Cambridge is what happens when an old-money boarding school grows up, gets a trust fund and discovers craft cocktails. It’s all honey-stone colleges, low-level academic smugness and students in gowns cycling past you while you wonder if you remembered to cancel your Klarna.
It’s also a really good place for a date: walkable, pretty from every angle, full of old-man pubs and basement bars, and with the very niche option of pushing your date down a river on a glorified wooden tray (aka punting).
This one’s a full day: buns, boats, pints, cocktails, and just enough culture.
Vibe: Collegiate charm, riverside strolls, low-key bougie
Area: The Backs, River Cam & City Centre
Best For: The “we’re not just ‘seeing each other’ anymore, are we?” date
Budget: ££
Length: 5–7 hours
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The Day Thing
Buns and a Wander
Start on Trumpington Street at Fitzbillies, the OG Cambridge bakery. They’ve been turning out their famously sticky Chelsea buns since 1920 and now make hundreds of thousands a year from their Cambridge bakery.
Order coffee, share a Chelsea bun (or don’t, we’re not here to judge possessive pastry behaviour), and do the “so how chaotic is your week” catch-up.
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From there, take a slow loop past the colleges, King’s, Clare, Trinity, and through the market square. You don’t need to go full tour guide, just occasional commentary: “That’s King’s – the one they put on Christmas cards,”.
Perfect level of culture for a soft-launch situationship.
The Afternoon Thing
Punting & Pub
When you’ve hit your step count, it’s time for the main event: punting.
If you’re in “impress them, but I refuse to fall in” mode, book a chauffeured tour with Scudamore’s – Cambridge’s original punting company, running tours along the College Backs for over a century. You get 45 minutes of gliding past King’s Chapel, the Wren Library and the Bridge of Sighs while someone else does the labour and tells mildly stupid stories about student pranks.
If one of you has delusional confidence and good balance, you can self-hire a punt and take turns on the pole. It’s flirty, it’s vaguely athletic, and there’s always a small chance of someone falling in, which is… memorable, if nothing else (think Bridget Jones).
Riverside pints
When you’re back on land and slightly sun-drunk, roll over to The Mill. It’s a 19th-century riverside pub on the banks of the Cam, overlooking Laundress Green, and is known as one of Cambridge’s most iconic boozers with a big line-up of real ales. Grab pints, sit outside if the weather’s cooperating, and do some A+ people-and-dog watching as punts wobble past.
If you want something a bit more central and historic, head to The Eagle – the pub where Crick and Watson allegedly announced the discovery of DNA, and where WWII aircrew scrawled their names on the ceiling of the RAF bar. It’s got proper old-school pub energy with just enough nerd history to keep the conversation going.
If It Goes Well
Bars with Actual Vibes
Now you’ve established that you can a) talk and b) not fall in the river, it’s cocktail time. Cambridge has quietly excellent bars, less Shoreditch try-hard, more “postgrad with a personality”.
Pick your lane:
Option 1: Science Gay Bar Energy – The LAB
Head to The LAB on Regent Street, a 1920s-style cocktail bar with a science twist: think beaker vibes, signature cocktails and tapas-style small plates. It’s known for well-built drinks, comfy booths and a slightly decadent atmosphere that says “I definitely did not come here after the library.”
Good for:
- Getting a bit dressed up
- Sharing fries and croquetas while you over-share about your ex
- Queer-friendly, fun energy without feeling like a full club
Option 2: Basement Gremlin – 2648
If you prefer your dates underground, go to 2648 on Trinity Street, a basement bar with Shoreditch-ish energy, classic cocktails, craft beers and regular DJ nights. There’s a “Secret Library” room for events, so you can pretend you just casually know about hidden bars in Cambridge.
Good for:
- Later-night vibes
- House/funk/soul playlists
- That moment where you’re both three cocktails in and talking about your childhood traumas over tequila
Option 3: Main Character Rooftop – SIX / The Roof Terrace
If it’s a clear evening and you want max drama, head to the Roof Terrace at The Varsity / SIX – Cambridge’s rooftop bar and restaurant, with 360° views over the colleges and a cocktail list that leans into lychee martinis and G&Ts. It’s slightly spendy, but you’re paying for skyline and main-character energy.
Good for:
- Sunset drinks
- Soft-launch Instagram stories
- “So… what are you doing next weekend?” chat
Wrap Up/Bonus Round
If you’re still not ready to go home, loop back via another pub – The Punter or The Cambridge Blue both get love from locals for good beer lists and cosy interiors. Perfect “let’s have one last pint and work out if this is an Uber-home-together situation or a polite hug on the pavement” setting.
See you next time for the next instalment of The Date Edit.
Nonchalant x
Babs heads up Logistics and Product here at Nonchalant Magazine.
