🔍 Hidden Gems of Cambridge: Beyond the Usual Tourist Trail
#cambridgetrips
Cambridge is famous for its historic colleges, punting, and iconic sights, but if you venture off the beaten path, you’ll find some incredible hidden gems that most visitors miss. Here are some of the best secret spots in the city!
🌆 See Cambridge from Above: The Best View in Town
📍 Great St Mary’s Church Tower – Climb 123 steps to the top of this hidden viewpoint and get panoramic views of the city, including King’s College Chapel and the River Cam—perfect for golden-hour photos!
📚 The Hidden Libraries & Secret College Corners
📍 Wren Library at Trinity College – A stunning, book-filled haven designed by Sir Christopher Wren, housing handwritten works by Newton, AA Milne’s Winnie the Pooh, and Shakespeare’s First Folio.
📍 Pepys Library at Magdalene College – A hidden literary treasure, holding Samuel Pepys’ famous diaries from the 1600s.
🏰 Unique & Overlooked Historic Sites
📍 The Round Church – One of only four medieval round churches in England, dating back to 1130—a small but fascinating step back in time.
📍 The Corpus Clock – A mysterious golden clock with a creepy “time-eating” grasshopper—designed by a Cambridge physicist and officially unveiled by Stephen Hawking!
🌿 Secret Gardens & Quiet Retreats
📍 Clare College Fellows’ Garden – A hidden oasis where you can relax by the river, away from the crowds. Best visited in spring when the flowers are in full bloom!
📍 The Orchard Tea Garden (Grantchester) – A riverside escape just outside Cambridge, where famous writers like Virginia Woolf and Rupert Brooke once gathered—perfect for an afternoon tea break.
💡 Extra Hidden Gems & Tips
✔ Mathematical Bridge – This wooden bridge at Queens’ College is an engineering marvel, once rumored to have been built without nails (spoiler: it was, but still impressive!).
✔ Kettle’s Yard – A quirky art house & museum, filled with modern and contemporary art in a homey setting.
✔ The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences – Cambridge’s oldest museum, packed with fossils, meteorites, and even a dinosaur skeleton!
Cambridge is full of surprises, and these hidden gems will make your trip even more magical! Which one would you visit first? ✨