Hotel du Vin & Bistro

Free superfast fibre Wi-Fi (Gigaclear) throughout; no login constraints, all rooms and public areas included

Period building with lift serving ground to second floor; third floor (attic rooms) accessible by narrow Victorian staircase only; some ground-floor and first-floor rooms step-free from lobby

Complimentary digital FT and Guardian via tablets in lobby; no physical papers; Grade II* listed 19th-century townhouse with original sash windows and exposed beams

Standard 15:00–23:00; early check-in subject to availability (no fee if available); late checkout 12:00–17:00 charged at 50% room rate, after 17:00 full night charge applies

Available before check-in and after checkout at no charge; access during business hours only

Ground-floor entrance is step-free via sloped access; accessible WC on ground floor; not all upper-floor rooms are wheelchair-accessible due to listed building status; recommend phoning ahead

No on-site parking; nearest public car park is Grafton Centre (pay-and-display, 10-min walk, £1.40/hour weekday, £2.10/hour weekend); EV charging available at Grafton; street parking highly limited and permit-only in surrounding residential roads

King's Parade and Corn Exchange (city centre, 5-min walk) for high-street chains; Grafton Centre (10-min walk) for Debenhams, John Lewis; Cambridge market (historic covered market, 400 m, open daily) for local crafts and food

The Backs (riverside college walk, 300 m, flat, 2 km loop) is the best gentle walk; Grantchester Meadows (2 km south, busier June weekends) offers meadow scenery; all terrain is flat and paved in city centre

Fitzwilliam Museum (free admission, 800 m, 10-min walk, art/antiquities) is top pick; Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology (free, 600 m); Whipple Museum of the History of Science (free, 900 m)

ADC Theatre (500 m, student productions and professional shows) and Arts Theatre (200 m, varied programming) nearby; Corn Exchange hosts major touring acts (5-min walk)

No bowling alley; nearest board-game café is Fanboy Three (0.6 km, open 11:00–23:00 weekdays, 10:00–23:00 weekends); no arcade

Lammas Land (park with playground, 1 km south, flat, riverside); Jesus Green Outdoor Swimming Pool (500 m, seasonal summer opening, paid); Cambridge University Botanic Garden (3 km, paid, good for toddlers)

Barclays ATM (10 King's Parade, 300 m, 4-min walk); Nationwide/Santander ATMs in Corn Exchange (5-min walk); no foreign transaction fees on major UK bank cards

Boots Pharmacy (16–20 Petty Cury, 400 m, open 08:00–18:00 Mon–Fri, 09:00–18:00 Sat, closed Sun); nearest 24-hour pharmacy is Lloyds Pharmacy at Addenbrooke's Hospital (3 km, A&E hours only for emergency dispensing)

Tesco Express (20 Trumpington Street, adjacent, 24 hours) and Sainsbury's Local (St Andrew's Street, 400 m, open until 23:00 Mon–Sat, 10:00–16:00 Sun)

Nearest bus stop is Trumpington Street (Hotel du Vin stop on Citi 1, 2, 3 routes); 2-min walk; local single journey £1.50 or day travel card £4.50 (Stagecoach). Nearest train station is Cambridge Railway Station (2 km, 25-min walk or Citi bus 5 min); no day-pass validation required, contactless/card payment accepted

Pound Sterling, GBP (£)

Post Office (St Andrew's Street, 400 m) offers fair mid-market rates with small commission; avoid airport bureau de change (poor rates); no standalone exchange bureaux nearby with good rates

Contactless and chip-and-PIN universal; Visa/Mastercard/Amex widely accepted; mobile pay (Apple Pay, Google Pay) accepted in most restaurants and shops; no surcharge for card payments

Restaurants: 10–15% for good service (not compulsory); tip is usually added to card bills (check receipt); taxis: round up to nearest £ or add 10%; hotel housekeeping: £1–2 per night discretionary; bar staff: £0.50–£1 per drink optional

Fitzbillies (61 Trumpington Street, 150 m walk, from £2.80 for filter coffee); artisan-quality but busy student spot; alternatively Pret A Manger (multiple locations, 300 m, £2.50 cappuccino)

Lunch deal at Sainsbury's (St Andrew's Street, 400 m, £3.50 for sandwich + snack + drink); or Chinese bao at Hot Numbers (87 Grange Road, 0.5 km, mains £6–8); market food stalls at Cambridge Market (400 m, pies/street food £4–7)

Kebab house at Kebabish (St Andrew's Street, 400 m, mains £8–10) or Indian curry at Curry King (Newnham Road, 0.6 km, thali £9–11); Nando's (Grafton Centre, 10-min walk, chicken £10–14)

Cambridge Market (city centre, 400 m) daily food stalls: pies, crepes, Thai; also Gourmet Goat food truck (variable pitch, typically Market Square, £6–8); Trumpington Street has Turkish and Indian takeaways

Sainsbury's Local (St Andrew's Street, 400 m walk) or Tesco Express (adjacent to hotel, 20 m); larger budget shop is Aldi (Fulbourn Road, 1.5 km, Citi bus 2) or Asda (out of town, car-dependent)

Urban Outfitters and H&M in Grafton Centre (10-min walk) or Primark (Corn Exchange, 5-min walk); vintage/thrift at Save the Children Shop (King's Parade, 400 m)

Citi day travel card £4.50 (all buses unlimited); single journey £1.50; cheapest airport transfer is Stagecoach Airporter bus (£12 return, 1 hour from Stansted) bought at station; avoid taxis (£40+); from King's Lynn station (train option) use Stagecoach bus (£3.50)

Buy Stagecoach day ticket (£4.50) if taking 3+ buses in a day instead of singles; eat lunch at supermarket meal deals (£3.50) and cook dinner in hotel room if possible; many museums are free (Fitzwilliam, Archaeology, Whipple) so budget culture around those