Shared | Combined Cambridge University Walking & Punting Tour With Optional King’s College Led By University Alumni

CAMBRIDGE WALKING AND PUNTING TOUR WITH OPTIONAL KING’S COLLEGE LED BY UNIVERSITY ALUMNI – COLLEGES, TRADITIONS & STORIES

Key Highlights

• Shared experience with a chance to meet new people.
• Combine Cambridge’s premier walking tour with an iconic Scudamore’s punting experience.
• Led by Cambridge University graduates & students.
• Explore Cambridge’s most iconic landmarks.
• Entry into Trinity College Paddocks (subject to availability).
• Optional King’s College Chapel entry add-on available.
• Learn how the Cambridge collegiate system truly works.
• Discover famous colleges, hidden traditions, and insider stories.
• Discover hidden lanes and lesser-known corners.
• Relaxing punting tour on the River Cam.
• Slide past tranquil gardens and triumphant college facades, and under iconic bridges.
• Bring your own refreshments or purchase drinks at the pontoon.
• Tours available in English, Mandarin and Spanish, with additional languages for the walking tours.

Tour Options

Option 1: Shared Walking Tour + Shared Punting

• Duration: Approximately 2.75 hours
• Includes:
  • 90-minute shared alumni-led walking tour.
  • 30-minute break.
  • 45-minute shared chauffeured punting tour.
• Languages: English, Mandarin, Spanish for the walking tour.
• Shared experience, perfect for meeting fellow guests while exploring with an expert guide.
• Group Size: Up to 25 guests (walking) and up to 12 per punt.
• Excludes: Entry to non-pre-booked colleges, food and drinks, and gratuities.

Option 2: Shared Walking Tour + King’s College Chapel Entry + Shared Punting

• Duration: Approximately 3.75 hours
• Includes:
  • 90-minute shared alumni-led walking tour.
  • King’s College Chapel entry for a self-guided visit at the end of the tour.
  • 45-minute shared chauffeured punting tour.
• Shares the same characteristics as Option 1.

Full Description

Discover Cambridge from both land and water on this shared tour, pairing our full walking tour with a leisurely chauffeured punt along the River Cam.

You will be met in central Cambridge by your Cambridge University graduate or student guide, who leads a 90-minute walking tour steeped in the University’s history and the everyday realities of student life. Along the way, you will take in landmark colleges — King’s, Trinity, and St John’s among them — and hear how this small city produced minds such as Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, and Alan Turing. Should you wish to see more, entry into King’s College Chapel can be added during the walk (subject to availability), giving you access to one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture anywhere in the world, with your guide on hand to bring its history to life.

Well paced and sociable, the tour brings together a small group of guests, and the range of questions along the way often makes for a livelier walk than you would have alone.

From the walking tour, you will make your way to the river for a shared punting excursion with Scudamore’s, the city’s longest-established punting company and our preferred partner for this route. Setting off from Mill Lane, by the Mill Pond, your chauffeur will steer you past the college Backs and beneath a succession of historic bridges, with commentary woven in as you take in the gardens and views along the way.

Twilight departures are available at certain times of year for a quieter, more atmospheric crossing under lantern light, and in the colder months guests are welcomed aboard with blankets, hot drinks, and seasonal extras such as mulled wine.

The tour runs to around 2 hours 45 minutes, or 3 hours 45 minutes should you add King’s College Chapel.

Departures run at set times throughout the week, at a comfortable pace suited to all ages — current times are shown on our booking page.

Itinerary

Part 1: Walking Tour

• King’s College & King’s Parade Viewpoints – The historic heart of Cambridge and home to its most iconic chapel
• Corpus Christi Clock (Exterior) – A striking modern timepiece symbolising the passage of time
• The Eagle Pub (Interior subject to availability) – Where the discovery of DNA was first announced
• Site of the Old Cavendish Laboratory (Exterior) – Groundbreaking scientific discoveries and Nobel Prize history
• Corpus Christi College (Exterior) – One of Cambridge’s oldest and most atmospheric colleges
• Queens’ College & The Mathematical Bridge (Exterior) – Famous riverside architecture and engineering legend
• The Backs and King’s College Chapel (Exterior) – Scenic views across the river and college gardens
• Trinity College Paddocks (Interior subject to availability) – Academic powerhouse and home of Sir Isaac Newton
• St John’s College (Exterior) – Grand courts, historic rivalries, and stunning architecture
• Senate House, Gonville & Caius, and Great St Mary’s (Exterior) – The ceremonial centre of Cambridge
  • King’s College Chapel (when purchased as an extra addition) – Visit at the end of the walk, where your guide will leave you to explore this masterpiece of late Gothic architecture at your own pace, taking in its stunning fan-vaulted ceiling, the elegant wooden choir, and the colourful stained-glass windows, some of which are over 500 years old.

Part 2: Punting Tour

• Departure from Mill Lane (Scudamore’s Station)
• Laundress Green and Darwin College – Drift past open commons and the islands belonging to a college.
• Queens’ College and the Mathematical Bridge – The celebrated wooden bridge, said to have been built without a single nail.
• King’s College Chapel and the Backs – One of England’s most photographed views.
• Clare College and the oldest Bridge on the Cam – The elegant and oldest surviving bridge on the river.
• Kitchen Bridge and the Wren Library – Trinity College’s famous bridge, with Christopher Wren’s library standing close by.
• St John’s College and the Bridge of Sighs – Cambridge’s own Bridge of Sighs, inspired by the one in Venice.
• Magdalene College and back to the station – A last look at the riverbank before returning to Mill Lane.

Who This Tour Is For

• Couples and families
• Visitors looking for a unique experience
• History enthusiasts
• Guests interested in the collegiate system and the ancient university
• Future applicant aiming to experience Cambridge from the inside
• International travellers
• Alumni visitors
• First-time visitors to Cambridge
• Nature and landscape lovers

Practical Information

Meeting Point:
King’s College Main Gate, King’s Parade, Cambridge

Group Size:
Up to 25 guests per guide

Languages Available:
Tours are conducted in English. Mandarin and Spanish are available when selected at booking

Accessibility:
The route is largely step-free but includes cobbled and uneven historic streets. Please contact us before booking and we will advise on your specific requirements.

Why Choose Alumni Tours

• ✔ This is the original, widely imitated “Alumni Tours” format, created around a genuine student experience.
• ✔ Includes all features of our Cambridge Walking Tour plus punting
• ✔ Led by Cambridge alumni and academically trained guides.
• ✔ Shared, communal experience.
• ✔ Focus on history and traditions.
• ✔ Trusted operator with thousands of positive reviews.
• ✔ Professional, rigorously trained chauffeurs from Scudamore’s.
• ✔ High-quality, safe, and well-organised tours

🎟️ Book your shared combined tour today and experience Cambridge at its finest.

What’s Included

• Cambridge University student or graduate shared Guide
• 90-minute guided walking tour
• Exceptional access to Trinity College Paddocks (when accessible)
• Gain an insight into student life at an elite university
• Learn about the Oxbridge application process from a student
• Historical insights and storytelling
• Entry to King’s College Chapel (when you book this option)
• 45 minutes punting tour
• Live commentary throughout

What’s Not Included

• Indoor access to structures unless booked in advance
• King’s College Chapel entry (unless selected)
• Gratuities
• Food and drinks on the punt (available for purchase or BYO)

Upgrades & Add-Ons

• King’s College Chapel self-guided visit (subject to availability; access at the end of the walking tour, escorted by the guide).
• Private bespoke Cambridge day experiences
• Cambridge + Oxford private tours
• VIP academic-led experiences
• Concierge travel planning

Check-In & Arrival Information

Please arrive 5–10 minutes before your scheduled start time.

Your guide will wear an official lanyard, potentially alongside branded Alumni Tours apparel.

If you are running late, please contact us as soon as possible. Delays unrelated to the company’s responsibility are not covered by refunds. If you are late, we will not be able to guide you over the phone to catch up with the group, so please be on time.

Additional Information

What to Bring:

• Weather-appropriate clothing
• Comfortable walking shoes

Special Requirements:
Children under 16 should be accompanied by an adult

Health & Safety:
The walking tour takes place on historic streets, which may include uneven surfaces and cobblestones. The punting tour takes place on the river — please follow the safety briefing before boarding.

Important Information

College Entry:
Entry to Trinity College Paddocks is subject to availability and university opening times.

Weather Policy:
Tours operate rain or shine

Late Arrival:
Late arrivals may miss part or all of the tour

Route Variations:
Routes may vary depending on access, weather, or events

Behaviour:
We reserve the right to remove guests who disrupt the experience

Liability:
Guests participate at their own risk

FAQ

What makes this tour different?
Our guides are Cambridge alumni or students, offering an informed and authentic perspective grounded in real history and folklore.

Do we go inside colleges?
This tour focuses mainly on exterior locations. Occasional college access is possible but not guaranteed. Access to King’s College Chapel is included when the option is booked.

How long is the tour?
Approximately 2.75 hours (or up to 3.75 hours if you visit King’s College Chapel)

Is this a private tour?
No, the experience is shared.

What languages are available?
Standard walking tours are conducted in English, Mandarin, and Spanish. Punting tours are subject to guide availability and linguistic proficiency.

Is it suitable for children?
Yes, it is suitable for all ages.

Does the tour operate in bad weather?
Yes, the tour runs in all weather conditions.

Contact & Confirmation Notes

Communications:
Please provide an email address and phone number that you can access regularly, as we may need to communicate updates. While we are responsible for sending updates, it is the guest’s responsibility to check for and receive these communications.

Cancellations & Refunds:
For small groups, cancellations made 24 hours or more in advance are eligible for a full refund. Larger groups may require a longer cancellation notice period. Please contact management to confirm the applicable cut-off time.

Guests must check in on time and at the correct meeting point or risk missing the tour and needing to purchase new tickets. Traffic or train delays will not qualify for reimbursement or rebooking.

Please arrive at least 5 minutes early.

✆ +44 1223 787270
📧 [email protected]
alumni.tours