The window of your room at the Varsity Hotel looks out across the rooftops of Cambridge, the spires of King’s College Chapel, the dome of the University Library, the river Cam winding through the Backs (the gardens that back onto the river, the view that has not changed substantially since the 18th century), and the punts drifting below on the water, the students lying on the grass of the Fellows’ Garden, the distant sound of a choir practising in a chapel somewhere in the maze of colleges. Cambridge is a city defined by the university, 31 colleges, each its own architectural and social world, and the accommodation options range from the 16th-century rooms in college accommodation (the experience of sleeping in a room that has been occupied by students since the reign of Henry VIII) to the boutique hotels that have colonised the old coaching inns.

Where to Stay in Cambridge (by Experience)

College Accommodation (the insider option): During the university vacations (Easter: late March to mid-April; Summer: late June to early October; Christmas: early December to mid-January), many colleges rent out student rooms to visitors. The experience: a room in a 16th-century courtyard (the stone staircase, the window seat, the view of the quad, the perfect rectangle of grass, the rules, “Do not walk on the grass”, strictly enforced), the breakfast in the college hall (the long tables, the portraits of former masters on the walls, the sense of being a guest in a living institution). The colleges offering accommodation: Christ’s (the gardens, the Darwin connection), St John’s (the Bridge of Sighs, the covered bridge over the Cam, the most photographed structure in Cambridge), Sidney Sussex (the oldest courtyard, the Cromwell connection, his head is allegedly buried here). The cost: £50-90 per night for a single room, £80-130 for a double, including breakfast. Book through the individual college websites or the central university portal (conferencecambridge.com). Book 3-6 months ahead for summer.

The Varsity Hotel (the rooftop view): The Varsity, a converted 1960s office block, the rooftop terrace the highest point in Cambridge (the restaurant, the bar, the view across the city to the Fens, the flat, drained marshland that stretches to Ely and beyond), is the modern option. The rooms: the exposed brick, the roll-top bath (in the better rooms), the view (request a room on the upper floors, facing the river). The rooftop restaurant, Six, serves a tasting menu (€85, the view included, the food excellent). The price: £200-350/night for a double. The spa (the pool, the steam room, the treatment rooms) is the relaxation that Cambridge tourism demands (the walking, the cobblestones, the museums, the city is compact, but the density of attractions is exhausting).

The Gonville Hotel (the classic Cambridge hotel): The Gonville, a Victorian building on the edge of Parker’s Piece (the common, the site of the first game of association football, the rules codified here in 1848, the “Cambridge Rules”, the information plaque on the railings, the football fans making the pilgrimage), is the family-run independent that has been a Cambridge institution since the 1960s. The rooms: the decor classic, the beds comfortable, the service (the concierge who knows every restaurant in town and will book the one you have not heard of) exceeding expectations. The price: £150-220/night for a double. The location: the city centre is a 5-minute walk, the train station a 10-minute walk, the Botanic Garden (the 40 acres, the glasshouses, the collection of rare plants, the quiet) a 15-minute walk.

The Self-Catering Option (Mill Road and the Surrounding Streets): Mill Road, the “other” Cambridge, the street of independent shops (the Korean supermarket, the Syrian bakery, the craft beer shop, the bookshop that is stacked from floor to ceiling and somehow still open), the Victorian terraces converted to apartments, the Airbnb options (the one-bedroom apartment, the kitchen, the ability to make your own breakfast and feel, for a weekend, like a Cambridge resident rather than a tourist). The cost: £80-150/night for an apartment. The experience: the morning walk to the bakery (the sourdough, the almond croissant, the coffee that costs £2.50, the price difference between Mill Road and the city centre is a reliable indicator of where the locals live), the walk along the river into town, the sense of discovering the Cambridge that exists beyond the colleges and the punts and the students cycling the wrong way down one-way streets.