No trip to the UK would be complete without a visit to Cambridge. The university city is a delightful, pretty place, with the River Cam running through it. Cambridge is perfect for punting or cycling and full of interesting independent tea shops and high-quality restaurants.
Choose when you visit the city and your trip may coincide with one of the many cultural activities which take place. On the first Saturday in June, the Strawberry Fair, a free music and children's fair, takes place. For one week in May the annual Cambridge Beer Festival is held.
Add to that the Cambridge Folk Festival, Cambridge Summer Music, the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival and the Cambridge Film Festival and you're spoiled for choice.
There's plenty to do and a trip to Cambridge doesn't need to break the bank as we give you five free cultural activities to do in Cambridge all year round.
1.Kingly singing: Kings College Chapel Evensong
King's College Chapel is famed for its choral services, in particular the evensong services (check for specific times and dates). As well as fine singing, the chapel itself is worthy of a visit. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture. The chapel was built in phases by a succession of kings of England from 1446 to 1515, a period which spanned the Wars of the Roses.
2.Walk in the footsteps of giants
Explore Cambridge by talking a stroll from your hotel along the river going east from the Quayside pass Jesus Green, Midsummer Common and Stourbridge Common. This route will give you an insight into the university's many colleges and is picture-postcard pretty with elegant bridges, green lawns and graceful willows. So many famous people went to Cambridge university you will be retracing the steps of so many well-known names including 15 British prime ministers, the poet William Wordsworth, the writer CS Lewis and physicist Stephen Hawking, as recently seen in the film The Theory of Everything.
3. Step back in time: Fitzwilliam Museum
Open every day except Mondays, the Fitzwilliam Museum is the art and antiquities museum of the university of Cambridge. With more than half a million incredible artworks in its collection, the museum is one of the most impressive regional museums in Europe, and presents world history and art from as far back as 2500 BC to the present day. Admission to the museum, which was founded in 1816, is free.
4.Enjoy a classic tale: Trinity College's Wren Library
Take a trip to Trinity's Wren Library to see some extraordinary books. The library contains several display cases containing some of the college's most treasured books, including Newton's own copy of Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica and AA Milne's autographed copy of Winnie-the-Pooh. Plus there are handwritten notes by Robert Oppenheimer describing atomic bomb testing and a collection of poems by John Milton. Designed by noted architect Christopher Wren and built in 1695, the library is worth having a good look at as well as the books! Visits to the library are free but check opening times.
5.Get lost in art: Sculpture trails
Cambridge has more than 60 works of sculpture within easy reach of the city centre. There are three separate sculpture walks around the city, letting you discover a rich diversity of art and see some interesting parts of Cambridge at the same time. The three guides are available at the Cambridge Tourist Information Centre. They contain information about the sculptures, the artists and maps to help find them. The shortest trail takes about two hours - so comfortable shoes are recommended!