Welcome to the Institute of Astronomy
On behalf of all the members of the IoA, we look forward to welcoming you to the Institute.
How to Find Us
How to get here
Arriving by Road
The Institute of Astronomy main entrance is situated on Madingley Rise which joins Madingley Road opposite JJ Thompson Avenue.
The main car park is the first entrance on the right after leaving Madingley Road and has about 30 permit parking spaces. If you need parking for your visit please request this through reception before your arrival.
Alternatively parking is available at the Park and Ride, which is less than 10 mins walk away from IoA, along Madingley Road, and also nearby street parking is available along Clerk Maxwell Road.
A disabled parking space is available immediately outside the main entrance.
Arriving by Public Transport
The Universal Bus is the best route from the city centre to the Institute of Astronomy. Ideally leave the bus at the stop at the entrance to JJ Thomson Avenue and cross the road to Madingley Rise.
Click here for information about this service
view the route here
To search all available bus routes between different locations around Cambridge use the journey planner found here.
Arriving by Rail
General information about UK train services is available at the National Rail Enquiries website. In general, trains are quicker but more expensive than coaches.
Universal Bus runs services between Cambridge rail station, the city centre and the Institute of Astronomy, or take a taxi from the queue just outside the station.
There are regular train connections to Cambridge from London. Trains depart from King's Cross or Liverpool Street stations in London. The journey time of the faster King's Cross trains is about 45 minutes, while the other trains are slower and take around 70 minutes, or longer.
Maps of the London underground are available on the TFL website.
Train bookings can be made via Trainline
Eurostar
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. King's Cross station is next to St Pancras, so walk to King's Cross and catch a train from there to Cambridge.
Arriving by Coach
There are frequent coach connections from the centre of London to Cambridge. These depart from Victoria coach station (near Victoria railway station) and take about 2 hours (more in peak hours). Coach tickets can be bought from the driver. Please note that delays are common because of heavy traffic in and around London.
The Cambridge coach station is close to the city centre and there is an adjacent taxi rank.
Long-distance coach services are run by NationalExpress.
Coach bookings can be made via Trainline.
Arriving by Air
London Stansted
This is the closest major airport, about 25 miles (40 minutes by car subject to traffic conditions) from Cambridge. It is well served by airlines flying to European destinations. For flight information contact the BAA Stansted website or contact the airlines directly.
Cambridge is within easy reach by rail, coach or taxi. The railway station is part of the terminal. The services to Cambridge run frequently and take about 30 minutes. The service operates seven days a week but be aware that it does not run all night so check train times if arriving late in the evening or early in the morning.
There is also a good coach service to Cambridge and the journey takes about 50 minutes. Tickets can be purchased from the coach ticket desk in the arrivals area of the terminal, on the coach or from the National Express web site
London Heathrow
Many airlines fly to London Heathrow. From Heathrow you can take the Piccadilly line from Heathrow Airport to Kings Cross and change to the main line Kings Cross station, from which fast trains depart to Cambridge railway station. Or you can take the new (2022) Elizabeth Line service (air conditioned) to Farringdon and connect to a Cambridge train there. See map here and journey planner.
Alternatively, a fast train service, the Heathrow Express, connects the airport with London Paddington station. From there use the Underground to connect with rail or coach services listed above to reach Cambridge. The Circle and Hammersmith and City Lines operate between Paddington and Kings Cross.
There is also a direct coach service to Cambridge which takes around 2 hours and 30 minutes (National Express).
Taxi
Black cabs outside the airport can be three times the price of a pre-booked taxi.
London Gatwick
This airport is located to the south of London.
A direct train is available from Gatwick Airport to Cambridge taking around 2 hours. Search National Rail for train times and prices. The Gatwick Airport railway station is accessible from the South Terminal.
Coach
We do not recommend travelling from Gatwick to Cambridge by coach. The journey takes about 4 hours.
Taxi
Black cabs outside the airport can be three times the price of a pre-booked taxi.
London Luton
Some budget airlines and also El Al serve Luton airport, which is about 35 miles from Cambridge. No intercontinental flights operate from Luton.
There is no efficient train connection from Luton airport to Cambridge. The coach service (National Express) takes about 3hrs to reach Cambridge.
Taxi
Black cabs outside the airport can be three times the price of a pre-booked taxi.
London City
The 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.
Taxi
Black cabs outside the airport can be three times the price of a pre-booked taxi.
On Arrival
The Institute has staff on-site from 8.30am-4pm on working days (Mon-Fri excluding bank holidays). Please report to Reception in the Hoyle Building when you arrive to collect your welcome pack and access card. If you plan to arrive outside of working hours it will be necessary to arrange in advance with your host access to the department.
Useful information
Talks and Social events
Twice a day during weekdays, members of the IoA meet for tea and coffee in the Hoyle Building this is at 11am and 3.30pm.
During term time there are two main talk series:
Wednesday Seminars - from 1.15pm-2.15pm with a bread and cheese lunch beforehand from 12.30pm.
Thursday Colloquia - at 4.00pm with wine and nibbles afterwards.
Various other talks and seminars also take place on a less regular basis. The Cambridge Astronomy Talk List summarises many of these events.
Wireless network access for visitors
Before arrival visitors are advised to register at their home institutes for the international academic wireless network eduroam which is available in the IoA and Kavli buildings. There is some Cambridge centric information about eduroam for visitors here.
Alternatively visitors can use the University of Cambridge browser-based wireless network service which has the SSID: UniOfCam. Please contact your host to arrange this. eduroam is the preferred option and uses the same network hardware.
Wired network access and user accounts for visitors
If a wired network connection or a user account on the IoA science cluster is needed this can be arranged after you arrive. If you require these setup before your arrive please liase with your host who will contact the IOA computing helpdesk. For a wired connection your computer MAC address will need to be provided. A user application form is below. This will need to be submitted by your host.
There is further information on Computing at IoA on the IoA Intranet which is accessible from the wireless network after you arrive.
Other useful information
Lunch Venues
There are a number of nearby options for lunch. All are within a 5 to 10 minute walk from the IoA. Listed below in order of closeness to the IoA
Greenwich House Cafe: see details
West Hub: see details
Churchill College Dining Hall: see details
West Cafe: see details
There is also a large Sainsbury's supermarket (Eddington) which sells a range of sandwiches and snacks. See details
Local Bus Transport
The Universal bus service links Eddington with West Cambridge, the city centre (Queens College/Silver Street), the railway station and the Cambridge Biomedical Campus (including Addenbrookes), running every 15 minutes Monday to Friday.
There are stops very close to the IoA site. The route map can be seen on the Map of the University and the timetable can be found here.
Bicycles
A number of companies offer bicycle hire in Cambridge. Google search options can be viewed here.