The Smooth Guide to Cambridge: The City

coming to Cambridge on holiday or on a business trip?
don't leave it to chance - plan your trip in advance with our guide to travel, accommodation, entertainment and leisure in the city.

Cambridge has only one hill, which is said locally to be the highest piece of land as far to the east as the Urals. The hill is why the city of Cambridge exists; the scholars didn’t arrive until more than 1100 years after traders had settled around that singular piece of high land. Today, Castle Mound seems very small - easily dwarfed by the university buildings which are now the rather more spectacular focus of the city centre.

But while the centre of town is visibly dominated by the university, Cambridge itself retains its own character and remains a centre of trade in the local area. The city offers visitors and residents a whole range of services, activities and entertainment. Cambridge is also a centre of technology, and city residents and tradespeople have been quick to utilise the web, so a great deal of information about the city is available on the net. Our list of links below points you to some of the most important sites, and over the coming weeks we will be building up our own collection of basic information, articles and reviews to help guide you through the city.

Provided on the Cambridge University Area Information server:
Train travel: The London to Cambridge rail timetable
Air travel: Phone numbers and addresses of the three principal
national airports and Cambridge and Norwich airports
Bus and Coach travel: Phone numbers of Cambridge
bus and coach companies, and information about airport coach services
Car Hire: Phone numbers of car hire companies
and breakdown services in Cambridge
Taxis : Phone numbers of taxi firms serving Cambridge
Bike hire: Phone numbers of bike hire shops

From the City Council:
Car parking: Information about car parking in
Cambridge, including details of the Park and Ride scheme and car parking charges

Hotels and Guest Houses: Cambridgeshire County Council's
directory of accommodation in Cambridge and the rest of the county
Accommodation in Cambridge: exhaustive list of hotels, guest houses
and bed and breakfasts in the city, giving prices and contact details, from the
Cambridge Tourist Information Centre
HotelNet: a list and some details of the major hotels in Cambridge
Smooth Hound's Hotel & Guest House Directory: some hotels
and guest houses in the Cambridge, Stansted and surrounding area

Restaurants in Cambridge: Reviews of over 75 Cambridge
restaurants, in varying detail, covering the following categories:
| Pizza and pasta places | Indian Restaurants | Greek Restaurants |
| 'Haute Cuisine' | Fast Food Outlets | Pub Food |
| Sandwich/bun/cake shops | Everything Else |
Chinese Food in Cambridge: Personal reviews; also
contains information about Chinese supermarkets, takeaways and recipes
The Cambridge Curry Survey 1995: Chatty reviews of 19
Chinese restaurants. Includes ratings, but no details of prices, location etc

Cambridge Pub Guide: Brief reviews of many pubs in central Cambridge
A Guide to Cambridge Pubs: Includes historical anecdotes
about city centre pubs, and quick reviews covering atmosphere, quality of ale, etc
The Six Bells: Hailed here as the 'firstpub on the internet', it has a free terminal
so you can surf with a pint of ale. The web site doesn't give much information
about the pub, however
The Zebra Pub: Lots of information about the pub, including a
menu and an 'email your lunch order' facility

Cambridge Corn Exchange: A well maintained, accessible
site with plenty of graphics, detailing the programme of this major
venue from now until November
The Junction: A large, useful site, with great graphics, and
programme details for the followingtypes of event:
| Live Music | Comedy | Workshops | Visual Arts | Films |
| Late Night Club | Dance/Theatre | Cross Art Form |
What's On guide: From the Cambridge Evening News. Gives brief
details of events, sometimes lacking contact information:
| Classical Concerts | Jazz Concerts | club directory
| Folk Music | gig guide |
Cambridge Concert Calendar: A list of classical concerts
held at West Road Concert Hall (part of Cambridge University), with
booking details
Cambridge Modern Jazz Club: Some listings, but apparently
not updated since June. Membership details are provided
Cambridge Folk Club Home Page: Information about
the club, but with very basic listings and no graphics
Bart's Brief Guide to Happening Things
Happening in Cambridge: Listing of club and film events, only up
to mid-July
Music Events in Cambridge: Unofficial listing of Corn
Exchange and Junction events - not a lot of detail
The Boat Race: Two month programme for this popular pub
venue run by a voluntary group
The Greyhound: DJs, disco and rock at this city pub -
one week guide

Arts Cinema: Programme details, box office information
and film reviews from this popular small 'alternative' cinema
Cambridge Corn Exchange: A well maintained, accessible
site with plenty of graphics, detailing the programme of this major
venue from now until November
ADC Theatre: Comprehensive information about the University
playhouse, including access, advance booking and programmes
Stage Diary: Basic listings from theCambridge Evening News
Current programmes, dates, theatre addresses and box office phone numbers
Cambridge Cinema Programmes: Weekly listings for main
Cambridge cinemas, including Warner Brothers and ABC, with links to film
reviews from London Calling
Cambridge Theatres: Just names and addresses, from the
Cambridge University server

Cambridge Museums: Infromationabout Cambridge University museums,
with detail on history, collections, staff, teaching, research, funding and public access.
Includes principal art museum The Fitzwilliam and modern art gallery Kettle's Yard
Art Exhibitions Guide: From the Cambridge Evening News.
Quite basic listings, giving an overview for the coming week
Visual Arts at the Junction: Forthcoming art events and exhibitions
at this large multi-purpose venue
Information on Visual Arts Events in the Cambridge area:
From the From the Cambridge Visual Arts Page. The site includes showpages of
work by artists in the group Cambridge Artworks, and listings for exhibitions,
courses and workshops in and around town

Summer in the City: The Council's LeisureProgramme for the
summer, with a whole range of theatre, music and entertainment events
Cambridge Canoe Club: Basic information about the club,
and an email facility for membership applications
Cambridge Climbing and Caving Club: Contact numbers,
lists of events and meetings, and information about the club
The Unofficial Cambridge United Homepage: Match reports,
history, player profiles and latest news
Cantilena Choir: Very basic information about the choir,
and an email address
Cambridge Dancers Club: Information about the club in general
and about classes and events
Strange Blue - Cambridge Ultimate Frisbee Club: Visitors
welcome!

What's On in Cambridge: From the City Council's Online City site, including
very basic information (dates and times) for the DHL Cambridge Children's Festival
and Festival Family Days, the circus, firework nights, and pantomimes
Summer in the City: The Council's LeisureProgramme for the
summer, with events for children such as puppet shows and workshops, magic and
theatre. A comprehensive, very graphic site
Art Workshops: From the From the Cambridge Visual Arts Page. Includes adult
workshops, courses and exhibitions as well. Samples of children's work can
be seen on the site

This page last updated 12 April 1998