Most small cities are good at offering a healthy lifestyle, but Cambridge is great. Not only is it small and easily-navigable, it’s also flatter than a pancake that’s been in a trouser press all night. As such, cycling is not just practical but also non-daunting for non-expert cyclists – a key factor when considering whether you’ll actually go ahead and do it. The fact that so many thousands of Cambridge’s residents already get around on two wheels only adds to that feeling that it’s doable. And if it’s raining? Well, there’s a very good bus service too.
The city’s other attractions – beauty, culture, decent pubs – are well-known, but in particular it’s a haven for music lovers. From lunchtime concerts to chamber music, festivals, opera recitals and choral Evensong, there’s music to enjoy almost every day of the week in Cambridge. An annual highlight is the summer music festival, which attracts world-class participants.
The word is out, however – it’s becoming an increasingly popular place to live and work.
‘Twenty years ago, Cambridge was fairly sleepy,’ says Richard Freshwater of Cheffins. ‘However, these days, university lecturers have been joined by savvy employees of large tech and bio-tech corporations, who have brought higher demands for the city centre. The result is that Cambridge has become an increasingly cosmopolitan place to live.’
As well as increasingly cosmopolitan it’s also increasingly expensive, with prices that make many a London suburb look affordable. A budget of between £800,000 and £1 million will buy a two- or three-storey house with off-street parking within the city, such as this four bedroom house on the market with Strutt & Parker for £1 million.
Those with a higher budget can search for charming houses scattered among charming university colleges, such as this lovely home just a mile from the city centre, on sale with Strutt & Parker for £1.95 million.
Cambridge is not at a loss for those looking to spend a little less - one can find charming townhouses for under a million, such as Halo, on the market with Savills for £780,000.
Three marvellous homes in the idyllic city of Oxford
Credit: Savills
Three gorgeous homes in the delightful city of York
York is a city whose restaurant scene ensures that no metropolitan exile will miss the culinary delights of their former
-
The deaths of Romeo and Juliet: Country Life Quiz of the Day, June 12, 2025A Rolling Stone and a familiar-sounding place find their way into Wednesday's Quiz of the Day.
-
How to make Eton mess strawberry blondiesOur kitchen garden cook Melanie Johnson shares a mouthwatering recipe bringing together two of the greatest foodstuffs on the planet: strawberries and meringue.
-
The reality of 20 years of house price rises in Britain, from the places that have had a charmed life to the spots where it's a struggle to move back homeAt first glance the ups and downs of the property market seem to even out over time — but dig in to the numbers and you'll see wild regional variations which paint a very difference picture. Annabel Dixon analyses new research which tells the story.
-
A historic Yorkshire hall, meticulously restored to its former 18th-century magnificenceWomersley Park is a masterpiece and one of Yorkshire's great historic houses. And it could be yours.
-
Rowing past dreams: An idyllic riverside home with a boathouse, croquet pitch and Olympic pedigreeThe Manor in Long Wittenham is a perfect Thames-side getaway. Comes with a free boat.
-
A bucolic Sussex home that's 'like stepping into a fairytale', yet just 30 minutes from central LondonFelmere House is a playground for nature and only 30 minutes from London.
-
Magnificent mansions across the Home Counties, from £3 million to £14 million, as seen in Country LifeA waterside dream home and a house and estate with over 1,100 years of history make our round-up this week.
-
Vibrant colours and exquisite taste make this three-bedroom London townhouse singOn Kennington's West Square, this Grade II-listed home is a monument to the discerning eye.
-
Lawns, glorious lawns at this Grade II-listed home in Hampshire where a sustainable future meets a storied pastThere are 'old rectorys', and then there's The Old Rectory.
-
'A monument to Edwardian excess' that was built by the millionaire industrialist who founded Pinewood StudiosBents House is a classic Peak District mansion which shows that good taste and deep pockets can coexist very happily.
