We had the good fortune of spending a few weeks in Cambridge this summer. It gave me enough time to get to know this wonderful "other" University town. Coming from Oxford, it is only natural for me to draw comparisons between the two cities. Here's my take on Cambridge. I really like it! It is smaller that Oxford and is a bit less inundated with tourists. It is designed with a ring road that is closer in to the city center than at Oxford. Buses and most cars are only allowed out past the ring road so the center of the city is much easier to navigate than Oxford. Since you don't have to complete with any buses, taxis or cars, downtown Cambridge accommodates the crowds and hordes of bicycles better that Oxford does.
Like Oxford, Cambridge has a river that is central to the city. Many of the oldest and most prominent colleges were built along the Cam river. It isn't possible to walk along the river bank much at Cambridge but you can enjoy the view of the colleges from the park space called "the Backs", as well as from a punt boat on the river. And the walk along the river to Grantchester is lovely.
There are 31 colleges in Cambridge and three of them admit women only. Oxford has 38 colleges and 6 private halls and it no longer has any women only colleges. Like Oxford, Cambridge colleges have stunning architecture and beautiful grounds and chapels. Unlike Oxford, it is easier to tour the colleges at Cambridge since all college chapels are open to the public at select times, and most of the colleges are also open for visits. As such, Cambridge has a more casual and accessible feel to it.
There is also the sense of growth and expansion at Cambridge that isn't so obvious in Oxford. Several science and research parks dot the surrounding neighborhoods at Cambridge and new ones are being built each year. New housing also surrounds the city, in part because there is more available land there, but also in part because of the growing tech and science companies in Cambridge that are providing jobs.
The public parks and outdoor spaces in Cambridge are also wonderful and well loved. It was fun to walk through the parks each evening and see so many families and groups of people enjoying the beautiful common outdoor space. Oxford also have lovely parks but they aren't as connected as they are in Cambridge.
The weather is a bit harsher in Cambridge. We were there during a summer heat wave and I noticed that Cambridge was on average 5-6 degrees warmer than Oxford. I've been told it that in winter, it is colder there too. I do love the more mild climate of Oxford.
We ventured out to the surrounding country side to see Ely Cathedral, The American War cemetery, some National Trust properties and the Norfolk coast. It seemed to me that Oxford has far more interesting places to visit within an hour's drive than Cambridge. Being on the edge of the Cotswolds, the Chiltern Hills, and with all the many National Trust properties that are abundant in Oxfordshire, Oxford wins in the day trips department. That said, I did find the Cambridgeshire countryside to be beautiful. It is rich fertile farmland that was once marshland (or fenland, as they call it here), that was drained about 200 years ago.
If you plan to visit Cambridge you are in for a treat. Here is my list of favorite places and spaces:
King's College and King's College Chapel
St. John's College and the Bridge of Sighs
Trinity College
The Backs
The Fitzwilliam Museum (I especially loved the Sampler exhibition)
The Christopher Wren Library
Gelato from Aromi
For more information on Cambridge:
Oxford and Cambridge university colleges hold £21bn in riches
Oxbridge Explained
15 of Cambridge’s most surprising and successful alumni of all time
So who is good enough to get into Cambridge?
The Mathematical Bridge at Queen's College
One of the most persistent myths on the river cam is that Queens' bridge was designed by Sir Isaac Newton and originally built without any kind of connection at the joints. Further stories have suggested that a group of students (or professors, depending on the storyteller) disassembled the bridge to discover how it stood up and then couldn't put it back together. The bridge was supposedly then rebuilt using rather prominent bolts.
In fact, the bridge was originally built 22 years after the great physicist's death and, although it has been rebuilt twice to the same design, there have always been fixings at the joints. However, the fixings on the original bridge were less visible than those on the current structure, possibly leading to the myth of the curious but inept students.
King's College and King's Chapel as seen from "The Backs"
The Chapel is considered the grandest and most beautiful building in Cambridge and ranks amongst the most important examples of perpendicular (late gothic) architecture.
Our Cambridge stay was made all the more fun because our daughter joined us for a few days of exploring.
Lavender season in Cambridge
King's College Chapel took over a century to build and spanned four kings. It has the largest fan vault in the world and some of the finest medieval stained glass. It is also the venue for the Christmas Eve service A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols which was first broadcast in 1928 and is now broadcast to millions of people around the world.
Trinity Lane is one of my favorite streets in Cambridge. I love the myriad chimney stacks.
Trinity College during a summer drought
St. John's Chapel
Bridge of Sighs at St. John's
St. John's College
Summer traffic jam on the river Cam
Delights from the Cambridge market. It's open 7 days a week and is a foodie's paradise.
