East of England
Date ideas in Cambridge
Updated
Cambridge is small, flat and lovely to wander, with the colleges backing onto the river and meadows a short walk from the market square. Summer belongs to punts and picnics, but the free museums, the chapels and some very old pubs make it just as good on a grey day. These are our picks, from a walk out to Grantchester to a dinner to remember.
Our picks in Cambridge
Punting on the Cam
Quayside, off Bridge Street, or Mill Lane
Address: Quayside Punting Station, Magdalene Bridge, Cambridge CB5 8AB- Activity
- Outdoors
- Mid-price
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Romantic
Hire a punt, or sit back on a chauffeured one, and glide along the Backs under the college bridges, past King's, Clare and Trinity.
Why it's a good date: The most Cambridge thing you can do, and a great laugh if one of you is in charge of the pole. Go early or late in the day when the river's quieter.
Photo: Hugh Chevallier, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
King's College Chapel
King's Parade
Address: King's Parade, Cambridge CB2 1ST- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
- Romantic
Stand under the great fan-vaulted ceiling of King's College Chapel, then come back for choral evensong, when the choir sings in the candlelight.
Why it's a good date: One of the most beautiful buildings in the country, and evensong is free to attend. Check the service times first, as the choir sings mostly in term time.
Photo: Dmitry Tonkonog, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
A walk along the Backs
Queen's Road and Garret Hostel Lane
Address: Queen's Road, Cambridge CB3 9AJ- Outdoors
- Free
- Romantic
Walk the lawns and paths behind the colleges on the west bank of the Cam, crossing to look at Clare Bridge and the wooden Mathematical Bridge at Queens'.
Why it's a good date: Postcard views of the colleges without paying to go in. Come in spring for the crocuses and daffodils, or on an autumn afternoon when the trees turn.
Photo: Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0 (resized)
The Fitzwilliam Museum
Trumpington Street
Address: Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RB- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
Explore the city's grand free museum, from Egyptian coffins to paintings by Titian, Monet and Picasso, in galleries that feel like a palace.
Why it's a good date: Free, quiet and gorgeous, so you can pop in for an hour without planning. Fitzbillies is just down the road for a bun after.
Photo: Kim Fyson, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Kettle's Yard
Castle Street, just north of the river
Address: Castle Street, Cambridge CB3 0AQ- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
- Cosy
Look round the cottages where the collector Jim Ede lived with his modern art, set out among pebbles, plants and light exactly as he left them.
Why it's a good date: More like visiting a friend's beautiful home than a gallery, and it'll have you rethinking your own shelves. The house is free but busy, so book a slot.
Photo: David Hallam-Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Grantchester and the Orchard
Mill Way, Grantchester, two miles south of the city
Address: The Orchard Tea Garden, 47 Mill Way, Grantchester, Cambridge CB3 9ND- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Best in Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Cosy
Walk or cycle across Grantchester Meadows beside the Cam to the Orchard Tea Garden, and have tea and scones in a deckchair under the apple trees.
Why it's a good date: The classic Cambridge afternoon, done the same way for over a hundred years. Go on a sunny day, and walk back along the river as the light goes.
Photo: Marathon, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
Bateman Street, south of the city centre
Address: 1 Brookside, Cambridge CB2 1JE- Outdoors
- Cheap and cheerful
- Romantic
Wander forty acres of gardens and glasshouses, from the lake and the rock garden to the winter garden's bright stems.
Why it's a good date: Peaceful at any time of year, and the glasshouses are a warm place to duck into when it's cold. Bring a book and find a bench.
Photo: temporalata, CC BY-SA 2.0 (resized)
The Eagle
Bene't Street, city centre
Address: Bene't Street, Cambridge CB2 3QN- Bar
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Cosy
- Culture
Have a pint in the old coaching inn where Crick and Watson announced they'd found the structure of DNA, and look up at the RAF bar's ceiling, covered in wartime airmen's graffiti.
Why it's a good date: History you can sit in, with plenty to talk about. Go in the afternoon for a seat in the RAF bar.
Photo: Verbcatcher, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Fitzbillies
Trumpington Street, near the Fitzwilliam
Address: 52a Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RG- Café
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Cosy
Share a famously sticky Chelsea bun with a coffee at the bakery and café on Trumpington Street.
Why it's a good date: A small, sweet Cambridge ritual. Get there early before the best buns go, or take a box away for the river.
Photo: Colin Smith, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Midsummer House
Midsummer Common
Address: Midsummer Common, Cambridge CB4 1HA- Restaurant
- Rain-proof ☔
- A treat
- Romantic
- Foodie
Book a long tasting menu at the celebrated restaurant in a Victorian villa on Midsummer Common, right by the river.
Why it's a good date: One for a big anniversary or a celebration, when you want to go all out. Book well ahead and walk along the river to get there.
Cambridge Arts Theatre
St Edward's Passage, off King's Parade
Address: 6 St Edward's Passage, Cambridge CB2 3PJ- Event
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
- Big night
- Culture
See a play, a comedy or a touring show at the theatre down a little passage off King's Parade, founded by the economist John Maynard Keynes in the 1930s.
Why it's a good date: An intimate, old-fashioned night out right in the middle of town, with the pubs of Bene't Street round the corner for after.
Arts Picturehouse
St Andrew's Street, city centre
Address: 38-39 St Andrew's Street, Cambridge CB2 3AR- Event
- Rain-proof ☔
- Cheap and cheerful
- Cosy
Catch a film at the independent cinema up the stairs on St Andrew's Street, with a café bar to linger in afterwards.
Why it's a good date: A good mix of new releases and older classics, and it's dry, central and easy. Have a drink at the bar first and pick your seats.
The Polar Museum
Lensfield Road
Address: Scott Polar Research Institute, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1ER- Culture
- Rain-proof ☔
- Free
Visit the small free museum of polar exploration, with Scott's last letters, sledges, diaries and Inuit carvings.
Why it's a good date: Small enough for an hour and more moving than you'd expect. Pair it with the Fitzwilliam or the Botanic Garden, both a few minutes away.
Photo: Richard Humphrey, CC BY-SA 2.0 (cropped and resized)
Ely Cathedral
Ely, fifteen miles north of Cambridge
Address: The Chapter House, The College, Ely CB7 4DL- Trip
- Rain-proof ☔
- Mid-price
- Culture
- Out of town
Take the train fifteen minutes north to Ely and its vast cathedral, the Ship of the Fens, then climb the Octagon tower on a guided tour.
Why it's a good date: A breathtaking building in a small, friendly market town, with a riverside walk and tea rooms for after. An easy half-day out with no car needed.
Photo: Bs0u10e01, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Dates in Cambridge: quick answers
What are good rainy-day dates in Cambridge?
The Fitzwilliam Museum, Kettle's Yard and the Polar Museum are free and indoors. King's College Chapel, a film at the Arts Picturehouse or a show at the Arts Theatre keep you dry too, and the Eagle is cosy for a pint.
Are there free date ideas in Cambridge?
Lots. The Fitzwilliam, Kettle's Yard and the Polar Museum are free, so is a walk along the Backs or out to Grantchester, and evensong at King's costs nothing.
When is the best time to go punting in Cambridge?
From spring to early autumn, early in the morning or in the evening when the river is quieter. You can hire your own punt or book a chauffeured one from Quayside or Mill Lane.
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