BaljitKL

We want to take a day trip to Cambridge. What would you suggest - train or bus? Is Cambridge small enough that we can just walk around or do we need a car?

I look into trains, nationalrail.co.uk and I think it was £25.00 a pop return fare. I read there's a bus but couldn't find anything where the pickup place is or what bus company. Would somebody direct me to their website, please. Also do we need to buy advance tickets for either train or bus to get the cheapest fare? Or will the fare be the same even if we buy it the day we leave.

Lastly, please give recommendation for places to have lunch or dinner. We're on a budget, so not really looking for anything fancy. Sandwich shops would be fine.

Thanks for all replies. Baljit.

VirginiaC

Most trains to Cambridge go from Kings Cross and take about an hour. From the Cambridge station, you can hop a bus into the center of town, then take off on foot. Most of the places you will want to visit are within walking distance. Taking a guided walking tour will permit you to see parts of the colleges that are closed to the general public.
Another option is to take the hop on/hop off bus, which hits the highlights and also takes you out to the American cemetery at Madingley. It's definitely worth the trip. If you are military history fans, there's a free shuttle from the station to the air museum at Duxford. This is also a fascinating place where you can sometimes see carefully preserved World War II-era planes taking off and landing. In itself, it's a day's outing.
When we visit Cambridge, we usually eat at Henri's, right on the Cam near Magdalene bridge. The food isn't marvelous and the service tends to be slow, but on a beautiful day, the view is hard to beat -- skilled and inept punters along with ducks, swans and other waterfowl.

rogeruktm

Me, I would take the train. As this is a considered a "local" service, there is no saving on purchasing yout ticket in advance. Two train services this route. One is National Express East Anglia departing from London's Liverpool station. The others depart from Kings Cross station on the First Capital Connect train. A "cheap day return" ticket can be purchased for 14 pounds on the 8:28 train only and from the Liverpool station. All other trips cost the same, 25 pounds, but you still need to take a specific train at a specific time to qualify for those fares.

Diz01

Definitely train - fast service is 4 minutes from Kings Cross in London.

Definitely not a car. The city is small, parking is a nightmare - and expensive.

For lunch Pret a Manger - very good sandwich shop - has 2 branches on the centre.

GeoffHamer

The day return fare from London to Cambridge is £25 if you leave London before 0930. After 0930, it's £18 to go and come back on any train the same day. These tickets are not limited to any specific train: you just buy a ticket and get on the next train or any later train.

GeoffHamer

You can save a little if you have a travelcard for London. When you buy the ticket to Cambridge, show the travelcard and you will be sold a ticket from the travelcard zone boundary to Cambridge.

PalenQ

The Hop on Hop Off doubledecker Cambridge bus tour serves the train station i believe.

otherwise it's about 1.5 mile walk to the town centre

BaljitKL

Thanks for all the replies.

Virginia - thanks for letting us know about the free shuttle to Duxford. And didn't even know there was an American cemetary out there worth visiting.

Geoff - how does the travelcard work with the rail card? The day travelcard I think is about £6.80. So much will the cost of the train be?

roger - we are coming from Hilton London Olympia Hotel , 380 Kensington High Street. Which station is quicker to get into - Kings Cross or Liverpool?

Virginia and Diz01 - thanks for the restaurant recommendation.

PalenQ - I read there is bus service from the rail station to the town centre - I think it's called Stagecoach and they offer £3.00 all day pass. So maaybe we'll take that instead of walking the 1.5 miles.

Thank you everyone!!

janisj

When looking up the schedules - be sure to use &quot;King's Cross&quot; and &quot;Liverpool <u>Street</u>&quot; - NOT &quot;Liverpool&quot;.

rogeruktm

I would that the Northern line from Kensington to Kings Cross as you will not have to transfer and it is only 18 minutes.

PatrickLondon

Not the Northern Line.

You're going to have to make connections, however you choose to do it. Quickest is probably the Piccadilly Line from Earl's Court to King's Cross, but you'd have to take the District Line from Olympia to Earl's Court.

BaljitKL

Thanks Janis for pointing that Liverpool thingy. Not being familiar with UK at all, I honestly would just have typed Liverpool - then get more confused than ever!

Roger and PatrickLondon - seems Kings Cross would be the better choice to go to Cambridge.

Thanks again to everyone who took time to post their replies.

GeoffHamer

If you have a travelcard, it covers journeys on tubes, buses and trains within the specified zones. If you take a train from London, the first part of the journey is already paid-for by the travelcard. For example, if you have a travelcard for zones 1-6 and want to go to Cambridge for the day, you only need to pay for the train journey from the boundary of zone 6 to Cambridge. If you show the travelcard at the ticket office, you will be sold a ticket from &quot;boundary zone 6&quot; to Cambridge. This also works for Dover, Brighton, Portsmouth, Windsor and other places within the Network Southeast area. It does not apply for inter-city journeys to places like Bath and York.

RM67

The station is about a mile from the city centre - it's a level (so not too strenuous) but very boring walk.

There are various buses that will take you to the centre, which is very walkable once you actually get there. Citibus is one I think - it's about a &pound;1 - &pound;1.20 each way.

Aside from Pret, another fairly cheapish lunch is Teri-Aki - which is by the river (tucked round the corner so you can't see it from the road) on (or more accurately, just off) Bridge Street. Nice noodles, or sushi if you prefer (I don't!)

There is also a very decent and affordable cafe at the Fitzwilliam Museum, which is worth a visit in its own right. It has a good Egyptian Collection and fine art by all the 'big' names eg Gainsborough, Constable. There are some seascapes by Constable (if I recall correctly) which are quite unusual as he is more usually associated with the archetypal rural idyll.

Have fun!