City Sightseeing Cambridge

Exploring Cambridge by bus

What is the most touristy thing you can do in Cambridge? Yes, it is the Hop-on, Hop-off Bus! Ever since I came to Cambridge I have always wanted to get on this bus, just for the fun of it. If you are a resident in a city you usually never do these obvious touristy things, but I thought I’d give it a go, as sometimes these activities turn out to be quite interesting and you might learn something completely new about the city you live in.

So when my parents came to visit I thought that this was the perfect opportunity to try out this kind of city sightseeing and to help them get a better overview of Cambridge. It is actually really helpful for people who have never been to Cambridge as the bus takes a full loop tour from Silver Street (Queens’ College), passing all the main tourist attractions in the city centre, going all the way to the station and even to the American Cemetery on Madingley Road far out in the western part of Cambridge.

Sightseeing Cambridge

hoponhopoffbus

Tickets are 15 GBP per person and are valid 24 hours. You can purchase them online or from the bus driver, which is what we did. The buses depart on a frequency of 20 minutes from 10:05 am to 4:45 pm and you can obviously hop on and hop off on any of the 19 tour stops. The tickets come with ear phones, which you can plug in next to your seat, and you can choose your tour guide from nine different languages, which are English, Spanish, German, Italian, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, and Russian. So it is also convenient for guests and tourists who do not understand English very well and prefer the commentary in their native language. However, we experienced some difficulties with the ear plugs as some connectors appeared to be faulty.

Bus Cambridge
I think the city sightseeing bus is a relaxed way to explore Cambridge, especially on a Sunday as it takes an extra tour through the very centre of town on Trinity and Sidney Street on Sundays only. And Cambridge is usually crowded with people at the weekends, so it is nice to watch the hustle and bustle from the bus and still have the freedom to jump right into it if you fancy it.

Market Square Cambridge
I recall learning some new things about Cambridge, for example that the station was built rather outside of Cambridge far away from the colleges, so students would not be distracted by the possibility of hopping on a train to London to indulge themselves in the city’s many attractions. However, with some ear plug sockets being broken, the loud motor of the bus, and the airstream upstairs, I was unable to follow all the commentary. But I believe if you just listen very carefully you can make the most of your 15 Pounds and enhance your knowledge about Cambridge by hopping on and off the city sightseeing bus.

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