I am finalizing plans for a trip to the Netherlands and England next month. I will be arriving from Amsterdam and have 2 nights available prior to starting a cycling trip in the Wool towns NE of London--Bury St Edmunds, Lavenham etc. My thought is to go from Amsterdam to London via train. Then, I would take a train to Cambridge for 2 nights. But, I have a couple questions before I commit to this plan.

This is the weekend of May 15. I have read that some of the colleges are pretty much completely closed to outside visitors during exam time. Is this exam time? If I can't get into the grounds of any of the colleges to see them, I may choose someplace different to visit.

What area would you recommend for lodging for someone relying on public transportation and walking? Preferably somewhere that is an interesting and safe neighborhood centrally enough located for a tourist but not college student and/or tourist crazy and loud. Charm is a plus too.

I know I want to go to evensong at King's College, but I haven't gotten any further than that. What are your recommendations for someone who likes interesting architecture, lovely gardens, walking through interesting neighborhoods, historical sites and exceptional museums? Would you recommend taking a walking tour?

I appreciate it.

I'm not sure but since Easter Term runs from mid April til late-ish June, I wouldn't think mid-May would be exams time.. Hopefully an alum/local will have better info

Exams are generally in May I'm afraid.
St Johns College is closed to visitors from April 27th to 6 July for instance
Cambridge Food and Drink Week is on during your planned visit.
There is still plenty to see and do in Cambridge for a couple of days.
https://www.visitcambridge.org/

Don't forget you need an ETA for the UK.

I've got the ETA from a previous trip. Food and Drink Festival--not my thing.

Any suggestions about a good area to stay? I guess at this point, I will just go ahead and plan for a visit even though I would be disappointed if some colleges are closed. Evensong is on for my dates ayway.

Thanks for the help.

We stayed outside the city in Milton. The pub where we stayed, The Brewers Inn, has been taken over since we were there, and has gone from a lovely local to a gastro-pub, but it still has rooms. It's probably too far out for you and public transport isn't great from there.
It would be better to find somewhere in the city. I expect Janis will know somewhere.
You could take a day out up to Ely, it is about 20 minutes away by train, about an hour on the bus. The Cathedral is worth a visit and it is just a nice place to wander around.

You might want to consider flying from Amsterdam to London Stansted airport. It's to the north of London quite close to Cambridge and has a direct train link to the city.

I need to stay in the city in a place that is walkable to what I want to see.

I will check out those flights. I wasn't aware of Stanstad as a possibility. That sounds like it could really be efficient if the times are good.