Travelling to Cambridge

How to get here
The AECVP 9th Biennial Meeting will be held at:
Fitzwilliam College,
Storey’s Way,
Cambridge,
CB3 0DG

Fitzwilliam College is located just to the north of the city centre. More information about the college is available on their webpage, and they have a map of the college and advice on how to get there. In addition, the Traveline website is a useful tool to plan your journey within the UK. The Transport for London Journey Planner is also useful for planning journeys through London.

Advice on International Travel to the UK

The latest advice on travel to the England can be found on the UK Government website, and you can sign up for email alerts when the website information changes. Countries are rated green, amber and red, and testing and quarantine requirements vary depending on rating. Updates are also posted on the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Twitter accounts (@FCDOGovUK and @FCDOtravelGovUK). Regulations will undoubtedly change depending on the situation in the UK and abroad.

Coronavirus testing and international travel

Full details can be found in this government step-by-step guide. In summary:

  • You will need to have a negative coronavirus test in the 72 hours before travelling to the UK.
  • If you are coming from a ‘green list’ country, or are fully vaccinated and coming from an ‘amber list’ country you will not need to quarantine on arrival. You will still need to have a PCR test on day 2 after arrival.
  • If you are not vaccinated and coming from an ‘amber list’ country you will need to quarantine in your accommodation for 10 days and have covid tests at day 2 and 8 (although this can be shortened with an additional negative covid test at 5 days – ‘test to release’).
  • If you have been in a ‘red list’ country in the 10 days prior to arrival, you will need to undergo hotel quarantine on arrival in England.

You will need to organise any covid tests you need in the UK from a government approved laboratory – please see the UK Government Website for details. If you are staying at Fitzwilliam College and organise testing by post, you can have your kit delivered to the porter’s lodge from where you can collect it. Please have your package sent to:

(Your Name)
AECVP Biennial Meeting,
Porter’s Lodge,
Fitzwilliam College
Storey’s Way,
Cambridge,
CB3 0DG

Proving vaccination status for travel to England

England accepts full vaccination in an approved programme in UK, Europe or the USA to avoid quarantine if travelling from an amber list country. The CDC card proving vaccination status and the EU Digital Covid Certificate are both accepted – please see the government website for full details. England does not accept proof of recovery from Covid-19 as evidence of immunity for travel purposes.

Travel by train

Within the UK

The closest railway station is Cambridge, which has regular direct services to London Liverpool Street and London Kings Cross/St Pancras stations, with the fastest services taking less than an hour. Train trips can be planned on the National Rail Enquiries website. The train station is located south of the city centre, so you may wish to use a bus or taxi to get to Fitzwilliam College. The most direct bus route is the Whippet U service, which runs regularly during the day and evening, and stops at Storey’s Way near Fitzwilliam College – see also section on travel within Cambridge.

Kings Cross and St Pancras stations in London are immediately adjacent to one another, making transfers easy.

International trains

Eurostar services terminate at St Pancras International station in London, with direct trains to Cambridge from St Pancras or Kings Cross station.

Eurostar services go direct to Paris, Brussels, Lille, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam, with other cities served at certain times of year. Eurostar connects to other high-speed train services across Europe at these stations.

Travel by air

The closest airport is London Stansted. Direct trains to Cambridge take approximately 30 minutes, and direct coaches take 40-50 minutes.

London Gatwick can be reached easily by train, either direct or with an easy change at Kings Cross/St Pancras. The transfer takes less than 2 hours.

London Luton Airport can be reached by coach, with direct services taking 1h35m. Luton Airport Parkway train station is served by a shuttle bus between the airport and the train station. Trains from Luton Airport Parkway station go to St Pancras station in London, where you can catch a direct train to Cambridge from either St Pancras or Kings Cross station. The train transfer takes less than 2 hours.

From London Heathrow, direct coaches to Cambridge take from 2h20m. The Heathrow Underground service (Piccadilly line) goes direct to Kings Cross-St Pancras for Cambridge trains, with a transfer time of approximately 2 hours. Alternatively the Heathrow Express train will take you to London Paddington; travel across London to King’s Cross/St Pancras via Underground.

National coach services

Cambridge is served by the National Express coach service, which also serves the major airports. The closest stops to Fitzwilliam College in Cambridge are Madingley Road Park and Ride, and Parkside.

National Express coaches connect to European coach services at Victoria Coach Station in London.

Driving to Fitzwilliam College

Fitzwilliam College can be reached by road from the M11 or A14. There are two car parks, the first at the Storey’s Way entrance (postcode CB3 0DG), and a larger car park at the Huntingdon Road entrance (postcode CB3 0SH). Parking is free and is on a first come – first served basis. Additional on-road parking is available on Storey’s Way if the car parks are full.

In the unlikely event that you cannot park at the college or on Storey’s Way, the nearest public car parks are Castle Hill (CB3 0AT) Shire Hall/Castle Court (CB3 0AP) and Madingley Park and Ride (CB3 0EX; please note the Park and Ride buses do not stop near Fitzwilliam College).