Travel guide for CAMBRIDGE

Information

Climate

typical English weather, when I was there(April) it ranged from sunny days to hail days!!!

Location

East Anglia, England near the capital of England, London

Money Issues

The official currency is Pound. There are many banks and Bureau de Change in central points of the town.

History

Cambridge is very well known for its Universities. The oldest college that still exists, Peterhouse, was founded in 1284.

How to get there

once you get to one of the major airports of London you can choose to travel by either coach or train--the train is faster but more expensive.

Trasportation

your feet!!!I did that most of the time. However, there is a reliable bus service during the day but at night there are few buses--the last usually leaves the city centre at about 18:00; you can get the timetables from the office in Drummer Str. Taxis are quick and reliable but a bit expensive if oyou are on your own. if you know how to cycle well, the most common type of transport is the BICYCLE. finally if you want to go outside Cambridge, you can rent a car.

While there

Accomodation On-line hotel reservations in CAMBRIDGE

a lot of hotels and guest houses (Bed and Breakfast); the latter are much cheaper. Always book in advance in summer!!! The biggest concentration of B&B are near the railway station(Tenison Road) and in New Chesterton.

Food

you can find nicely cooked food in almost all pubs. Cambridge is full of pubs--you are sure to find one that suits your taste. I very much liked The Eagle--I liked the atmosphere very much!!! Try the baked potato with beans.the Indian restaurants are very good, too. Don't forget the national food: fish and chips!!!

Amusement

see 'What's on' pages in the Cambridge Evening News'. There are some discos and nightclubs that usually stay open until 2 or 3--you have to be 18 to enter in most of them, however! There are also cinemas and two theatres, the Arts Theatre and the ADC theatre. also, in the summer you can see plays at the Colleges.

Activities

Leisure

go punting on the river Cam--you can either hire a punt and do it yourself (much cheaper) or you can hire a chauffeur pant. It's amazing. You'll enjoy the Backs of the colleges and Cambridge on the whole. To see the Backs you can go down Silver Street and turn right to see them!!!

Shopping

you can find almost all the known names as well as independent stores. Most of the shops are to be found in the city centre and The Grafton Centre to which you can walk from the city centre--there, apart from the shops you can eat at its restaurants or watch a film. Cambridge is also famous for its bookshops.

Monuments

Galleries

Kettle's Yard; a house and gallewry of modern art. It's in Castle Hill

Museums

The Fitzwilliam Museum, in Trumpington street. It's the biggest so if you have only a little time to devot to museums start with this one. Its collection includes a bit of everything: Greek, Roman and Egyptian antiquities, paintings. Glass and porcelain.the entrance is free--at leats when I went there! There is also the Archaeological and Anthropology Museum in Downing Str. it has exhibits whicj teachers and students have collected over the years; it follows ina a way homan development. there is aslo the Museum of Zoology also in Downing Str--quite interesting. Those interested in science and technology can visit Whipple Science Museum and the Museum of Technology (you can see the old steam machines). finally, there is the Folk Museum which is very interesting if you are keen on British life in the old days.

Historical monuments

The Round Church which is situated in the street baring its name. it was built in 1130 and they say that there are only 4 churches like this in England

Not to miss

isit the colleges, although you have to pay to visit the big colleges unless it's exam time so they are usually closed to visitors--reasonable! Don't forget to visit the Mathematical Bridge at Queen's College and the Bridge of Sighs at St. John 's College. You can go up the tower of Great St. Mary's Church in Market Square to enjoy the view of the city. For a good view you can also visit Catsle Hill where you can find the remains of Cambridge Castle, Castle Mound.

Be Cautious

to be on your own late at night as in most cities at U.K.

Best routes

I particularly liked walking to the University Lbrary as you get to see the backs of most of the colleges and walk on bridges with ducks and green all around!!! in general, it is worth walking a lot in Cambridge as it is quite small and you can explore it little by little.If you want to go out of the city you can walk or cycle to Granchester, a beautiful village where you can drink tea in The Orchard or walk through the Granchester Meadows along the river--famous poets loved this place!!! If you want to go back in time visit Lavenham, a small village in Suffolk, or Bury St. Endmunds. Of course, if you want somthing 'busier' and 'noisier' for a day you can catch a bus/ train to either Oxford or London

Impressions

it's a city that takes you back in time; it's not very big so you can go almost everywhere on foot