I want to hire a car to visit several small towns. I was thinking of combining the trip with a trip to Cambridge if parking is not too hard to find. If parking is difficult to find or expensive, I might visit Cambridge separately by train.<BR><BR>This question is very subjective. Some cities that I consider it difficult to park include London, Paris, New York, San Francisco. Cities where parking is not too difficult include Lille (France), Linkoping (Sweden), Munich, Los Angeles, Houston, Melbourne.

I'd take the train. Parking is a bit of a nightmare in Cambridge. I have a good friend who lives there and I've given up driving there to visit as I can never find a parking space anywhere close to Jesus College. The real downtown is even worse.

as in most medieval towns in the UK, parking is difficult, but DRIVING in the centre of town is the biggest problem. Do not let this deter you though. There is a ring road that parallels the river Cam on the west side (I think it is Queen's rd), and on the east side along East road, Elizabeth way and a couple of other streets the names of which escape me. But anyway - there are several parking lots along this circular ring roadway. You can park anywhere along and then walk or catch a bus into the center.

Do an internet search for information on the Cambridge Park and Ride system. <BR><BR>This allows you to park your car outside the city and catch a bus which will take you into the city centre. It costs about &pound;1.50 return per person and is an excellent service. The buses run on a circular route throughout the town enabling you to see the whole of Cambridge stress free. There are about 4 of these parking areas so that whichever direction you approach Cambridge from you will see signs to one of them. Just remember to take note of which one you parked your car in as you will need to join the correct bus to get back to it. The buses are running constantly throughout the day and you never have to wait longer than about 10 minutes. The bus stations also have toilet faciclites and enclosed waiting rooms with hot drinks and snacks from vending machines as well as leaflets about local attractions. I used the Madingley Road site just before Christmas and found it excellent.<BR><BR>Carol

Another vote for the Park and Ride system. Cambridge in fact was one of the first places in the UK to &quot;encourage&quot; use of park and ride by introducing tough restrictions on bringing private vehicles intom the city centre. The introduction of permits, backed up by the infamous &quot;rising bollards&quot;, effectively puts the very centre of the city off-limits to visitor's cars. The park and ride works well though and its certainly not a disincentive to visit Cambridge.

I was in Cambridge in June this year. I did not have a car, but took one of the hop-on/hop-off busses that went through the city. I used www.guidefriday.com. On its circuit it went out Madingley road to the American Cemetery. On the way it made stops at a parking area there. You could combine the parking with a tour and get a nice guided lap around the city for orientation.

Many thanks for your replies. I did not think of park and ride!<BR><BR>Maybe I'm an idiot, but the Fodor's search feature doesn't work well. It didn't list this post when searching under &quot;Cambridge&quot;.