Two days in Cambridge: a bank holiday city break

Wondering what to do on a bank holiday weekend? If you’re like us and like city breaks, Cambridge is just an hour away from London.

The city is small enough to be explored on foot, even with little ones although you might need a break on longer walks (we were two families with five children aged from 4 to 13, a party of nine).

Here’s what we did (chronologically):

The four of us travelled on the Friday evening and took the train from St Pancras. We had dinner on the train (sandwiches bought at the station from Pret – nothing fancy… or is it fancy nowadays?). We arrived in Cambridge around 8:30pm and made our way to our hotel on foot. It was a warm (and dry!) evening so the 30 minute walk felt nice after sitting on the train.

Saturday (day 1):

First stop: Cambridge University Botanic Garden, where my cousin and her family met us (they took an early train and the botanical garden is near the station). It was a gorgeous day and we wandered around the garden, had a peek in the greenhouses and enjoyed each other’s company, really! We had lunch at the café there where they serve kids menus too (similar to a museum café).

Part of the afternoon was spent on a boat, punting on River Cam along the colleges (a must-do if you’re in Cambridge). We had someone else to do the manoeuvring for us so we could make most of the views. The kids really enjoyed it and were surprisingly quiet, taking it all in.

Then we headed to King’s College Chapel to attend the evening service. Unfortunately, we didn’t have good seats to listen to the choir but it was a beautiful experience. It’s free to attend the Chapel services but prepare to queue on the pavement outside King’s College.

We got lucky with dinner (finding a restaurant which can accommodate 9 people without booking on a Saturday evening can be tricky…) and found space at Smokeworks. Not a super healthy option but everyone was happy with the menu!

We all stayed at the Wilde Aparthotels (Cambridge City Centre). They have a lovely bar with different types of seating. You can bring your laptop and use the big bench near the bay window where you can work from. The courtyard also has tables outside. And for your convenience, they offer a mini self-service shop in the lobby with pasta, sauces, sweets, drinks, necessary items if you want to cook in your flat.

: St John’s Street

: St John’s Street

: Trinity Street

: Cambridge University Botanic Garden

: Cambridge University Botanic Garden

: Cambridge University Botanic Garden

: Punting on River Cam

: Punting on River Cam

: Punting on River Cam

: King’s College Chapel – ceiling and organ

: Wilde Aparthotel courtyard

Sunday (day 2):

Sunday was very relaxed.

After having breakfast nearby, we went on a stroll along the river and further down on Sheep’s Green where cattle roam freely, before spending a short while at the Fitzwilliam Museum.

We had pizza for lunch (easy for everyone in our party!) and brought the kids to a park with a playground (Christ’s Pieces) and did a couple of geocaches all together before heading back to the hotel to pick up our bags.

The children were a little tired so we left early for the station where we could wait outside on the piazza. There is seating and a Gail’s bakery nearby which makes it very convenient when you have to wait for your train. The kids could run around for a bit before we boarded the train.

Cambridge is a welcoming walkable city with a mix of medieval streets, historic colleges, country bits too and the usual shops and restaurants. It was a bit busy in some places with lots of people in the streets but it is mainly pedestrian which is lovely. And it’s just an hour away from London!