Travel

Rail

There are frequent trains to Cambridge from King's Cross and Liverpool Street stations in London. The King's Cross line is the faster, and during the main part of the day there are two non-stop services an hour, taking only fifty minutes. There are no trains between midnight and 05:45.

Connections to Cambridge from the north and from the west are via Peterborough.

A full train timetable is available from railtrack, the Deutsche Bahn or from thetrainline where you can also buy tickets in advance. PTI also offer comprehensive UK public transport information. If you have light luggage, the railway station is 20 minutes walk from Peterhouse. There are also taxis and local buses from the railway station.

Air

Stansted

London's Stansted airport lies only 35 kilometers south of Cambridge. It specialises in low-price airlines (buzz, Go and Ryanair) which offer connections from many European cities. In comparison with Heathrow, immigration and baggage delays are (usually) minimal at Stansted. Given this, and given the proximity of Stansted to Cambridge and the low cost of the flights, we recommend choosing Stansted rather than Heathrow wherever possible, and even if this choice entails travelling a little further in your own country.

From London Stansted there are frequent bus (National Express) and train services to Cambridge. The one-way fare on the bus is currently £8. Peterhouse is a ten-minute walk from the Cambridge central bus station (Drummer Street). If you would like to take a taxi from Stansted direct to your Cambridge hotel, we recommend the firm AirportLynx (+44 (0) 1954 201350; info@airportlynx.co.uk), who will meet your flight if you pre-book: their current price is approximately £32. This is an attractive and economical option if several people are travelling to the same hotel. A taxi hired at the airport will be significantly more expensive.

Luton

There are low-cost flights from several European cities to Luton airport, which lies 50 kilometers south-west of Cambridge. Airlines operating to Luton include Ryanair and Easyjet.

Ground transportation from Luton to Cambridge is less convenient than from Stansted, but there is a bus service every two hours (National Express).

Heathrow

Bus services to Cambridge run normally every hour from the Central Bus Station at Heathrow (follow the signs), and the journey time is two hours. Alternatively you can take the underground (Piccadilly line) from Heathrow to King's Cross station in central London (50 minutes) and then the train to Cambridge. (Taking the very fast but also more expensive Heathrow Express to London Paddington is another option but you then still have to take the Underground or taxi to get to London King's Cross.)

Although the bus route will usually be slightly slower it is also more convenient (especially if you have heavy luggage) and it will deliver you directly to the centre of Cambridge.

Gatwick

We do not recommend travelling to Cambridge via London Gatwick: there is no direct rail connection, and the coach connection takes three or more hours.

Car

Peterhouse lies at the south-west edge of the inner city. Access is most convenient from M11 junctions 11 (A10) and 12 (A603). The centre of the city is a pedestrian area and it is not easy to reach Peterhouse from the north and northeast. If approaching from these directions, the best strategy is to skirt the city by the northern by-pass (A14) and to drive south on the M11 to junction 12, entering the city from the west.

Parking in central Cambridge is difficult and expensive, but free parking will be available for those staying in Peterhouse.

Cambridge: General Information

General Tourist Information is available on the University web server.

A map is available online to indicate the route to Peterhouse from train or coach station (used with permission from Cambridge Arts Marketing).

Last modified September 9, 2002 - contact webmaster