Cambridge, England at Christmas

Almost everything in the UK closes from lunchtime on Xmas Eve and all of Xmas Day: shops, public transport (as in SHUT DOWN COMPELTELY), etc. Many people from other countries really can't believe this. On the other hand, many country house hotels or other places of accommodation offer Xmas or New Year's packages which feature copious meals, entertainment, etc, for 2-3 days at these periods, which can be a lovely escape if you like that sort of things. But pretty muchanything else you can imagine -- anywhere in the country -- will be closed. Really...

SJ, Thanks for answering this. So, to clarify, if we were there for several weeks (December 20-January 6, or so) then the University and other attractions would be open except for the 24-26?

Just to add on to what SJ said below about holiday closing in the UK. . .December 26, Boxing Day, is also a day when much is closed. We visited a friend for Christmas in Nottingham in 1994, when we were living in London. Being a bit unaware, we had bought tickets to fly to Sicily on December 26. There was NO public transportation running that day, no buses, no trains. Our kind friend drove us to Heathrow, 3 hours each way! I don't know if the same is still true; but you should assume that the Brits, in fact most Europeans, take their holidays much more seriously than do Americans. It's not that they are particularly religious. It's that they value time for family, friends, and relaxation so highly.

I was unable to find details of Christmas opening on the University of Cambridge website, and each college makes its own decisions. However, King's College Chapel is closed from 23 December 2008 to 4 January 2009 inclusive, re-opening on Monday 5 January 2009.

You will, of course, have no problems seeing the outside of college buildings, just by walking the streets. A good occupation for a sunny December day when everything else is closed.

Thanks, everyone. That helps me a lot with planning my schedule!