Cambridge University

Cambridge in Cambridgeshire has been a centre of learning since 1209, when a group of scholars migrated from Oxford. Today the University of Cambridge comprises 31 colleges, spread along the River Cam, and has produced more Nobel laureates than any nation except the United States. The city is compact and best explored on foot or by bicycle. The most celebrated building is King's College Chapel, begun in 1446 and completed in 1536 — a masterpiece of English Perpendicular Gothic architecture whose fan-vaulted ceiling, soaring windows filled with original 16th-century stained glass, and Rubens altarpiece make it one of the most beautiful interiors in Britain. The annual Christmas Eve carol service broadcast by the BBC has made King's Chapel internationally renowned. The Backs — the meadows, gardens, and bridges along the west bank of the Cam behind the colleges — offer some of England's most photogenic views: the Mathematical Bridge at Queens' College, the Bridge of Sighs at St John's College (a covered stone bridge), and the grounds of Trinity College. Trinity is the largest and wealthiest college, founded by Henry VIII; its Wren Library houses Newton's annotated copy of his own Principia Mathematica and A.A. Milne's original Winnie the Pooh manuscripts. Punting on the Cam, either self-hire or chauffeured, passes directly through the Backs and is one of the most enjoyable ways to experience the college architecture from the water. The Fitzwilliam Museum on Trumpington Street is a world-class art and antiquities museum with free admission.