Outside term time, most Cambridge colleges let their student rooms to visitors as bed and breakfast. The students go home at the end of each term, and the rooms are made up for conference guests and anyone else who books. The students’ loss is your gain.
How it works
Most of the colleges that take visitors are booked through one site, UniversityRooms.com, which is part of SpeedyBooker. You put in your dates, see which colleges have rooms, and book. Rooms are let in the vacations (Christmas, Easter and the long summer break), not in term. The exception is West Court at Jesus College, which is open all year.
Use the search below to check dates across all the colleges at once (on a phone, follow the link to the next page).
The rooms are not booked through this site, and any questions you have about a booking go to the college.
What you get
They are student rooms, so expect a desk, a bed and somewhere to hang your clothes rather than a hotel suite. Some colleges have en-suite rooms and some have bathrooms shared along a corridor, so check the listing before you book. Most are let as bed and breakfast. Unless you’re there for a conference you probably won’t get into the college bar.
The rooms tend to be in the more modern buildings associated with the colleges, so don’t expect to be staying in 300+ year old rooms right in the heart of King’s college.
Which colleges take bookings
| College | Rooms |
|---|---|
| Christ’s | Adults only |
| Clare | |
| Corpus Christi | |
| Downing | |
| Gonville & Caius | 175 en-suite rooms at the West Road site, in Harvey Court and the Stephen Hawking Building |
| King’s | Bene’t Street building |
| Magdalene | |
| Queens’ | |
| St Catharine’s | |
| St John’s | |
| Sidney Sussex | |
| Trinity Hall | Wychfield and WYNG Gardens sites |
| Selwyn | |
| Newnham | |
| Churchill | |
| Fitzwilliam | |
| Murray Edwards | |
| Girton | |
| Hughes Hall | |
| Lucy Cavendish | |
| St Edmund’s |
UniversityRooms.com also lists Westminster College and Westcott House, which are theological colleges in Cambridge rather than colleges of the University.
Downing College
The porters’ lodge and main entrance are opposite Parker’s Piece and the University Arms. Check availability at Downing.
King’s College
The rooms are in King’s Bene’t Street building, the old Barclays Bank between the Pint Shop and Zizzi, two minutes’ walk from the porters’ lodge on King’s Parade. Breakfast is served in Hall on weekdays and brunch at weekends. Check availability at King’s.
Christ’s College
Adults only. The college backs onto Christ’s Pieces, and St Andrew’s Street is outside the gate. Check availability at Christ’s.
West Court, Jesus College
West Court is on Jesus Lane and is run more like a small hotel than a set of student rooms: it’s open all year, breakfast is served in its own dining room, and there are en-suite doubles as well as rooms with shared facilities. It is no longer bookable through UniversityRooms.com, so book it through Jesus College or the usual hotel booking sites.
Hotels near the colleges
If the colleges are full, or you want a hotel rather than a student room, these are the closest.
The Varsity Hotel and Spa
On Thompson’s Lane by the river, with a rooftop terrace that looks across the city.
University Arms
On Regent Street, overlooking Parker’s Piece, with Downing across the road.
Gonville Hotel
On Gonville Place, on the other side of Parker’s Piece.
Hilton Cambridge City Centre
On Downing Street, a few minutes’ walk from King’s Parade.
The Castle
Rooms above a bar on Castle Street, at the top of the town. Friday and Saturday nights can go on into the early hours, so it suits some guests better than others. [NEED: affiliate link, otherwise drop this hotel]
While you’re here
Several of the city-centre colleges back onto the river, and the best-known views of King’s, Clare, Trinity and St John’s are from the Backs. Cambridge River Tours run guided punt tours along them. For the colleges themselves, see the full list of colleges and King’s College Chapel.