What's It Like to Live in Cambridge?

I’ve spent most of my life in Cambridge and the surrounding area – here are 10 things you need to know before you make the move:

Living in Cambridge – The Pros

The beautiful buildings of Cambridge University are scattered around the city centre.
Stunning (if cold) in the winter sun. Lovely continental vibe in the summer.
Excellent for high culture. Classical concerts coming out of your ears. Lots of museums to poke around in.
Plenty of parks and green space, plus the river Cam for punting, walks, picnics, kayaks, and summer swims for the brave.
Popular with fans of cycling, craft beer, and board games.
Cambridge has expanded rapidly in the past few decades thanks to the Science and Biomedical Parks, and it’s much more cosmopolitan and sociable than it used to be (though still very white and middle-class).
Scores highly for pace of life and quality of conversation.
Mill Road is a vibrant area full of independent stores and cafes, and a diverse range of restaurants. The area just north of the river is also home to cafes and shops.
Two, soon to be three, train stations with frequent connections to London. If you look at least a day in advance you can usually find cheap tickets too.
Stansted Airport is 20 minutes on the train.
The pubs and beer gardens are excellent and you’ll never enjoy a cramped noisy London boozer again.

Cambridge University own most of the property in the city centre, so abandon any thoughts of a nice little place in amongst the beautiful historic buildings (unless you’ll be working for the university)
This plus the influx of well-paid science parkers has resulted in eye-watering property and rental prices. It’s nearly as bad as London.
Ditto drinks prices.
Rentals and house-shares are cramped and overpriced. Lots rubbish properties on the marketplace – old, damp, tiny studio flats.
The countryside around Cambridge is not particularly inspiring – endless flat fen crop fields. You’ll need a car helps for reaching the prettiest areas of the east.
But the traffic is TERRIBLE.
Only masochists drive the M11 to work in London daily.
The suburban areas are soul-crushingly boring and devoid of character and interest.
Standard train fares to London are pricey considering the journey time. Peak trains in both directions are packed, good luck getting a seat.
There’s not much of an artsy creative vibe. Probably because it’s so expensive.
In the summer it’s invaded by tourists and language students and it gets horrendously busy in town.
If you look even vaguely like a tourist you will be pestered by punt touts.
You may think of cycling as a genteel pursuit but the cyclists here are aggressive and kamikaze. Pedestrians being hit by bikes is not uncommon. Cyclist vs motorist is as big a local divide as town vs gown. Bicycle theft is a feature of life.
Taxis are expensive.