Cambridge is a walking city built around the colleges
A compact Cambridge guide to the colleges, the Backs, the River Cam, and the two food stops on my map.
- Updated
- Jul 24, 2026
Cambridge makes sense on foot. The colleges fill the center, the River Cam runs behind them, and the older streets are close enough together that there is no reason to build a complicated route.
Start around King's Parade and the market, then work north or south through the college streets. The Backs are the green spaces behind the colleges along the river. This is where the familiar Cambridge view comes from: lawns, stone bridges, punts, and college buildings seen from the water.
Punting is the obvious river activity, either with a guide or on your own. The guided version lets somebody else handle the pole while explaining which college you are looking at. If you go alone, expect the first few minutes to be less elegant than the photographs.
Places in Cambridge
Eating around the walk
My Cambridge food map is still short, so these are pins rather than a complete survey of the city.
Arepa's Station is the casual Venezuelan stop on the list. The Clarendon Arms is the pub, east of the busiest college streets and better suited to sitting down after the river and the center.
The important thing here is not to let lunch turn into the guide. Cambridge is about the streets, colleges, chapels, and river. The two food pins are simply useful places already on my map.