“Abounding with exquisite architecture, exuding history and tradition, and renowned for its quirky rituals, Cambridge is a university town extraordinaire. The tightly packed core of ancient colleges, the picturesque riverside ‘Backs’ (college gardens) and leafy meadows surrounding the city give it a more tranquil appeal than its historic rival Oxford.”

Lonely Planet

This post details the best dog-friendly things to do, dog-friendly accommodation (including hotels) and dog-friendly places to eat in Cambridge. Make sure that you share this post with friends on Pinterest and subscribe for all future posts!

People have been living in the Cambridge area since the Bronze age at least 3,500 years ago, we like to think with their dogs. It has a rich human history and archaeological evidence from the Romans, the Vikings, the Saxons, and so on. It is probably best known these days for the world renowned University of Cambridge. The University itself dates back to 1209, started by a number of scholars taking refuge from hostile townsmen in Oxford – the rivalry runs deep!

Our trip

We spent two full days and one night in Cambridge. Our first trip since the lifting of COVID restrictions. The weather was glorious and it felt like we were abroad.

Saturday

We arrived on Saturday and headed straight to Scudamores punting Granta Place boat station and hopped onto a punt with our pooch and punted around Cambridge college backs. From the river we saw the mathematical bridge, King’s college chapel, Wren library, the Bridge of Sighs and Cam bridge. We didn’t fall in (one of us was very close) but we saw others comically splash into the river. Luckily for them it’s quite easy to get back into the punt and there are lots of professional tour guides to offer a hand.

Scudamores is decidedly dog-friendly and, once they get used to it, dogs love it. You can pre-book 90 minute self-drive punts for from £37.50 and tours from £59 on their website and the checking process is very quick and easy.

If you take your dog to Cambridge you HAVE to take them on a punt. It’s the best way to introduce yourselves to this gorgeous city and you get to see areas (such as University campuses and building) that you won’t be able to access with a dog otherwise.

After punting we headed to the historic centre and explored the (very busy) streets of Cambridge. Cambridge has so much to see and do that you couldn’t fit it all in one weekend. We didn’t do a tour (a missed opportunity in my opinion), instead we wandered aimlessly with the aim of getting lost and finding great places to eat and drink. Highlights included Kings College Chapel, the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Corpus Clock, Market Square, all the gorgeous churches, and so much more – all very enjoyable from outside with a dog!

Finally, we enjoyed food and drinks at our hotel The Waterman. Our stay fortunately/unfortunately (depending on which one of us you talk to) coincided with the Champions League final and so we had a jolly evening with lots of others. We all slept like babies after the day of punting, walking miles around Cambridge and after a drink (or two).

Sunday

2 minutes walk from our hotel was a great dog-friendly park Jesus Green. This is a huge park that includes lots of space for your dog to run and explore. We spent the morning playing with our pooch, watching cheerleaders practicing their lifts, people playing tennis, kids in the play ground, and young and old having fun. It’s a great family park.

Over the road (Victoria Avenue) is another great open green space called Midsummer Common. We didn’t take Sash there as we spotted a small herd of cows roaming about.

Both parks often hold events and are surrounded by dog-friendly places to eat and drink. A must visit.

For lunch we headed into the city centre and tried to find somewhere to eat. There are lots of dog-friendly places but Cambridge is very popular and so places often book up well in advance. We found a table at a lovely family run Italian restaurant called La Margherita. We weren’t allowed to give our dog water at the table (health and safety concerns with the tiled floor) but otherwise they were very friendly and accommodating. The risotto was excellent.

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