Cambridge is blessed with a large number of pubs. We have listed fifty of them here but this is by no means a complete list.

King Street. These pubs are near to Christ's, so you have no excuse not to visit them.

The Jolly Scholar (the pub formerly known as The Bun Shop). The expensive food and rather soulless interior mark this out as an unashamed gastropub. There are still some remnants of its previous incarnation, including the 'Oak Joke', a condemned punt suspended from the ceiling. Sic transit gloria mundi.

The Champion of the Thames. A good place for a cheap pint of IPA. There is usually a fire in the winter. The atmosphere is that of a traditional pub and the Champ has connections with Christ's rowing and rugby.

The King Street Run. Definitely a townie pub. From the outside, it looks very off-putting. There will almost certainly be a group of deranged-looking men sporting shaven heads and tattoos loitering outside.

The St Radegund. The smallest pub in Cambridge and one of the best. You may well find the author drinking here. There is always a good selection of well-kept ales, including some from the Milton Brewery, the nearest to Cambridge. Avoid Mondays though, as several dozen joggers will turn up around 9pm, turning the place into a reasonable approximation of the Black Hole of Calcutta.

Elm Street and environs. A five minute walk from Christ's. Some or all of these will feature in the initial pub crawl.

The Elm Tree. A cosy place serving good ale. The Elm Tree has the largest selection of Belgian beers in town, as well as a variety of ciders and perries. There are some board games scattered about and live folk music is occasionally perpetrated.

The Free Press. A short stagger from the Elm Tree, if you want to add some variety to an evening's drinking.

The First and Last (formerly known as The Cricketers). Good food, perhaps the best chips in Cambridge. A few good ales, sometimes quite exotic. Rather erratic in opening and closing times.

The Clarendon Arms. Quite good food and a small beer garden. A reasonable choice of ales. There is a pub quiz on Thursday and live jazz on Sundays.

The Tram Depot. Nice enough place and you may meet people from Anglia Ruskin here.

The Hopbine. A good selection of ales. Offers some of the unusual steaks found at The Geldart but considerably cheaper.

The Bakers. Newly refurbished. Occasional heavy metal nights.

St Andrew's Street, Sidney Street, Castle Street, etc. There are several pubs along this many-named main road.

The Castle Inn (on Castle Street). Possibly the best pub in Cambridge. There is always a good selection of beer, including several varieties of Adnam's. The food is good, particularly the famous Castle burgers, and the place is so big that you can be sure of finding somewhere to sit. On Friday (or on any other day for that matter), there may well be astronomers drinking here.

The Sir Isaac Newton. A little further along the road from the Castle Inn, this pub is rather uninspired. It does have a large flat screen TV.

The Pickerel. This purports to be the oldest pub in Cambridge and the low ceilings and small rooms lend credence to this. A good traditional pub with some great beers.

The Punter. Another gastropub, but the food is sufficiently good to warrant some forgiveness. A very limited selection of ales.

The Mitre. Good food, diverse beers and reasonable prices are let down by a bland and charmless interior. Part of the Nicholson's chain.

The Baron of Beef. Next door to the Mitre. A bit grubbier.

The Maypole. On Portugal Place, just off Sidney Street. Good food and an extensive selection of beers. The only place in Cambridge, to my knowledge, where one can get Kölsch. Prices are high. The Maypole shuts at 12am on Monday to Thursday and at 1am on Friday and Saturday, making it one of the few good Cambridge pubs to have availed itself of the liberalised licensing laws. This fact may be useful.

The Fountain Inn. A lamentable dive. To his shame, the author sometimes ends up drinking in the Fountain. This is because it closes at 2am on Monday to Thursday and at 3am on Friday and Saturday. This fact may also be useful.

The Castle (on St Andrew's Street). Unutterably sordid. Much like the Fountain but more polished and consequently less charmingly dissolute. The ale is invariably off.

The Regal. Occupying the site of an old cinema, the Regal is the largest pub in town and the largest Wetherspoon's in the country. 'Spoons' is popular with undergraduates, lured there by cheap beer and late closing times (3am on Friday). Not the place for a quiet pint but there may be occasions when you'll want to pay a visit.

Regent Street, Hills Road, etc.

The Prince Regent. Good lunch meal deals and a big outside area. Since they were temporarily closed down by the food safety people, standards here are much improved.

The Avery. A large pub, renowned for sport, bad food and ugly people.

The Emperor. Notable for 'comedy' nights. On the bright side, it does have a unique beach beer garden with sand, deck chairs and plastic seagulls.

The Panton Arms. A nice beer garden with round wooden tables. Usually three or four well-kept ales. Frequented by chemists.

The Alma. A friendly place, probably the best pub in this part of town. There is a pub quiz every Thursday. Also popular with chemists.

The Flying Pig. A small pub, conveniently near to the railway station.

Bene't Street. Short for Benedict.

The Eagle. The tourist pub. We all know that Watson and Crick mused about DNA whilst drinking there. This doesn't change the fact that the Eagle today is overpriced and charmless. Best left to tourists, who don't know any better.

The Bath House. A nice, unassuming pub, preferable to its flashy neighbour. Low prices make it popular with local teenagers, although less now than in the past. It can therefore be crowded.

The Cow. Half-price pizzas on Tuesdays and a large basement. Part-way to becoming a cocktail bar.

The River. These pubs often precede a punting trip. Try not to fall in.

The Mill. This place has a great location next to the river. Unfortunately, the food is of dubious quality, the staff tend to surliness and the lights are too bright.

The Anchor. Much like its neighbour the Mill and suffers the same drawbacks. It was the home of Pink Floyd back in 1962, if that's your thing.

The Granta. This pub occupies a picturesque location next to the mill pond. There is extensive outdoor seating, including a forecourt, a decked beer garden and a balcony over the river. In summer, this area is prettily decorated with hanging baskets. Food is suspect.

Mill Road. Let Mill Road be your study and delight. So shop by day and drink in pubs by night.

The Cambridge Blue. The Mill Road area is blessed with an unreasonable number of great pubs. First among equals is the Cambridge Blue, which traditionally had a special relationship with Christ's, as can be seen from the pictures of sports teams on the wall. Regrettably, this has been marred by certain recent acts of drunken depravity. Help rebuild relations by sampling the excellent beer, ordering great quantities of the 'Cambridge Blue' coloured pickled eggs and, in the winter, savouring a glass of hot spiced mead. The home-made food is excellent and reasonably priced.

The Live and Let Live. Many unusual ales but the clientèle leaves something to be desired.

The Six Bells. A nice quiet pub that sometimes hosts quiz nights.

The Devonshire Arms. A good selection of Milton ales, probably the best place in town to really get to know the local brewery. The music nights are let down by the poor acoustics.

The Earl of Beaconsfield. Irish music on Thursdays. You have been warned.

The Kingston Arms. This place hosts a beer festival once a month. The food is excellent and there are always ten ales to choose from, including Timothy Taylor's Landlord Ale, a favourite with the author. Lots of board games.

The Empress. Another fine pub, notable for the miniature pigs in the garden.

The White Swan. The Fountain of Mill Road. Open until 2-3am every night. Try not to end up in here very often.

The Salisbury Arms. Well known for having a bike suspended from the ceiling.

The Geldart. The place to go for exotic steaks. Crocodile, antelope, ostrich and many other unusual beasts are on the menu.

Chesterton Road and Milton Road. A remote land.

The Boathouse. Newly refurbished with an extensive decked area outside.

The Fort St George. A nice riverside pub with good food but slow service. Perfect for lunch in the summer, when you can sit outside. Don't expect them to have everything on the menu, particularly when the weather is nice and the place is crowded.

The Tivoli. Another Wetherspoon's pub. The quieter cousin of the Regal. A pleasant view of the river from upstairs.

The Portland Arms. A good place to see some local live music.

The Old Spring. Tolerable food and a good selection of ciders. In the summer, the courtyard is nice. Quite expensive.

The Milton Arms. Part of the Hungry Horse chain of pub-restaurants. Beware of rowdy patrons and broken glass.

The Golden Hind (or Two for One). If you ever end up drinking here, consider yourself numbered amongst the damned.