Cambridge's Prettiest Streets: A Photo Tour

If I were as photogenic as Cambridge, I would never shy away from being in front of a camera again. With its stunning architecture, lush green spaces, and quaint residential streets, my hometown is any photographer’s – and, indeed, any sightseer’s – dream. This is, of course, a good and a bad thing: you will surely produce many magnificent travel shots, but with so many scenic views to capture, you will doubtlessly use up all the storage on your phone or camera.

To help you avoid this devastating first world problem, I have come up with a photo tour route that covers Cambridge’s fifteen most beautiful streets. Most of them are close to the centre of town, and all are a delight to behold. Enjoy a morning wandering from place to place (you can, of course, pick and choose if you don’t have time to see them all), then put your devices away, and spend the rest of the day soaking up the city without any distraction.

Fen Causeway

If the average person were asked to name Cambridge’s most beautiful streets, I very much doubt that Fen Causeway would appear on their list. After all, this road, which was deliberately built to offload traffic from the city centre, is almost always packed with cars. However, if you cast your eyes away from the vehicles, you will find the River Cam, and the lush Coe Fen, an area of meadowland that will be a joy to any nature photographers. Wander down along the pavement towards the Shell petrol station roundabout, admiring the grazing animals as you go.

Queen’s Road

When you hit the roundabout, turn right, and follow the road round until you reach Queen’s Road. This is another one of those streets that will not immediately wow you, but once you reach Cambridge’s famous King’s College Chapel, you will realise that this is the road with the best angles. Once you have that postcard-worthy shot, stroll onwards to the nearby Trinity College, where you will not only find stunning architecture, but also gorgeous flowers. Spring has not sprung in this city until the crocuses are blooming on these lawns! Sneak a glimpse of St John’s College through its back gate, and then make your way down Northampton Street towards Magdalene Street.

Magdalene Street

A right turn at the crossroads by Kettle’s Yard will bring you onto Magdalene Street. Here, you will find a quaint row of old coloured buildings, each housing a boutique, café, or restaurant. Try not to let your inner shopaholic or foodie get the better of you, or you will miss out on Magdalene Bridge, which comes just after these establishments. This is actually the structure that gave Cambridge the second syllable of its name! From here, you will not only get terrific shots of the River Cam, with its punt-lined banks, but also you will have a great view of Magdalene College. No prizes for guessing where this place got its name…

Portugal Place

Cross to the other side of the bridge, and you will officially be in Bridge Street. Keep walking straight along this road until you reach the Bridges Cambridge café, then make a left into the idyllic Portugal Place. (This little street is a pedestrian-only zone, so if you are cycling, be sure to dismount here – I have had residents telling me off in the past for not doing so!) Here, you will find two rows of white houses, one of which was once home to DNA scientist, Francis Crick, and many of which have beautiful flower displays to match their coloured doors. This is the place to visit if you are in search of a slightly more original backdrop for your Instagram photos!

Lower Park Street

At the end of Portugal Place, carry on straight until you hit Jesus Green, one of Cambridge’s biggest and most popular green spaces. From here, turn right along Park Parade, then right again onto Lower Park Street. Here, you will find a row of dinky terraced houses, all with matching white sash windows and green doors. As you walk along this street – hopefully stopping to take some photographs – you may be able to see the tower of St John’s College Chapel, peeping out from behind the Park Street multi-storey car park.

Trinity Street

Follow Lower Park Street round into Park Street, then take the first right into Round Church Street. After admiring the city’s twelfth-century Church of the Holy Sepulchre (known by locals as the Round Church), continue straight and start making your way along Trinity Street. Here, you will find the chapels and superb main entrances (Great Gates) of St John’s College and Trinity College, as well as the parish church of St. Michael, and the exterior of Gonville and Caius College. These sights are all very photogenic, but you will have to watch out that crowds of fellow tourists do not block your shots!

Rose Crescent

Just before you reach the end of Trinity Street, turn left into Rose Crescent, a quaint pedestrianised shopping street, often lined with pretty bunting. Make your way round the bend to get a great view of Cambridge’s busy market square, with the imposing Guildhall in the background. Once you have the perfect photo, turn around (new angles mean new photo opportunities!), and slowly make your way back to Trinity Street.

Trinity Lane

From here, cross over into Trinity Lane. You will have the walls of Gonville and Caius College to your left, those of Trinity College to your right, and the magnificent Nevile’s Gate of the latter institution straight ahead of you. (Mind you keep to the pavements, or you will also have a bicycle or two on top of you!) Once you are round the corner, make a quick detour down Garret Hostel Lane to see the Garret Hostel Bridge. This steep structure – known by locals as ‘Orgasm Bridge’, because of the euphoria cyclists have when they reach the top of it – offers fantastic views of the River Cam, Trinity College, and Trinity Hall.

Back in Trinity Lane, pass by Clare College, then gaze up once more at King’s College Chapel. You will be able to photograph the building from a more unusual angle here, but make sure to keep some storage space, because you will get another classic perspective when you reach the next stop on the tour.

King’s Parade

To get to King’s Parade – one of Cambridge’s most photographed streets – you will need to turn back on yourself, and make a right down the picturesque Senate House Passage. Look out, on your left, for Gonville and Caius College’s Gate of Honour, through which, according to tradition, graduating students pass before going to receive their degrees. When you eventually reach King’s Parade, you will have quite the selection of sights to choose from. At one end of the street, you will find another of the aforementioned college’s portals – the wrought-iron Great Gate – as well as the splendid Senate House, where the University of Cambridge's graduation ceremonies are held.

Opposite this landmark, you will find the equally impressive Great St. Mary’s Church, a house of worship that is not only stunning inside and out, but also has a tower offering an incredible outlook over the city centre. If you have time on your hands, it is well worth the climb. Wander on slightly further, and you will find yourself in front of King’s College, with its incredible chapel to one side, and its intricate Gatehouse to the other. Turn around, and you will be able to see the mostly independent shops and restaurants that line this street.

Little St. Mary’s Lane

Continue along King’s Parade, past the Corpus Clock, Corpus Christi College, and St. Catharine’s College. Then, go straight ahead onto Trumpington Street until you reach Little St. Mary’s Lane, which cuts between the Emmanuel United Reform Church, and Little St. Mary’s Church. Enjoy taking photographs of these two houses of worship, as well as of the quaint centuries-old residential buildings that line the right side of the lane. See also if you can spot the two nineteenth-century lamps that remain attached to the buildings. Transport yourself back to the present day by turning right onto Granta Place, and visiting one of the liveliest sections of the city's river.

Park Terrace

Head back to Trumpington Street via Mill Lane, then cross over into Pembroke Street. Take a right once you get to Regent Street, then a left soon afterwards onto Park Terrace. Here, be sure to admire the grand nineteenth-century townhouses, and the grassy Parker’s Piece onto which they look.

Melbourne Place

After this, turn right onto Parkside, cross the road, and turn left into the narrow Melbourne Place. This sublime residential area is brimming with charming houses and perfectly pruned trees, and offers a tranquil escape from the noise of the nearby traffic. Follow this passageway down to the end (watching out for bicycles as you go), then turn left just before the picturesque Elm Tree pub.

Orchard Street

At the end of this alleyway, you will find yourself opposite Orchard Street, the next stop on your tour. All the way along the right side of this quiet road, you will be able to admire enchanting nineteenth-century bungalows, many of which boast quite the display of rose bushes. This road bends round to the left, so it is worth taking photos from both ends.

New Square

From single to multi-storey buildings, a quick trip down Emmanuel Road will lead you to your penultimate destination: New Square. This grassy quadrangle, surrounded by terraced houses on three of its four sides, is a pleasure to walk across and capture with your camera, especially in the sunnier months, when the trees are thick with leaves. Straight ahead, you will see Fitzroy Street, which leads up towards the Grafton Centre shopping precinct. Try to resist the temptation of retail therapy, however, and turn left instead onto Fair Street.

Ferry Path

At the end of this road, cross over Maids Causeway onto Midsummer Common, another of Cambridge’s open grassland areas. Take the pathway forking off to the left, and follow it all the way round to the Fort St. George pub, making sure to snap some portraits of the grazing cows as you go. Cross over the bridge just next to the wining and dining establishment, and take the first left onto Ferry Path. Although just metres from some of the University’s lively boathouses, this residential area has a wonderfully calm feel to it, and has quite the collection of fetching buildings and creeping plants to photograph.

Your tour ends here

Congratulations – you have made it! I hope you have enjoyed discovering some of Cambridge’s most beautiful streets, and have taken all the travel photos you were hoping for. If you are tired from walking, and want somewhere to enjoy a well-earned snack before your journey back, Stir – one of Cambridge’s best cafés – is waiting for you just around the corner on Chesterton Road.

When you are ready to head home, simply cross back over the Fort St. George Bridge, then take a right towards Jesus Green. The city centre lies just beyond. For the rest of the day, I challenge you to put away your gadgets and enjoy a few hours of digital detoxing. Taking photos may be a wonderful way of capturing memories, but there is nothing quite like living in the moment.

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