuscripts. | Trumpington St. | CB2 1RH | 01223/338000 | www.corpus.cam.ac.uk | Free | Daily 2–4.
Where to Eat in Cambridge
Fitzbillies.
$ | CAFÉ | Usually filled with students’ visiting parents, this long-established café (now under new management) is famous for its exceptionally sticky Chelsea buns (if you don’t want to sit down, the bakery next door has the same pastries to take away). It also serves tasty lunches, afternoon teas, and dinners (Friday and Saturday) with Modern British dishes such as chicken wrapped in savoy cabbage, beef and oyster pie, and Seville orange
tart. | 52 Trumpington St. | CB2 1RG | 01223/352500 | www.fitzbillies.co.uk.
Midsummer House.
$$$$ | ECLECTIC | In fine weather the gray-brick Midsummer House’s conservatory, beside the River Cam, makes for a memorable lunchtime jaunt. Choose from a selection of innovative French and Mediterranean dishes. You might get braised turbot, pumpkin and cep cannelloni, or slow-cooked duck with beetroot puree. | Midsummer Common | CB4 1HA | 01223/369299 |
www.midsummerhouse.co.uk | Reservations essential | Closed Sun. and Mon. No lunch Tues.
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