Day Trips
A Cambridge Day Trip From London
King's Cross to Cambridge in under an hour. A punt down the Backs, King's College Chapel, the Fitzwilliam, and where to sit down for lunch once your feet have had enough.
In short: our top picks are Scudamore's Punting, King's College Chapel and The Fitzwilliam Museum. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
Cambridge is the easy one. The fast train out of King’s Cross does it in about 50 minutes, non-stop, which means you can be standing under the fan vaulting of King’s College Chapel before some Londoners have finished their coffee. The whole city sits in a walkable knot, so you won’t need a bus or a plan beyond turning up. What you do need is a sense of pacing. The classic mistake is to cram in five colleges and end up footsore by two, having properly looked at none of them. Better to pick three or four things, go slowly, and leave a long lunch in the middle of it. Here’s the version we’d do, with the train sorted and a table booked.
| Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Scudamore's Punting | Mill Lane | |
| King's College Chapel | King's Parade | |
| The Fitzwilliam Museum | Trumpington Street | |
| The Eagle | Bene't Street | ££ |
| Pint Shop | Peas Hill | ££ |
| Parker's Tavern | Regent Street | £££ |
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Editor’s choice
Scudamore's Punting
Why we pick itScudamore's has been putting people on the Cam since 1910, and a chauffeured trip down the Backs is the one piece of Cambridge tourism that earns its reputation. Forty-five minutes, someone else doing the punting and the talking, gliding past King's, the Wren Library and the Mathematical Bridge. Self-hire if you fancy your own arm, but the first-timer who tries it usually ends up sideways in the reeds.
Chauffeured punt tour
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King's College Chapel
Why we pick itThe single most photographed ceiling in England, and the photographs undersell it. Henry VI started it in 1446 and it took the best part of a century; the fan vaulting overhead is the largest of its kind anywhere. There's a Rubens behind the altar, the Adoration of the Magi, almost an afterthought in a room this good. Go for the 5.30pm choral evensong if your train back allows; it's free and it's the way the place was meant to be heard.
Gothic chapel
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The Fitzwilliam Museum
Why we pick itHalf a million objects behind a great neoclassical front, and it costs nothing to walk in. Egyptian coffins, Titian and Monet, illuminated manuscripts, a room of armour. The building itself is half the pleasure, all marble and gilt staircases. Closed Mondays, which catches people out, and last entry is 4.40pm. An hour here is plenty if your legs are tired and the weather's turned.
Art and antiquities museum
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The Eagle
Why we pick itA coaching inn since 1667, and the pub where Francis Crick walked in one lunchtime in 1953 and announced he and Watson had found the secret of life. There's a blue plaque for the DNA story and a back-room ceiling scrawled with the names of wartime airmen, burned on with candle smoke and lipstick. It's a proper old Cambridge boozer that happens to be famous, so go early for a pint and the ceiling rather than a serious meal.
Historic pub
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Pint Shop
Why we pick itTwo minutes from King's Parade and the right kind of unfussy for a day on your feet. Simple seasonal British plates, charcoal-grilled meat, a Scotch egg that people make a fuss about, and a beer list with real range behind it. The gin selection runs to three pages if that's your afternoon. Good for a quick lunch between the chapel and the museum without surrendering an hour to ceremony.
British gastropub
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Parker's Tavern
Why we pick itTristan Welch's brasserie inside the University Arms hotel, looking out over Parker's Piece. This is the sit-down lunch, the one where you take your time: honest British cooking, properly sourced, with a set lunch that's good value for the polish on it. The room is handsome in an old-Cambridge way. Book ahead and let this be the anchor of the day, the table you walk to once the walking's done.
British brasserie
Before you book
Book the King’s Cross train in advance for the 50-minute non-stop; off-peak returns sit around £25 to £30, more if you turn up on the day. King’s College Chapel needs a timed ticket bought online (roughly £16). The Fitzwilliam is free and shut on Mondays. Reserve Scudamore’s punt and your lunch table ahead in summer; both fill up by mid-morning on a sunny weekend.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
Scudamore's Punting is our editor's choice: Scudamore's has been putting people on the Cam since 1910, and a chauffeured trip down the Backs is the one piece of Cambridge tourism that earns its reputation. Forty-five minutes, someone else doing the punting and the talking, gliding past King's, the Wren Library and the Mathematical Bridge. Self-hire if you fancy your own arm, but the first-timer who tries it usually ends up sideways in the reeds. Scudamore's Punting, King's College Chapel and The Fitzwilliam Museum lead the guide, with 6 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
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