The Museums Mile

Cambridge's university museums sit within a short walk of one another and entry to each of these is free. This route starts on Trumpington Street, swings out to Lensfield Road, then threads through the Downing Street sites and ends west of the centre.

The route

Start: Fitzwilliam Museum

Art and antiquities, from Egypt to Impressionism, in a Grade I listed building opened in 1848.

2. The Polar Museum

Relics of Scott and Shackleton in the public gallery of the Scott Polar Research Institute, founded in 1920. Open Tuesday to Saturday.

3. Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

A million artefacts across three floors, including the Anglo-Saxon bed burial found at Trumpington.

4. Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences

Geology, with an upright Iguanodon by the entrance and about 2,000 rocks Darwin gathered on the Beagle voyage.

5. University Museum of Zoology

A fin whale skeleton hangs in the Whale Hall, and Darwin's Beagle fish are kept in spirit. Closed on Mondays.

6. Whipple Museum of the History of Science

Scientific instruments, from sundials to early electrical equipment. Weekday opening is in the afternoon; the front entrance has a flight of stairs.

7. Museum of Classical Archaeology

Plaster casts of ancient sculpture, including a painted Peplos Kore displayed beside a plain white one.

Practical notes

• Tuesday to Friday is when all seven are open, though hours differ. The Whipple opens in the afternoon, and the Polar Museum closes at 16:00.
• The Sedgwick, Zoology and MAA are a few steps apart, so you can leave any of them out without breaking the route.
• The Museum of Classical Archaeology is open on Saturdays only in term time.
• Distance and time are estimates for the straight line between stops, adjusted for street detours.
• Distance: 2.6 km / 1.6 miles (estimate). Time: about 1 hr 45 min (estimate, including stops).