The second oldest university in the UK, Cambridge is named for the River Cam, which flows through it like a greenish-blueish, thin satin ribbon. 

On a warm summer’s day, scores of punts and boats filled to toppling with holidaymakers or students celebrating the end of an assignment jostle for space on the normally placid surface of the Cam, watched indulgently by picnickers on the banks. Cambridge is wonderfully old-world: quiet streets through which students pedal past on bicycles; green lawns; old colleges with beautiful architecture - all very evocative of an era long past.  

The colleges of Cambridge are legion. Many of them have amazing histories attached to them; many have imparted education to illustrious personages; and nearly all have striking architecture. Although visitors are usually not allowed into colleges (other than in chapels and halls), there are some colleges worth looking at, even if only from the outside. Among the most well-known are King’s College, whose chapel, now nearly 600 years old, is a brilliant example of Gothic architecture; Trinity College, the largest, and well worth a visit; Emmanuel College partly designed by Christopher Wren, it also has a pretty duck pond and extensive gardens; and Magdalene College, whose library, the Pepys Library, contains the notes of Samuel Pepys.

 But Cambridge is not all about colleges. The Mathematical Bridge, supposedly designed by Sir Isaac Newton, is built to an ingenious mathematical design that allows it to stand without a single nail. Merton Hall is the oldest house in Cambridge, dating back to the 1100s; the Fitzwilliam Museum, which has an excellent collection of art and antiques, and the American War Cemetery, which lies outside town. All along one side of the river, there is a lovely, dreamy stretch of green called the ‘Backs’ that one can never tire of walking through; for more verdant vistas, make sure you visit the Botanical Gardens off Fitzwilliam street.

There are hop-on, hop-off bus services that go through the town; alternatively, cars or more appropriately, bicycles can be hired if you’d rather get around on your own.

It’s fairly easy to get to Cambridge; there are regular trains and buses to the town. The train from London takes about an hour and a half, while the bus takes about two hours. Or you can drive down from London along the M11 highway. Once you’re in the town, you’ll be able to find accommodation- B&Bs, small hotels, plus a couple of bigger chain hotels. There are a number of restaurants, cafés and other eateries to take care of all your gastronomical needs.