Cambridge Tour by Alumni with Punting: Walking & River Cam

See Cambridge both on foot and from the water in a single visit

A Cambridge tour combining a 90-minute student-led walking tour of the colleges with a 45-minute chauffeured punt along the River Cam. Your guide is a current student or graduate who shares insider knowledge of college life, university history and the city's academic heritage. King's College Chapel entry is optional at booking. The punting portion includes eight colleges and nine bridges seen from the water.

Step-by-step itinerary

Cambridge walking and punting tour

• Meet Alumni Guide outside King's College
• Learn about famous clock design
• Visit The Eagle pub
• Discover Cavendish Laboratory history
• Hear Corpus Christi College history
• Explore Queens' College and Mathematical Bridge
• Walk along College Backs and King's College history
• Learn about Trinity and St John's rivalry
• Admire St John's College architecture
• Hear about Cambridge traditions and graduation
• Optional self-guided visit to King's College Chapel
• Take break before punting tour
• Board punt at Scudamore's Mill Lane
• Punt along River Cam past colleges and bridges
• View Georgian and Victorian college architecture
• See Mathematical Bridge from the river
• Admire King's College and Gibbs Building
• Learn about second-oldest college accepting women
• Relax while punting past prestigious college gardens
• View Bridge of Sighs, Queen Victoria's favorite spot
• Complete tour at Magdalene College and return

The Experience

You meet your guide outside King's College on King's Parade. They'll be wearing royal blue with the Alumni Tours heraldic symbol. The walking tour covers the colleges that shaped Cambridge's reputation: Trinity, Queens', St John's, Corpus Christi and others, each with stories a student guide can tell from the inside. You'll pass The Eagle pub, where WWII airmen and Cavendish Laboratory scientists once gathered, and walk the College Backs to see King's College and its Neoclassical Gibbs Building. The guide explains why it's Queens' College and not Queen's, points out the Mathematical Bridge's elegant arch made from straight timbers, and shares the darker history of Corpus Christi. You also hear about Cambridge traditions: how grades are publicly announced, what graduation looks like, and what the Oxbridge application process actually involves.

If you've booked the King's College Chapel option, you'll have a self-guided visit to the chapel after the 90-minute walk ends. This is not led by your guide. You move through at your own pace and can leave whenever you choose. After this (or after the walk if you haven't added the chapel), there's a short break before you head to Scudamore's Mill Lane punting station. The punting tour begins either 2 hours after the walking tour started (if no chapel visit) or 3 hours after (if you added the chapel).

On the punt, a student guide chauffeurs you along the River Cam while explaining the history and anecdotes tied to each landmark. You'll see eight colleges from the water, including Darwin's college with its Georgian and Victorian architecture, the Bridge of Sighs (said to be Queen Victoria's favourite spot), and Magdalene, one of the most traditional colleges. Nine bridges pass overhead, each with its own story. The punt returns you to the station you left from. The tour is available in English, Spanish, or Mandarin Chinese, and you choose your language and group size (6 or 12 passengers) when you book.

What’s included

• A Cambridge University student or graduate guide leading the 90-minute walking tour.
• a chauffeured 45-minute punt along the River Cam past eight colleges and nine bridges.
• access to college gardens where accessible.
• insight into the Oxbridge application process and student life at an elite university.
• Cambridge history and anecdotes from your guide.
• King's College Chapel entry when you book that option.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Cambridge Alumni Tours

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to enter King's College Chapel. Choose without it if you prefer to see the exterior from the river and keep the tour shorter.

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Top questions

Can I visit King's College Chapel on this tour?

King's College Chapel entry is optional and must be selected at booking. It cannot be added during or after the tour. If you choose it, you'll have a self-guided visit after the 90-minute walking tour, before the punting portion begins.

What happens during the walking part of the tour?

The 90-minute walk covers Cambridge's colleges (Trinity, Queens', St John's, Corpus Christi and others) with a student guide explaining their history, architecture and role in the university. You'll also visit The Eagle pub and walk the College Backs, where you see King's College from the riverside.

Is the punting part guided or self-guided?

A student guide chauffeurs the punt and narrates the journey, explaining the history and stories of the eight colleges and nine bridges you pass along the River Cam. You sit back and listen while the guide poles the boat.

How long is the whole tour, and when does it end?

The walking tour is 90 minutes, followed by a short break, then a 45-minute punt. Total time is roughly 3 hours if you skip King's College Chapel, or about 3.5 to 4 hours if you add the chapel visit.

What languages is the tour available in?

The tour is offered in English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. You select your language when booking.

Do I need to be fit to do this tour?

The tour is suitable for all physical fitness levels, though the walking portion is 90 minutes outdoors. Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller. Wheelchair users can join the punting portion if they can communicate how to assist, or have a carer with them. The punting station can accommodate them.