Cambridge is a city on the River Cam in eastern England, home to the world-famous University of Cambridge, dating to 1209. There is plenty to do for free in Cambridge, including visiting museums and parks and watching the punts on the River Cam. Cambridge is such a great destination if you’re looking for free things to do. Here are just a handful of ideas.
Fitzwilliam Museum
Trumpington St, Cambridge CB2 1RB
The Fitzwilliam Museum is the lead partner of the University of Cambridge Museums (UCM) collections and Botanic Garden. From antiquity to today, the Fitzwilliam houses a world-renowned collection of over half a million beautiful works of art, masterpiece paintings and historical artefacts.
Museum of Zoology
https://www.museum.zoo.cam.ac.uk/
Downing Pl, Cambridge CB2 3EJ
The University Museum of Zoology is one of Cambridge’s major attractions. Their galleries showcase the diversity of animal life, from marsupials to monkeys, mammoths to manatees. Visit them to discover stories of extinction, survival, evolution and exploration. You can visit any time and do not need to pre-book a ticket to visit the Museum of Zoology.
The Mill Pond – The River Cam
Head to Mill Pond, especially in the summer months, for a lively river area, from punts on the river to kids swimming and people fishing and sunbathing. It is such a lovely area to take a picnic or stroll around.
Lammas Land Pool
https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/lammas-land-pool
Cambridge CB3 9EY
You can access Lammas Land Pool via Barton Road; it is a small, shallow paddling pool which is free to use and open daily. The site also has a large playground with swings, slides, climbing frames, toilets, and a refreshment kiosk.
Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences
http://www.sedgwickmuseum.org/
University Of, Downing Pl, Cambridge CB2 3EQ
The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences is the oldest of the University of Cambridge museums, established in 1728 as the Woodwardian Museum. Since then, the collection has grown from about 10,000 fossils, minerals and rocks to at least 2 million. A walk through the museum will take you on a 4.5 billion year journey through time, from the meteoritic building blocks of planets to the thousands of fossils of animals and plants that illustrate the evolution of life in the oceans, on land and in the air.
Grantchester Meadows
Grantchester is a quaint village beside the River Cam, home to thatched cottages, Grantchester Church, and several pubs. It’s known for the Orchard Tea Garden and former village resident, poet Rupert Brooke. Visitors often arrive on foot via riverside Grantchester Meadows or pole punts up the river.
King’s College Evensong
King’s Parade, Cambridge CB2 1ST
Evensong is at 5.30 pm Monday to Saturday and 3.30 pm on Sunday during term time (please note that there are no choral services out of term). Tickets are not required. Just head to the front gate of the College, on King’s Parade, 30 minutes before the start time of the service.
The Wren Library
Trinity St, Cambridge CB2 1TQ
The Wren Library houses 750 incunabula, the Capell collection of Shakespeariana, many books from the library of Sir Isaac Newton, including his annotated copy of the Principia Mathematica, the Rothschild collection of 18th-century literature, the Kessler collection of livres d’artistes, and over 70,000 books printed before 1820.
The Market Square
https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/markets
Market Hill, Cambridge CB1 0SS
This outdoor market showcases gourmet food stalls, plus Cambridge University clothing and souvenirs. On Trinity Street in All Saints Garden, there is an arts and crafts market every Saturday where everything is handmade. Traders sell jewellery, pottery and sculpture, photography, paintings, prints, and clothing.
Quayside
Punting is one of the main attractions when it comes to Quayside. Home to five punting companies and five food and drink establishments, it is a lovely area to relax and do some people-watching.
Kettle’s Yard
Castle St, Cambridge CB3 0AQ
Kettle’s Yard is the University of Cambridge’s modern and contemporary art gallery. Kettle’s Yard is a beautiful House with a remarkable collection of modern art and a gallery that hosts modern and contemporary art exhibitions.
Museum Of Archaeology And Anthropology
Downing St., Cambridge CB2 3DZ
MAA is a museum of humanity’s history over hundreds of thousands of years, world cultures over recent centuries, and Indigenous life and art in the present. MAA is also a local museum. For nearly 140 years, it has been the place where archaeological finds from Cambridge and our region are preserved, researched and displayed.