Best itinerary ideas? Thank you.

There are good walking tours from the tourist office if you are mobile.

You can take a boat ride on the cam to see the backs of the various colleges.

Go see king's College chapel

Go see an old college dining hall, such as Trinity.

Thank you. Much appreciate your tips. We are mobile, but will probably skip the boat ride (I get seasick) and see the Fitzwilliam Museum.

Ely or Bury St Edmunds are worth a trip out

The Cam is very very flat water.

the Cam River is extremely calm and shallow-people travel on it in "punts" where a driver/captain propels the boat by putting a pole in the ground and pushinf-it's extremely slow and calming way to see the backs of many of the old schools

Without being rude about Cambridge, Oxford is a better visit for the layman

I’ve been biting my tongue but now that it’s been said, I agree completely. I have a friend in Cambridge so have visited 2 or 3 times but will use any excuse to stop in Oxford if going that direction as I love it. You might look into what’s there that will interest you. I also enjoy just wandering around & find it an altogether more attractive place than Cambridge.

Also, the train station in Oxford is close to the center while Cambridge’s is a hike.

^^^. Ditto bilboburgler and MmePerdu. Of the two I would opt for Oxford as a day trip from London. And whether Oxford or Cambridge I could NOT imagine anyone getting seasick on either the Isis or Cam. I've punted - which is standing up in a boat and poling along. (Lots of people do but I've never used a 'captain' - either I did the poling or my companion(s) did)

The Fitzwilliam is great but I personally prefer the Ashmolean. I also enjoy the Pitt Rivers Museum (Oxford).

Either city is great - same sort of 'layout' in the centers where one would be exploring s a tourist: Beautiful colleges with internal quads, river/punts, gorgeous cathedral/chapels (Christ Church - Oxford, Kings College - Cambridge. Plus others in both cities), Botanic Garden, etc.

Of course -- if you have visited Oxford previously, you can ignore the above.

Thank you. Will check it out.

Thank you. We have been to Oxford several times and enjoyed it very much. One time, we actually saw them filming Inspector Lewis. Great fun. Just thought we’ve never been to Cambridge, so why not? Happy New Year!

Thank you. March might not be the best time for a boat ride for us. We are seniors. 🤣

Thank you so much. Yes, we have been to Oxford several times and loved it. We’ve never been to Cambridge, so we thought we would go there. Never been to Greenwich either, so we might go there, too. We plan to take the Chunnel to Paris to see the Notre Dame restoration. Happy New Year and thanks for all your kind help.

In that case . . . definitely do Cambridge

Thank you all for your helpful comments. Happy New Year.

Cambridge is absolutely gorgeous, as is Greenwich.

Some suggestions for Cambridge:
- The Wren Library is free to visit on I think weekdays 10-2
- Trinity College is gorgeous and well worth taking the 5 pound tour--you can learn about Sir Isaac Newton's time as a student there--and for me it made sense to take the 2 pm tour right after visiting the Wren Library, which is on campus
- King's College is also wonderful, as is the Fitzwilliam Museum
- Newnham College and Pembroke College are free to enter
- Wandering down Trinity Lane and King's Parade is great people- and building-watching
- You can listen to evensong for free in several college chapels, including St John's

I would also highly recommend the Traditional Punting Company--I had a great time on their tour, which is reasonably-priced compared to competitors, and it was a very smooth and easy ride and not fast at all either, so I don't think the March weather needs to put you off at all.

I definite'y wouldn't plan on punting in March. Do the punting companies run then -- sure, at least one does. But it will more likely be sleeting than sunny and fun on the river.

campus is not a thing in Cambridge

We did a day trip to Cambridge last week and the punts were out...in January! We are from New England, so the temps did not bother us. We've been punting a few times in Cambridge so did not do it this time. Everyone looked like they we having fun. Like Janis says, if it is sleeting, etc. it would not be fun. See how the weather cooperates that day.

Thank you for these great tips.

Glad to know this. We shall see how it goes. Thank you so much.