Cambridge: worth a full day?

Cambridge is an easy day trip from London. It is the sort of place to bum around, and just admire the cityscape. Quickest trains from King's Cross station, slightly slower route from Liverpool Street station. Definitely worth a whole day. Other options (not necessarily in any order):

• Canterbury, old city, walls and cathedral.
• Portsmouth, ships of all ages.
• Oxford, rival to Cambridge
• Windsor, with castle. Nearer and possible ½ day.
• Dover, Castle, stand on the cliffs and wave at France. Further than some others.
• St Albans, Abbey, passable High Street, ruined walls of Roman town. ½ day.
• Castles aplenty (Hever, Leeds, ...), but all are outside towns and nowhere near a station.

If you are prepared to invest an overnight (or even better two), then the 5 star place top to go is York. Two hours from King's Cross by High Speed train. Cathedral, walls to walk around, city gates, old streets, Romans, Vikings, medieval, its got the lot!

I am sure others will come up with lots more.

Edit: Have you done Hampton Court yet?

It's easy to spend a day in Cambridge. You can wander the colleges to just get a feel for the place. Or you can take one of the walking tours that are offered that get you into one of the colleges. King Chapel is very much worth a visit. You can always try punting. If you can bear one more museum, the Fitzwilliam is worth the time.

Pam

You can easily while away a day in Cambridge. As students are returning for the new term, colleges may not be open to the public but they will have notices at the entrance. King's College Chapel will be open of course. The Fitzwilliam Museum has a wide-ranging collection and the geology and anthropology museums are on Downing Street. I recommend Great St Mary's church, which has a fine view from the tower (the stairs are a little cramped). You can go punting on the river or just find a congenial pub.

Whatever you do, you'll find it relaxing after London.

First, to answer your question, "Cambridge: worth a full day?"--Yes.

You have already received great information from all the above posters. I especially like ChrisF's suggestions. As Chris said, I would head to York, if you decide against Cambridge.

You have also not exhausted all the things to do in London. If you are tired of museums, there's a lot more to see in London besides museums.

Look at the website for the London Walks Company. They do themed walks around London. (Also escorted day trips out of London)
www.walks.com

One of my favorites is a guided tour to all the oldest streets remaining in London. Another favorite is a walk along Regent's Canal and the path beside it, which goes through Camden and on westward to Maida Vale and Little Venice, with its pretty houseboat community and cafes. Another favorite is a tour of London architecture, old and new. Led by an architect who points out Tudor, Victorian, Modern Architecture and more, commenting on what was torn down there to build it, and the history of each building.

Roman London is a walking tour pointing out all the remaining Roman Britain walls and the Temple of Mithra's remains, and talking about where things were in the old Roman city. You can take this tour from London Walks, or from the Museum of London. They have walking tours on some days of the week. Check their scheduled walks. www.museumoflondon.org.uk

Another interesting place is Kew Gardens. Don't know if you care for gardens, but it's interesting.

Or take a walk in each one of London's parks. They're all different. Regent's Park has interesting paths, fountains, birds, people-watching, and the London Zoo in the north-eastern part. The London Zoo is also beside the Regents Canal I mentioned earlier. You can board a canal boat there for a ride to Little Venice, an area with pretty houseboats, cafes and pubs.

From Regents Park, you can walk west just a few blocks to see Abbey Road Studios. Take a seat along one of the low brick fences on the other side of the street, and sit for awhile. Watch people walk, skip, and hop across the zebra stripes while their friends take their photo.

If this still doesn't float your boat, a short train ride west of downtown London is the beautiful (London borough of) Richmond-Upon-Thames and Richmond Park, where King Henry 8th hunted deer. A day spent walking around Richmond-Upon-Thames would be fun. Lovely area, with cafes, pubs, and a riverside view. You can use the Thames Path (alongside the river) to walk to Hampton Court Palace, which is fun to tour. Then train back to London from Hampton Court Palace.

By all means visit Canterbury. The Cathedral is wonderful.

My husband and I took the train to Cambridge in August. We had been there years ago. We took the Hop-on, Hop-off bus. It is right across from the train station. We weren't impressed with Cambridge this time around either. The bus ride was EXTREMELY uncomfortable and bumpy. We stopped by the mall, but couldn't find any where inviting to eat. We were sorry we wasted the day there.

I spent three nights in Cambridge in June 2015, toward the end of my almost-a-month in England and Wales, and thought it was great. On arrival day, I took the Cambridge Food Tour, which was tasty and fun, a good introduction to the town. Went on a university tour, although various colleges were off-limits at that time. Attended an excellent evening concert at the Kings College Chapel, a great experience. One day I spent first at the Fitzwilliam Museum and then went up to Ely and its wonderful cathedral with a stained glass museum upstairs, just 15 minutes by train from Cambridge. Plus lots of wandering around. So, for just one day, there's plenty, you'll have to choose what to see and do!

Since Frederick posted his questions over a month ago, I expect he has either been to Cambridge or skipped it by now. So Frederick, what did you end up doing and how did you like it?

For my two cents, Cambridge is definitely worth a whole day if you've done what you want to do in London. A local bus from the station into town seems like a better choice than the HOHO. Walking from the center will get you pretty much everywhere you'll want to go.

Sounds like you need a rest, forget Cambridge and spend the day pub hopping :o) grab some food at Borough Market and wander through Winter Wonderland before it gets dark and hence too busy.