At a glance
Starting Station
Cambridge
Final Station
Cambridge
Walking Distance
Approximately 2 miles from the railway station to the centre of Cambridge (bus available from the station)
Approximately 2.5 to 3 miles (4 to 5 km) between museums, plus optional additional walking to the Museum of Classical Archaeology.
Walking Difficulty
Easy. The route is largely on level pavements through Cambridge city centre, with frequent opportunities to rest and refresh.
Suitable for
Families, history enthusiasts, science lovers, museum-goers, visitors to Cambridge and rail travellers seeking a low-cost day out.
Refreshments
Coffee and cakes at Fitzbillies, lunch at The Eagle Pub, plus numerous cafés, pubs and restaurants throughout Cambridge city centre.
Highlights
Art • History • Science • Fossils • Cambridge City Centre • Food & Drink
Duration
Full-day itinerary, approximately 9:30am to 4:15pm, or later if including the optional museum visit. The museums are all within walking distance of each other. This route is designed to be leisurely, with time for breaks and lunch.
Before you go
Check the train times for the days you are travelling
Check the museum opening hours (some are closed Mondays)
Check the bus timetable from Cambridge station to the city centre
Six museums. One Cambridge day. £0 admission.
From dinosaurs and Darwin to ancient sculpture, scientific instruments and extraordinary works of art, Cambridge's museums offer a remarkable journey through the natural world and human history. You don't need to spend a fortune to discover some of Cambridge's greatest treasures.
You arrive at Cambridge station and, within a few hours, you can travel from Renaissance art to whales, Darwin, early scientific instruments, world cultures, fossils and ancient Greece, without paying an admission charge.
From Cambridge railway station, take the U2 Universal bus from stop 8. It takes about 10 minutes and stops outside the Fitzwilliam Museum. Alternatively it’s about a 25 minute walk from the station to the museum.
The Trail
9:30 am – Fitzwilliam Museum, Trumpington Street.
Start your journey through human creativity, from ancient Egypt to Renaissance masterpieces.
- Highlights: Ancient artefacts, Renaissance art, manuscripts.
- Allow: 1.5 hours
11:00 am – Coffee Break
- Try: Fitzbillies (famous for Chelsea buns, just around the corner)
11:30 am – Museum of Zoology, Downing Street
Step into the natural world and come face-to-face with an enormous whale skeleton.
- Highlights: Whale skeleton, Darwin exhibits, animal specimens.
- Allow: 1 hour
12:30 pm – Lunch
- Try: The Eagle Pub (historic, where DNA structure was announced)
- Or visit the Market Square for street food
1:45 pm – Whipple Museum of the History of Science, Free School Lane
Discover how scientists once measured, mapped and made sense of the world.
- Highlights: Scientific instruments, globes, early medical tools.
- Allow: 45 mins
2:30 pm – Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Downing Street
Travel across continents and thousands of years, discovering how people have lived, created and connected across the world.
- Highlights: Global cultures, local archaeology, rotating exhibits.
- Allow: 1 hour
3:30 pm – Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences, Downing Street
Finish by going back millions of years, among fossils and the geological history of our planet.
- Highlights: Fossils, minerals, geology of the UK.
- Allow: 45 mins
Several different buses, including the 1, 3, X1 and X3, take 10 minutes from Emmanuel Street (Stop E2) back to the railway station.
Want more? Museum of Classical Archaeology, Sidgwick Avenue (15 min walk)
Enter the world of ancient Greece and Rome, where marble statues bring the classical past to life.
- Highlights: Plaster casts of ancient sculptures.
- Allow: 30–45 mins
The U2 bus goes from the University Library back to the railway station, taking around 25 minutes.
If you enjoyed this itinerary, please look out for our DNA Discovery Day Out too.