Day trip to Cambridge in June?
 

My husband and I are going to be in London June 6-10 and one of the daytrips we were looking forward to was Cambridge. I just read that it is useless to visit there in late May and early June as the students are in exams and you can't get in most of the colleges. Is this a valid concern? Thanks for any comments!

Carla, I don't know that you can get into the colleges at any time. When I've visited friends in Cambridge - twice - we were able to peek into buildings because the husband worked there, but not tour any. We could walk around the campus, over the bridges, etc., but Keep Off the Grass! Only Fellows can walk on the grass. I don't know if there are any problems with shutting down the grounds in June for exams. I was there in mid-May one year and early July several years ago - so maybe June and exams changes things a bit. The old city and college grounds are interesting and June should be an ideal time to visit. Have fun; I'm thinking about taking Mom to Cambridge on our way to Paris in October. It's a lovely town.

We will be in London late July and are planning to make a trip to Cambridge on Sunday. Will shops and stors be closed on Sunday? I am particularly interested in souvenir shops. Any souvenir shops would you suggest? Thanks.

Many shops are now open in Cambridge on a Sunday so you should have no trouble getting what you want. I would advise you to avoid visiting on a Saturday, especially in July and August, as the city centre gets very crowded. Do ring the Cambridge Tourist Office to check college grounds opening times but everything should be open after term ends.

You can always go punting on the Cam. And if you are interested, there is a great WWII museum at Duxford, just outside of Cambridge. This was a P-47 Thunderbolt base and was used during the filming of "The Battle of Britain". Jinx Hoover

Just adding a bit about Duxford... they run a free shuttle bus hourly from the train station (unbelievably convenient for day-trippers). It's a great place to visit, esp. if the weather is good.

Thanks so much for the advice! I've "penciled in" two London Walks a day, so may visit Cambridge next trip, but will print out reply and put in file. We love England so much, hope to visit at least every other year from now on. Again, many thanks! I love this site and have learned so much.