sights in Cambridge

Whatever else you see , be certain to visit King's College Chapel , the most exquisite example of a fan vaulted ceiling you could see. We spent four days on a visit there , and had more time to delve deeply . A few rarely visited highlights for us included Newnham College - wonderful late Victorian architecture , and since we have a long time interest in polar exploration ( particularly the 1910 race to the South Pole ) , the artifacts and diaries in the museum at The Scott Polar Research Institute , captivated us . Of the other colleges , St John's and Queens , were notable . Have a look here - http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/

Bill,
I agree that King's College Chapel is marvelous to visit. If you are interested in museums, there is the Fitzwilliam Museum which has art, medieval armor and illustrated manuscripts galore. Also, I recall art and texts illustrated by William Blake. A jewel of a museum - we loved it!

Cambridge is a fun place to just walk around, explore alleyways and the backs of the colleges and admire the city and just people watch. The Fitzwilliam museum is excellent. Climb the bell tower of Great St Mary's Church, directly across from King's college, for magnificent views. Check out the market in the main square. Do a tour of the colleges. If interested in WWII history you can visit the American cemetery or the wonderful Imperial War Air Museum at nearby Duxford. There is a beautiful National Trust property, Angelsey Abbey Gardens and Lode Mill, right on the outskirts of Cambridge that is well worth a visit to see its stately home, peaceful gardens, meandering river and mill. With so much to see and do, you will be busy.

a Chelsea Bun at Fitzwillies

a punt

a walk in Parkers Piece

stroll the market

the Botanical Gardens

walk the backs

.... have a lovely time ....

An odd suggestion but a fascinating place:

The Museum at the Polar Research Institute is fun if you have any interest in exploration and derring-do.

We loved the Fitzwilliam and going punting.

I was just in Cambridge a week ago. I would highly suggest punting up the river. When you arrive in Cambridge, there will be a lot of students trying to sell you a punting tour. I think I got approached about 5 times in one afternoon. Most tours will start out about 17.00 pounds for an adult. However, there are many of these punting companies and you can barter the price. We were a party of six and we negotiated a very reasonable price. I have family who live near Cambridge and we love the punting on the river. Its a lot of fun. Don't miss it.

Thanks all so much for the advice, all those venues sound great !
Bill