London Trip Overview
If you are in London, Cambridge could be a perfect cultural day trip. It’s about 90 minutes only by private car from Hyde Park. Historic Cambridge city offers an immaculate British and Tudor experience. On the eastern bank of the Cam River, the town is mostly built round the Ouse tributary. Suburbs span the river, but modern development towards the west has largely been confined to university growth. You will walk and glide through the shady courts of the second oldest university in England. There are wonderfully plump raspberries leading down to the Cam River. Over the river is King’s College Chapel, an imposing mass, a gemstone box that, on sunny mornings, shines in the colours of its remarkable glass windows, one of the great surviving Gothic buildings in Europe. By the Cam is one of Europe’s finest library buildings, Trinity College Wren Library and many more. Let us take you to the heart of a real English tradition. Join us!
Additional Info
Duration: 8 hours
Starts: London, United Kingdom
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Historical & Heritage Tours
Explore London Promoted Experiences
What to Expect When Visiting London, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
If you are in London, Cambridge could be a perfect cultural day trip. It’s about 90 minutes only by private car from Hyde Park. Historic Cambridge city offers an immaculate British and Tudor experience. On the eastern bank of the Cam River, the town is mostly built round the Ouse tributary. Suburbs span the river, but modern development towards the west has largely been confined to university growth. You will walk and glide through the shady courts of the second oldest university in England. There are wonderfully plump raspberries leading down to the Cam River. Over the river is King’s College Chapel, an imposing mass, a gemstone box that, on sunny mornings, shines in the colours of its remarkable glass windows, one of the great surviving Gothic buildings in Europe. By the Cam is one of Europe’s finest library buildings, Trinity College Wren Library and many more. Let us take you to the heart of a real English tradition. Join us!
Stop At: Scudamore’s Quayside Punting Station, Quayside Punting Station, Magdalene St, Cambridge CB5 8AB, UK
What could be better than gliding slowly along the river which takes you right in the middle of the medieval architecture, the backyards of the world’s famous colleges, green lawns and the famous Bridge of Sighs? Now that you’re in Cambridge, this is one of the must-do activities in this lovely city. Meet with local punting guys that will take you to this tranquil journey. You won’t be alone. You will be accompanied by the swans and ducks along the river. Your journey will take approximately 45 minutes.
Duration: 45 minutes
Pass By: Mathematical Bridge, Queens’ College, Cambridge CB3 9ET England
The Mathematical Bridge is the popular name of a wooden footbridge in the southwest of central Cambridge. It bridges the River Cam about one hundred feet northwest of Silver Street Bridge and connects two parts of Queens’ College. Local legend says Isaac Newton built this footbridge without any screws, bolts, or nails. You will view the bridge for free from the nearby bridge on Silver Street. In fact, our guided punting tour will take you underneath the bridge and you will have the chance to take as many as pictures you like. It not the original wooden and timber structure at all. First built in 1749 it appears to be an arch yet is composed entirely of straight timbers to sophisticated engineering design.
Stop At: King’s College, King’s Parade, Cambridge CB2 1ST England
King’s College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge. Formally The King’s College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, the college faces out onto King’s Parade in the centre of the city with its splendid grounds and buildings stretching to the River Cam and beyond. Dating from the mid-15th century and one of the finest examples of medieval architect, this college’s main draw is its chapel that houses Rubens’ Adoration of the Magi. College stands in the centre of Cambridge City. Listen to the story of the King’s College starting with Henry VI in 1446 and goes with the very first Tudor king Henry VII and his famous son Henry VIII up to 1544. Learn how College is disrupted by the Wars of the Roses.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: St. John’s College, St. John’s St., Cambridge CB2 1TP England
St John’s College is another masterpiece of the Lancastrian architecture in Cambridge. The college was founded in 1511 from the estate of Lady Margaret Beaufort, mother of King Henry VII who is also the father of our famous King Henry VIII. This Cambridge College boasts a gatehouse whose exterior is beautifully carved and painted. Here in this college, we will marvel at the Tudor quadrangle that leads to a gorgeous chapel. Through a walk in the second quadrangle, an impressive Old Library will greet us. Old Library is full of treasures such as Caxton’s very first printed book, Margaret Beaufort’s book of hours and enormous antiphonal. And like every College in Cambridge, you will admire the large and walled gardens of St John’s College. During our visit, your guide will mention the deep-seated history of British monarchs especially by focusing the Yorkists as well as The Lancastrians who have been at daggers with each other.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Market Square, Market Street, Cambridge CB2 3QJ England
It is called a ‘market city’ because it surrounds the market square. Since the middle ages, all stalls have constantly been trading in the historic district of Cambridge, the market square where you can find a wide range of goods including street foods, books, vinyl, CD’s, DVD’s, vintage clothes, beads, crocheted and knitted items, jewellery, antiquity, fruits, vegetables, olives, freshly prepared products such as bread, cakes, cookies, scones, healthy foods, meat products, fish and dairy products, any type of second-hand goods including bikes, garden plans, flowers, electronic gadgets, mobile phone accessories, typical English art and craft stands, handmade things, yarns, embellishments, totes, bags, suitcases, simply beyond your imagination. The market square also offers a flourishing local food, arts and crafts market on Sundays selling organic produce from local farmers and work from some of the region’s most talented artists, craftsmen, potters, sculptors and photographers. To feel the soul of this vibrant city, historic Market Square would the best hit in Cambridge.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Great St Mary’s Church (Church of England), St. Marys Passage King’s Parade, Cambridge CB2 3PQ England
Overlooking the marketplace in the centre of Cambridge, this beautiful church dates to 1205 – even older than the University of Cambridge. Great St Mary’s was built, rebuilt, burned and built again over the centuries. The current building is largely Tudor. King Henry VII donated 100 oak trees to build its roof and Queen Elizabeth I visited the church in 1564 and gave an impressive Latin speech to the assembled scholars. Interactive touchscreens and a short film about royal Cambridge offer a perfect introduction to the history of Cambridge. Visitors can climb the tower for stunning views of King’s College Chapel and the city. Great St Mary’s Church also offers brass rubbing and children’s activities during busier times of the year. Great St Mary’s is the church at the heart of Cambridge and hosts regular services, concerts, debates and community events in Cambridge. Here in this shrine, our qualified APTG guides will tell you all about Tudors and the milestones of the English and Scottish history.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Trumpington Street Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge CB2 1RB England
The Fitzwilliam Museum is literally the British Museum of Cambridge. It’s the art – antiquities museum of the University of Cambridge and a must-see attraction in Cambridge. This lovely museum houses vast collections of antiquities from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome, including exhibits of English and European pottery and glass, furniture, clocks, Chinese jades, and ceramics from Japan and Korea. From antiquity to the present day, the Fitzwilliam houses a world-renowned collection of over half a million beautiful works of art, masterpiece paintings and historical artefacts. This museum gives us an opportunity to mention world and British history and culture under the same roof. The museum’s history doesn’t go very far. In 1816, Richard, VII Viscount Fitzwilliam of Merrion bequeathed his works of art and library to the University of Cambridge and today, we, the culture hunters thank him for this lovely art and culture shrine.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
