Why I love Cambridge

One of my favorite towns, Cambridge is a preserved treasure at the heart of England. In the city that inspired great minds from Charles Darwin to Stephen Hawking, you’ll find one of the world’s oldest universities, the 1871 Gothic-revival All Saints Church and the gardens favored by 17th-century poet John Milton. Cambridge is also home to ADC Theater, the oldest university playhouse in England.

Cambridge brings many images to mind: the breathtaking view of King’s College Chapel from across the river Cam, the rich intricacy of Gothic architecture, students cycling to lectures, and lazy summer punting on the River Cam. Cambridge manages to combine its role as an historic city with a world-renowned University and, in more recent years, an internationally acknowledged centre of excellence for technology and science.

More than 3.5 million visitors come to Cambridge every year to savour the delights of the historic city itself, as well as using it as an ideal base for exploring some of the gentlest (read flattest; good for leisurely walks, poor for hills with viewpoints) and most unspoiled countryside in England.

Cambridge’s stunning architecture is not just noted by its impressed hum drum tourists. The US magazine Forbes claimed in 2009 that Cambridge is ‘one of the most beautiful cities in the world’ with widespread agreement. The Lonely Planet guide book also claim that few cities in the world can impress as much as Cambridge, and that it is almost impossible to not be awe struck when leaving the train station at just how stunning the city is.

• cambridge
• travel
• united kingdom