A few months ago now George and I went to Cambridge for the first time and as it was such a lovely trip, I really wanted to write about it on here. Even though I rarely blog nowadays I still love looking back on old posts, especially our travel ones so why not share our Cambridge trip too? Even if just for me at least but maybe it will also give you some ideas too.We love a UK break, it's the main trips we do as there are so many beautiful places in the UK and it just works out a bit easier for us with the dogs now. Cambridge had been on our list for a while and this Spring seemed a perfect time. We were blessed with good weather while we were there which only made it even better and pretty much as soon as we left, I was thinking about when we'd return!
First things first, the hotel. I've really struggled in the past to find hotels in Cambridge that either didn't cost loads or just weren't the best location wise but by the time planning for this trip came around, a brand new Premier Inn had opened right in the centre. It's the Corn Exchange/Lion Yard hotel. This hotel was pretty much perfect. It was affordable, absolutely ideal location wise, had everything you need and I loved the check in process as you don't even need to speak to anyone, it can all be done via a touch screen. We'd definitely stay there again. We stayed for 3 nights but didn't arrive til around 7pm on the first night so even though we got a quick walk around in, it was basically 2 full days in the end which really, was a great amount of time. On the Monday, our first proper day, we started with breakfast at Dishoom. We had breakfast at Dishoom in London last year and it was incredible so I've been desperate to go again. The Dishoom in Cambridge is a Permit Room so more of a bar-cafe rather than just a restaurant so the menu was a little smaller but that was no problem, we both still found something delicious. I'd love to return in the evening next time.
We walked round some of the lovely streets nearby afterwards and found Heffers Bookshop. I'm sure you know by now I love a bookshop and this was really interesting inside, the layout was so unique. We then headed down to Bould Brothers Coffee which I've only seen rave reviews about and now I totally understand why. We ended up returning everyday as it was so good. It's just across from The Round Church too which has a few benches dotted around so it was really lovely sitting there in the sun sipping our coffees. I recommend the mocha if you go!After a spot of shopping we headed for lunch at Aromi. You can sit in or get food to go so we went for one of their huge pizza slices so we could find a place to enjoy it in the sun. The classic Margarita slice was delicious but did take absolutely ages to cool down! We grabbed some ice cream from Jack's Gelato afterwards which is pretty much next door to Aromi and that was amazing. The baked vanilla flavour in particular! Around here you'll find The Corpus Clock and King's College so it's a nice spot for sightseeing too.
The rest of the day was pretty chill, we took some time to cool down in the hotel and read our books before heading out for a meal that evening. We chose Flat Iron as we love a steak and it's not something we have loads at home. This was a beautiful meal, the steak was cooked perfectly, the chips were so nice and crisp, the mac & cheese lovely and cheesy and the drinks were super refreshing.
Our next full day started with breakfast at Bill's. We both went for the pancakes which were so filling and the perfect start to the day and the hash browns on the side, wow, they were perfect.
We then tried to find some of the Dinky Doors that are dotted around Cambridge which are highly detailed mini sculptures. There's an official website where you can get a map to help you find them all but we just spotted them randomly while walking around. We only found 2 in the end but both are so unique. I think it's such a cool idea.That afternoon we finally properly browsed the market which is right in the centre of Cambridge and grabbed some lunch. You'll find all sorts of food stalls here so there's something for everyone aswell as stalls selling homemade bits and bobs, a sweet stall and more. The juices from one stall in particular were lovely and refreshing on a warm day.
The rest of the day consisted of more book shopping, yet more coffee from Bould Brothers and some bakery hopping. I have to recommend the ricotta chocolate cake from Aromi which I mentioned earlier, absolutely delicious and I think about it most days. That evening we went for our final meal of the trip and enjoyed some mocktails then it was time to pack to head home the next day.
We really loved our first trip to Cambridge and I can easily see it becoming another place we want to return to again and again. I'm already thinking of things we can do next time.
Have you ever been to Cambridge for a city break?