This is a page of practical information for teachers who have organised a visit to Christ's through our Admissions and Outreach team. We hope that it will be useful, but if you can think of details we've missed, do let us know!
Note: Page being updated 12/12/24
We require some information from you after your booking is confirmed in advance of your visit.
At least two weeks in advance: we will need any dietary requirements information, including confirmation of there not being any requirements!
At least a week ahead of time, we also need confirmation of any religious or accessibility information for your group, plus the correct contact details of the staff members attending with them.
Please see the drop-down sections below for further details.
Once your booking is confirmed, we will need the following information about the group attending:
Dietary: please let us know of any dietary requirements, including allergies. Where allergies are a concern, it is helpful to know if it is one where others can consume allergens in the same room or whether they are particularly sensitive to allergens in the room and so should be entirely avoided. If we are not informed, we cannot guarantee there will be suitable refreshments or lunch options available for those individuals.
Religious Requirements: specifically, if anyone will require access to a prayer space. We have a multi-faith prayer room including sink and prayer mats. During religious observances, it is helpful to have an idea of how many may e.g. be fasting.
Accessibility: if any member of the group has a disability we need to be aware of. This includes those relating to mobility, hearing or visual impairments, as well as anyone who may have recently e.g. broken a limb and is using crutches. Information about the accessibility of the college site is available through AccessAble. The rooms we use in college as the base for our visits have step-free access, including bathrooms and where we host lunch (via lift).
Please see further guidance about drop-off points and parking; if you will have a member of your group where walking for more than 15 minutes, or through the city centre, may be difficult, please get in touch with us so we can advise.
Where to go
You will need to enter Christ's via the Great Gate (Porters' Lodge) on St Andrew's Street - you're looking for the gate in the photo here (plus or minus some adjacent scaffolding at the minute). Do not walk around to Hobson Street or King Street gates, they are card-access only. From here, you will continue to walk through the college to the Yusuf Hamied Theatre in most cases - we'll tell you via email if this is different on any particular date. See the College Map below for a layout of the site.
Address: Christ's College, Cambridge, CB2 3BU
What3Words for Great Gate entrance: ///petty.dose.lonely
You can also download a map pack here to print before you travel which includes everything you should need to get to us. You may also wish to use Google Street View to get a sense of the street/walk beforehand.
Maps
It's important to consider how you will be arriving at the college. Below we include details depending on how you will be travelling. Please ensure that these details are also passed on to anyone who will be driving minibuses, or companies you are using for coach hire.
Please do not be tempted to drive directly to Christ's College in the historic centre of Cambridge. There is no parking for visitors, no suitable place for drop-off, and the small medieval streets and one-way system makes the College difficult to approach (plus the abundance of cyclists)! There are also bus gates - whilst there are no bollards to stop you going down those roads in the centre, drivers will still be fined! Only local buses are permitted, not coaches. You will need to make a plan about parking and should factor in time to walk from parking/drop-off locations to the college with your group (more below).
Traffic: If you will be travelling by road, we strongly recommend that you also allow extra time for congestion. The traffic on approach to Cambridge and within the city can unfortunately be quite heavy, especially around rush hours. We would rather you be a little early than late!
Websites like Traffic England can be useful for checking the flow.
Please be aware that it's not advisable to drive into the city centre. Part of this is the congestion, but it's also a lot of one-way street systems with bus gates which will risk fines if you go through them (it's local buses only). Please ensure that drivers have information about bus gates and one-way streets in the city centre.
Drop-Off & Collection Points
There are three designated coach drop-off points around the outskirts of the city centre, that can used for coaches or minibuses, and have a maximum stay of 10 minutes. These are:
Queens' Road (recommended): ///book.mercy.trick, Pin on Google Maps, CB3 9AH. 0.6 mile walk.
Chesterton Road: ///buyers.bronze.brave, Pin on Google Maps. 0.8 mile walk.
Trumpington Road: ///bets.myself.full, Pin on Google Maps. 1 mile walk.
You can then walk your group to Christ's - see the walking route to Christ's from Queens' Road layby. You should allow at least 25 minutes to walk from the Queens' Road drop-off point to the room in Christ's (you'll also need to walk through the college site once you've arrived at the gate!).
Parking: On-Street (Minibuses Only)
There is limited on-street parking in Cambridge, which cannot be guaranteed and so shouldn't be relied upon. You can park for up to 8 hours on Sidgwick Avenue, or up to 4 hours on West Road and Queens' Road (the latter two not normally suitable for our Visit Days!). Meters use the RingGo app to pay, or coins or card, and costs £1.20 per 30 minutes (£2.40/hr) on Sidgwick Avenue or West Road.
Queens' Road is £1.20 per 15 minutes (£4.80/hr).
Parking: Park & Rides (Coaches or Minibuses)
Where possible, we recommend dropping off the group and at least one staff member at one of the designated points above, and then parking coaches and minibuses at a Park and Ride. Staff driving minibuses can then get a PR bus into town and walk to the college from there.
Please use the Madingley Road Park & Ride site (CB3 0EX) for parking coaches and minibuses. There is a charge of £15 per vehicle per day. Please see the map and information.
There are two train stations in Cambridge. You should arrive at Cambridge Station (not Cambridge North). The station is not in the centre and you will need to walk from here or take a bus to Christ's. There are very regular trains from each of the following London stations: King's Cross, St Pancras, and Liverpool Street. Those coming from the north of Cambridge will normally change in Ely or Peterborough.
We're a 25 minute walk from Cambridge Station for the average individual - you should allow much more time if walking a school group, as we're sure you know!
Buses into the city centre leave regularly. You can take any of the Park and Ride (PR) buses, the A Busway (to St Ives), or the 1 (Arbury), 3 (Fison Road) or 7 (Cambridge), the stops for these are to your left as you exit the station, and over the other side of the road. Please be aware traffic around peak times can be pretty bad so sometimes it's at least as quick to just walk...
Ahead of your visit day we will provide a contact number for the Christ's Admissions & Outreach Officer who will be hosting your visit (normally Ellie or Kristy). Please make a note of this prior to travelling!
We ask that you pop us a text when you have arrived in Cambridge so we know you're in the vicinity. It's also super helpful if you can send a text if your group will not arrive at the allotted time.
We strongly prefer a text message to a phone call, if possible, as we are not always able to take a phone call at the time. Mobile numbers are only to be used on the day of your visit. At any other time, please use the normal office contact details (at the end of this page).
Unfortunately the weather is not something that we can organise for you! Although it is often kind to us in Cambridge, do note that activities will still normally take place whatever the weather! We've given tours outside in heavy rain, snow, blazing sunshine etc.! Please ensure that your group is well prepared for the programme and the forecast so that they will be comfortable, and that they have shoes that they can walk comfortably in.