Below are our current selection of tour packages. Remember we can tailor these tours to meet your specific needs. For customised tours please get in touch here.
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Cambridge Full Day Tour - Facts and Anecdotes
We would like to make this a memorable day on your visit to Cambridge, with a programme packed full of facts and anecdotes, bringing the visits alive in an entertaining way as we travel in space and time across the historic city centre.
Discover some home truths, like how Cambridge, a market town in the Fens became a university centre of excellence by sheer chance!
And how a king dealt a blow to the heart of the town's vital river trade, creating a divide between town and gown that survives to this day!
Hear the story of how scholars, always dressed in gowns, became disliked by the townsfolk and see for yourselves how the wealthy Tudor colleges built high walls to protect scholars and keep the envious townsfolk out.
Cambridge has some unique accolades: The oldest printing and publishing house in the country and the only annual boat race, with rival Oxford.
Relish different viewpoints, strolling along the Backs of the river Cam, watching the punts or climbing up Great St. Mary's Tower for a birds eye view of the old city.
View the famous colleges associated with so many Cambridge luminaries, from Newton and Darwin to Stephen Hawking and discover why in the last century, many were jovially dubbed. the atoms and apostles of the city.
See the Eagle Pub, landmark of the Cambridge luminaries and WWII. Experience its story inside whilst tasting a pint of DNA or having lunch.
St. Bene't's Saxon Church Tower, built over 1000 years ago. The Norman Round Church
Great St. Mary’s Church Tower (optional) to see the view – charge applies
The Pitt Press building ( headquarters of the CUP in the 19th century ),
The Historic Colleges - Access inside is restricted as these are working and living environments. Admission charges apply and vary, depending on the time of year, but we will always try and include one entry to at least one college on this tour. *Please note the colleges are closed to visitors from Mid April to the end of July.
Kings College & Chapel – Visit inside this iconic building - extra entrance charge applies.
The Mathematical Bridge at Queens’ College
Little St. Mary’s Church, which houses a little known yet precious nugget of American history. Location of the Cavendish Laboratory
The famous Fitzbillies Tea shop (try their renowned Chelsea buns)
Outside the main entrance to the Guildhall on Market Square. Please follow link below.
We can customise the above itinerary to suit your interests.
Timing can also be modified to fit your schedule.
Please contact us directly with your enquiry for a bespoke tour.
Entrance charges to colleges, etc are extra charges. Where pre booking is required, these will be added to the tour price. If not, they will be payable locally. This will be made clear when discussing your booking.
Tour starts at 10.30 a.m. and ends by 3.30 p.m. with a break for lunch
EXPERIENCE THE UNIQUE….
Deborah revealed little hidden gems that you do not get with
commercial tour guides!
£220 up to 3 people
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Cambridge Half Day Tour - Town & Gown Highlights
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Even if time is short, we can still capture the essence of this historic city. As we walk, let us paint you a picture: a mini masterclass in architecture, viewing historic milestones from the last 800 years right up to the 21st century.
We shall animate these with stories of town and gown, that is how life in the colleges differed from that encountered on the streets of Cambridge. We hope to educate, entertain and make your visit to this remarkable ancient city a highly memorable one!
Iconic landmarks lie virtually alongside each other over a 1.5 mile stretch!
The Perpendicular Gothic King's College Chapel, home of the celebrated choir and Senate House, next door, the Classically styled ceremonial centre. An ancient thoroughfare lies close by with the famous Tudor colleges and their unique lofty gatehouses.
This area, used in TV filming, also hides a secret door with a special tale of its own, that is easily missed. On an ancient Roman road lies the Holy Sepulchre Norman Church- only of of 4 left in England.
Stand on the bridge over the river Cam and watch the punts, whilst enjoying the photogenic sight of the Mathematical bridge at Queens' College.
Finally, visit the impressive Classical Fitzwilliam Museum, 5 minutes away and the historic Eagle Pub, patronised by WW11 soldiers and Cambridge scientists.
If time permits, you can take a break here and try a pint of DNA or stop nearby at Fitz billies Tea Shop for one of their much savoured and renowned Chelsea buns.
Our journey comes to a close, appropriately with a novel timepiece: Literally a jaw dropping creation, the extraordinary Corpus Clock of 2008.
There is plenty to see, so other landmarks can be included, customising the tour to suit your interests.
*Please note the colleges are closed to visitors from Mid April to the end of July.
Outside the front entrance of the Guildhall on Market Square. Please follow link below.
Morning tour starts 10.15 a.m. till 12.45 p.m. Or afternoon tour 1.30 – 4 p.m.
TOWN AND GOWN HIGHLIGHTS…
The guide’s narrative was informative and entertaining and really brought the past alive for us. A delightful half day tour !
£160 up to 3 people
Entrance charges to colleges, etc are extra charges. Where pre booking is required, these will be added to the tour price. If not, they will be payable locally. This will be made clear when discussing your booking.
Cambridge Half Day Tour - Treasures that showcase the redeeming power of art.
Growing up, my passion has always been art, in particular painting, so becoming an art historian and being privileged to work at the National Gallery in London nearly 40 years ago was a dream come true! I have since written and lectured at other major UK collections and acted as front of house presenter at archaeology displays at sites in France when I lived abroad, so I am most at home inside a museum or in sight of art !
Any opportunity to talk about and share the superlative art collections in Cambridge with you is a no-brainer. I consider art to be an integral part of life and still enjoy discovering new artists and artefacts at exhibitions and when I travel away from home. Cambridge is blessed with a dozen museums, ranging from primitive surgical instruments to uplifting works of art. My part time work teaching adults at the Fitzwilliam Museum and other City art museums offers me plenty of opportunities for this due to the rolling displays and shows curated there plus of course the permanent art collections ranging from Egyptian antiquity, Greek and Roman art, ceramics, a fan gallery, painting, sculpture, from medieval through to contemporary art.
On this special tour geared towards art lovers like myself, I would like to take you back in time to experience Cambridge above ground but also literally beneath our feet: The science of archaeology in Britain is bringing new and intriguing finds to the world's attention virtually every day, conjuring up an evocative picture of the past! Witness the gold and jewel pectoral cross found in the medieval grave of a young girl, unearthed just a few years ago and now on display at the Archaeology and Anthropology Museum, where we may start this special tour. There are finds from the city centre and its surrounding villages that stretch from the neolithic and bronze ages, the Roman and medieval periods.
A short walk away is the grandiose Fitzwilliam Museum, wowing you with its jaw dropping entrance hall in sumptuous marble and mosaic with a sculpture gallery in a Graeco Roman style and telling the story of the student who bequeathed his whole collection to the University and of course the town! Till September only, the Museum is hosting a Renaissance masterpiece by Botticelli, a cultural milestone – not to be missed ! Please enquire about this and other museums which you can choose from, as this tour is ideal for customising to enjoy the best of what’s on offer.
Outside one of the Museums, as agreed. Opening times 10 till 5 p.m.
Weekly closure - Mondays. Sundays, from midday.
Morning tour starts 10.15 a.m. till 12.45 p.m. Or afternoon tour 1.30 – 4 p.m.
Thanks Deborah for such an enlightening tour at the Cambridge Museums. Your delivery was spot on - we thoroughly enjoyed our morning!
£150 up to 3 people
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Grantchester, a Stone's Throw from Cambridge – Past and Present
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The unassuming village of Grantchester, just 2 miles south of the City centre, has much to reveal… How and why did this village become such a magnet to Cambridge academics, coming to play a key role in the life of fellows and students?
Find out how a tradition was born at the Orchard Tea Rooms, God’s little acre, 120 years ago and who were among the group of Cambridge luminaries who met there.
See stills of Grantchester in the past and of locations of the hit TV series based on the Grantchester Mysteries by James Runcie. This has given the village an international profile in the 21st century, drawing visitors from home and abroad and bringing the village alive.
Visit the historic church and churchyard with views nearby of a delightful sculpture garden and hear that story of the celebrity former Politician, whose home it is.
Grantchester village is easily reached on foot, along the Grind from the south of Cambridge at Newnham - a pleasant stroll by the riverside on a warm day.
You can also cycle along this path or jog (as indeed the Enigma code breaker, Alan Turing would frequently do, when he was a student at Kings) Whether by car or bus, you can be there within minutes of leaving the City.
This is a rather unique tour, an opportunity to relax in the shadow of Cambridge, enjoying the rural location, whilst hearing about its history and enjoying tranquil vistas of the meadows.
The village boasts a gin distillery and three traditional characterful pubs offering a full fayre of food and drink, with, of course, the renowned Orchard Tea Gardens for some refreshment too.
Outside the Gin Distillery on the main road. Morning Tour from 10.30 a.m. Afternoon:1.30 - 3 p.m. (or opt for your own start time, subject to availability)
NB: Buses run from Drummer street Bus station in Cambridge city centre every day except on Sundays.
Meeting point: Outside the gin distillery, 20-22 High street, Grantchester. CB3 9NF
If you are a fan of the TV series Grantchester, you will not want to miss this delightful short walking tour in the idyllic village, gaining an insight into the filming and backstories of the cast ! What a treat !
£110 up to 3 people
Newmarket Tour - Discovering the Royal Connections
Discover Newmarket: Respice Finem
The National Horse Racing Museum
Mention Cambridge and the ancient University springs to mind, but Newmarket in Suffolk, a mere 30 minutes drive away, is quite another story! The town motto, Respice Finem, meaning aim for the finish, sits right at the heart of it’s glowing achievements.
How did the sport of Kings, a royal pastime, grow into a multi million pound global industry with Newmarket at its HQ? Every taste is catered for there and if you are visiting Cambridge, why not make this trip? It is far more than just a museum ! Where else can you meet and greet equine veterans and learn about their careers on the track as well as their welfare in retirement today ? Fancy being a jockey ? Then the racing simulator is for you.
You can immerse yourself in the classic sporting art collection, housed in the surviving 17th century Palace House whilst hearing and seeing the window where Charles II looked out to where his favoured mistress, Nelly Gwyn, lived in a cottage, his companion to local cock pit fights.
Delve into an exhibit on the underground world of betting and bribery with local heroes of the infamous kind, proving that crime can pay! Get up close to an original copy of the Anatomy of the horse by Stubbs of 1779 and discover the science of horse locomotion and a famous Canadian who captured it for the world to see on film.
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The NHRC is the umbrella name that encompasses several attractions all conveniently in one location on Palace Street, close to the town’s main thoroughfare. Apart from the stable yards, all is undercover. It requires the best part of a day to do it justice.
We visit the sophisticated modern building next to the historic Stable Yards, telling the story of Newmarket and sporting history with diverse exhibits from the origins of horses in 9000 B.C. to contemporary paintings of races, meetings, well known landscapes and winning regalia.
Palace House, right opposite, offers the visitor a more leisurely time where animal portraits and sporting images are celebrated in paint, sculpture and more. There are permanent and temporary exhibits.
There is a tranquil secret garden behind. The old Tack Room became the cafe/restaurant, open all day, with seating inside and outside, with a shop/reception desk that sells everything from the humble postcard to animal inspired textiles and other artefacts.
So much more than just horses – really worth the effort to go there !
Extra — Entry ticket is currently £15 to everything. Pay on arrival, food/drink, souvenirs of the day.
Taxis to and from directly outside King's Stables on Palace Street, Newmarket. CB8 8EP
Price:
£150 up to 3 people — half day visit.
£220 up to 3 people — full day
Museum Tickets @ £15, which gives access to all attractions at the N.H.R.M.
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Ely Tour - The Ship of the Fens
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The story of Ely Cathedral and the town that grew up around it. Enjoy a short stroll along the river Ouse, once the life blood of the locals and hear how the superabundant supply of eels paid for more than just the rent!
Discover how the waterlogged Isle of Elig became a centre for the new Christian religion sweeping England with the foundation of an Abbey by an Anglo Saxon princess.
Hear the tale of woe and destruction which threatened its survival repeatedly, as we
travel back in time some 1000 years, walking through the jaw dropping, lofty spaces of the cathedral.
Delight in the unprecedented scale of the Lady Chapel, celebrating the cult of
the Virgin Mary. Completed in the year of the Black Death, it is compelling not just
for its sheer beauty but also for the presiding legacy of terrible loss dealt by the Iconoclast reformers.
View some chapels dedicated to the many bishops at Ely and discover their vital
scholarly links with Cambridge colleges and their role in the University.
Tour: 2.5 hours
Meet up outside the Cutter Inn, riverside, a 7 minute walk from the station or free public car park behind the Maltings.
Introduction to the tour.
Walk up the hill – 10 minutes – towards the town centre and Cathedral. Ticketed entry is £11 ( Please note: You may wish to convert this to an annual pass at no extra cost ). Visit the Cathedral and view the adjacent medieval buildings, which today serve as shops or eateries, notably the Almonry or form part of the Kings School, Ely.
Trains run regularly from Cambridge Mainline Station and take 20 minutes. Cost: £5 approximately return. To Ely by car, parking at the Maltings car park, 1 Ship Lane. CB7 4BB. 5 minutes walk away from the meeting point.
Meeting Point: Cutter Inn, 42 Annesdale. CB7 4BN
Starting at the riverside, we were transported back in time as we walked, literally following in the footsteps of the building materials used to build the cathedral all those centuries ago !
£150 up to 3 people