Life in Cambridge

For such a small city, Cambridge has a lot to offer. The University is integral to the city and this relationship ensures rich and diverse cultural opportunities, from world-class museums, excellent restaurants and wonderful music, via superb private and state schools to an integrated and progressive transport system providing easy access to London, the rest of UK, and Europe via Stansted Airport and Eurostar from St Pancras.

Where to live?

The University of Cambridge is made up of many Colleges, faculties and departments. They are located all over the city, with a concentration of institutions in the centre of Cambridge and to the west.

We advise that you first find out where your department, faculty or college is located. You can then focus your search for accommodation accordingly. We can help you answer any questions you might have about areas of the city and transport links.

Getting around Cambridge

The centre of Cambridge is quite small, and most University facilities have excellent access by foot or bicycle. Cycling is a very popular form of transport in Cambridge, and you can find plenty of cycle shops throughout the city. UK Cycle Rules provides good information about cycling laws.

We recommend that you keep a bicycle lock with you, and that you lock up your bike securely. Cambridge is a relatively safe town, with low crime rates, but bicycle theft is a problem.

Cambridge has comprehensive bus services both within the city, and its surrounding area. European Bioinformatics runs a free coach service from a number of locations around the city to their campus near Hinxton – they can provide you with a map of the routes.

A car is of questionable value in the city because Cambridge's streets are narrow, and parking spaces are both limited in availability and expensive. The University does not as a matter of course provide parking spaces.

More on Cambridge transport can be found under the Visiting Cambridge tab.