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Getting to Cambridge
Visas
You may require a visa to enter the United Kingdom. It is your responsiblity to check your requirements. If you require a formal letter of invitation to enable your visa application please contact us.
Airports
The nearest international airports to Cambridge are London Stansted, London Luton, London City, London Heathrow and London Gatwick (in order of distance, nearest first). You can get to Cambridge by coach, train or taxi.
Taxis
Black cabs or taxis hired outside airports can be three times the price of a pre-booked taxi. If you would like us to book you a taxi from the airport please contact us.
Coaches
Coaches are operated from the London airports by National Express. If you intend to come by coach we advise you to book your ticket in advance, although it should be said that those coaches are rarely ever completely full. It just gives you a bit more peace of mind, and doesn't cost any more than buying a ticket from the ticket office. Choose from here with Cambridge as your destination. Total journey time from Heathrow is about 2.5 hours, from Gatwick 3.5 to 4 hours, from Stansted 40 minutes, and from Luton 1.5 hours. Note that some of these services are infrequent.
Coaches arrive in Cambridge at the Drummer Street Coach and Bus Station, served by local buses and taxis.
Trains
When traveling by train, national rail time tables can be accessed from the National Rail web site, where tickets can be purchased in advance. Some railway tickets are cheaper if bought in advance.
- Heathrow: the faster (but more expensive) option is to take the Heathrow Express train to London Paddington station, then the Underground (metro) to King's Cross station, and a train to Cambridge. The alternative is to take an Underground train direct from Heathrow to King's Cross station, and then a regular train. In either case, the journey time is just over 2 hours.
- Gatwick: take a Thameslink train to King's Cross Thameslink station, walk a few hundred metres to the King's Cross mainline station (signposted), then take a regular train to Cambridge. Total journey time is about 2 hours.
- Stansted: the train is slightly faster (30 minutes) than the coach (40 minutes), but a little more expensive.
- Luton: your only sensible option is to catch a coach; journeys by train would need to go into London first (and Luton airport is located in between London and Cambridge).
- London City: London City airport is located very close to the centre of London. It serves major European cities. See the London City Airport web site for details. There is a shuttle bus from the airport that connects with the London Underground network.
Train or boat from the continent
London can be reached from Paris or Brussels by the Eurostar train which uses the channel tunnel. You will arrive at London St Pancras International station which is a short walk from King's Cross station. Follow the train directions above to Cambridge.
There are also various boat connections from France, Belgium and Holland which have train connections to London or directly to Cambridge.
Getting around Cambridge
- Taxi stands are located at the railway station, bus station (Drummer Street) and Market Square in the city centre. The taxi stands are depicted with a white car on a blue square on the maps.
- The bus station is located at Drummer Street.
- The train station is located more than a mile to the south of the city centre. There is a regular bus service to Drummer Street bus station and the University West Site which is close to the Institute of Astronomy.
- The IoA site is served by nearby buses, including the Uni 4 and Citi 4. Here is a map of local bus services, and timetables are available here.
- There is a pleasant walk from the Institute of Astronomy to the city centre which takes about 30 minutes. This route is to cross Madingley Road, go down Clarke Maxwell Road, then take the Coton footpath to Adams Road, follow Adams Road, then Burrell's Walk, and finally down Garret Hostel Lane across the river into the centre of town.