Ghost tour Cambridge: Haunted colleges and witch trials

What happened to the people whose ghosts still walk these streets?

You walk through central Cambridge visiting seven haunted sites (a ducking stool, an exorcised church, a college with a skeleton cupboard, and a pub where ghosts suffocate if the window closes), while your guide tells the specific deaths and punishments tied to each location. The tour adjusts its stops and stories based on your group's questions, and takes roughly two hours through fully accessible streets.

Step-by-step itinerary

Cambridge ghost walk highlights

• Start at Magdalene Bridge
• Hear story of the Round Church
• Visit Clare College's skeleton story
• Explore Market Square history
• See Benet Street's haunted building
• Discover Corpus Christi ghosts
• Visit Sidney Sussex and Cromwell's resting place

The experience

A ducking stool for witches sat at Magdalene Bridge, a crossroads that existed before England did. That's where the Cambridge ghost walk begins, not with atmosphere, but with the actual mechanism used to punish women accused of witchcraft, and the fact that people still report feeling watched there. The tour moves through seven stops across central Cambridge, each one tied to a specific death, exorcism, or unexplained presence that locals have documented for centuries. Your guide walks you through the oldest streets in the city, pointing out the buildings where these things happened, and the ones where they're still happening, depending on who you ask.

The Round Church was built by Crusaders returning from the Holy Land, and it became the site of multiple exorcisms. The kind where priests were called in because something was wrong enough that the church itself needed cleansing. Clare College holds the original "skeleton in the cupboard," a literal story that became a phrase, and Market Square, now full of street food stalls, was where different kinds of meat burned five hundred years ago. Benet Street has the oldest building in Cambridge standing opposite a pub with an unusual lease clause: one particular window must always stay open because customers suffocate when the ghosts inside get trapped. The tour also covers Corpus Christi, where a Master of the college and another famous cupboard resident haunt the grounds, and Sidney Sussex, where Oliver Cromwell's head is buried, or at least part of him is, and whether he's resting is debatable.

The route stays in the walkable center of Cambridge, so you're moving between colleges and medieval streets the whole time, not hiking out to isolated graveyards. The guide adjusts the pacing and which stories get told depending on the group's questions and interests, so it's not a script you've heard before. Wheelchair users can join (all the surfaces are accessible), and if you're bringing a small child, they can ride in a pram or stroller while you listen to stories about people who were hanged, drowned, and buried in unmarked graves under the buildings you're standing in front of.

What’s included

• A walking tour of central Cambridge covering seven haunted sites, including Magdalene Bridge, the Round Church, Clare College, Market Square, Benet Street, Corpus Christi, and Sidney Sussex.
• The guide shares the specific stories of deaths, exorcisms, and unexplained presences tied to each location, and adjusts the itinerary based on group questions.
• All areas are wheelchair accessible, and strollers are permitted.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day6 departure times: the first at 11:30, the last at 21:00

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (18 and older) · Youth (13 to 17 years) · Child (3 to 12 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupUp to 25

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Terrible Tours

Is this one for you?Right for anyone who knows Cambridge's surface (the colleges, the river, the tourist squares), and wants to learn what actually happened in those places. Expect stories about witches, hangings, and exorcisms told by someone who knows which buildings still unsettle people, not a generic haunted-house narrative.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (13 to 17 years); Child (3 to 12 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What's the "skeleton in the cupboard" story at Clare College?

Clare College is home to the original true story behind the phrase "skeleton in the cupboard". The guide explains the specific incident during the tour.

Can I join if I use a wheelchair?

Yes. All areas and surfaces in central Cambridge are wheelchair accessible, and the tour stays on walkable streets.

What happens at Market Square?

Market Square is now a food market, but five hundred years ago it was the site of a different kind of burning. The guide explains what took place there.

Is there a pub involved in the tour?

Yes. One stop is a pub on Benet Street with an unusual lease clause: a particular window must always stay open because customers report a suffocating feeling when the ghosts inside are trapped.

Does the tour include Oliver Cromwell?

Yes. Sidney Sussex College is where part of Oliver Cromwell is buried: the guide covers the unusual history of his remains and whether he's truly resting.

Are service animals allowed?

Yes. Service animals are welcome on the tour.