Welcome To the e-travelguide to Hotels, guest houses and attractions in Cambridge

Make the most of your time in Cambridge, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links above to plan your visit.

Cambridge is one of England’s most cherished historic cities, and is home to the second oldest University in the English-speaking world. The striking view of Cambridge across the River Cam (known to the Romans as the Granta) and The Backs (a specific area of the city to the rear of the colleges backing onto the river) to the stately gothic chapel of King’s College is an unforgettable one, and is a most iconic vista. The town itself is a somewhat incongruent mix of new buildings, often at variance with the character of the old. Although historically overshadowed by the university, the town is also ancient, with its origins in Celtic settlements around a ford on the Cam. The Romans built a bridge and established an outpost here, at a meeting point of the network of roads and navigable waterways. The town has always been a flourishing regional centre, and in recent years the university’s scientific activities have been encouraged by the foundation in Cambridge of several research-based industries.

Cambridge University grew from small beginnings at the start of the 13th century, when a group of students – after violent clashes with townsfolk in Oxford - came to Cambridge in 1209. There were no colleges as such in this period; students were attached to schools of the cathedrals and monasteries, and lodged where they could in the town. The first college - Peterhouse - was founded in 1281 by the Bishop of Ely, and by 1284 was established in its own buildings. Over the next few hundred years, most of the other colleges were established, though there are a number of modern foundations, such as Churchill, Darwin and Newhall. Visitors may enter college courtyards, chapels, dining halls and certain gardens at most times, although entrance is restricted during Examinations. There are public tennis courts on Christ’s Pieces (the name ‘piece’ in Cambridge means open space) and on Jesus Green. Punts or boats can be hired at Magdalene Bridge for a trip past The Backs, or at the bottom of Mill Lane and Silver Street for a choice for a choice between The Backs and the Granta.

Cambridge is a place to be enjoyed for itself, and also as a base for visiting the surrounding Cambridgeshire attractions: to the cathedrals at Ely and Peterborough; to villages with peaceful churches and riverside pubs; to the strange expanses of the Fens; and to the spectacular wool churches at Lavenham, Long Melford, and Stoke-by-Nayland in the rolling countryside of Suffolk.

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