"The tour (trip price) included 1 row in the boat. Our guide was funny and shared a lot of interesting information"
The Backs · 45 Minutes · River Cam
Punting Tour Cambridge
Forty-five minutes on a chauffeured punt along the Backs: King's College Chapel, Queens' Mathematical Bridge, Clare Bridge and St John's Bridge of Sighs, with a guide standing at the back with the pole.
Originals by GetYourGuide
From
US$39
per group up to 3 (the listing's price for up to three people; checked October 2026)
Free cancellation
- 4.7 / 5 1570+ Reviews
- 45 Minutes Along the Backs
- Chauffeur + Live Commentary
- Free Cancellation
The Experience
What the Punting Tour Includes
A chauffeured punt on the River Cam, a guide and live commentary along the college Backs.
Highlights
- Admire some of the historic sites of Cambridge University from the River Cam
- Hear fascinating Cambridge punting stories from your punting guide
- Relax in comfortable seats with traditional cushions and blankets
- Learn more about contemporary student life and university traditions
- Discover more about famous former alumni like Isaac Newton and Prince Charles
What's Included
- Punting tour on the river
- Guide
- Live commentary
Good to know: The service may be canceled due to poor weather condition. If this occurs, you are eligible for a refund · Not suitable for: Wheelchair users
How a Cambridge Punting Tour Works
Choose a shared seat or a whole punt, find your punting station, and board a few minutes before the time.
Shared Seat or Whole Punt
Shared tours sell a seat in a big punt of up to about 12 people; some listings sell a whole punt for a group of two, three or more. Check the unit next to the price: per person or per group.
Find Your Punting Station
Tours leave from punting stations along the Cam, at Quayside by Magdalene Bridge, Mill Lane, Granta Moorings and others. The voucher names yours; meet there a few minutes before the time.
Dress for the Weather
Most tours run in all weather unless the river is unsafe, and many punts carry blankets and umbrellas. There is no shelter on board, so bring a layer.
Along the Backs
The chauffeur poles the punt past Queens', King's, Clare, Trinity and St John's, under the Mathematical Bridge, Clare Bridge and the Bridge of Sighs, telling the colleges' stories.
Photo Gallery
Punting on the Backs
Photos from the punting tour listing: the punts, King's College Chapel and the bridges of the Backs.
Book Your Experience
Check Availability & Prices
Select your preferred date and time. Instant confirmation; cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
Four Ways to Punt the Backs
The most-reviewed tour against the cheapest seat, the walk and punt, and a private punt. Prices as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026.
| Feature | MOST REVIEWED Scholars Guided Tour | Rutherford's Shared Punt | Walk and Punt by Alumni | Bridge of Sighs, Private |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| From (October 2026) | US$39 per group up to 3 | US$22 per person | US$74 per person | US$166 per group up to 12 |
| Time | 45 minutes | 50 minutes | about 3 hours | 50 minutes |
| Punt | Chauffeured | Shared, chauffeured | Chauffeured, after a walk | Private, chauffeured |
| Extras | Weather refund | Raised seats, tables, blankets | Graduate guide; King's Chapel option | Cushions, table, blankets |
| Rating | 4.7 (1,570 reviews) | 4.7 (802 reviews) | 4.6 (483 reviews) | 4.8 (65 reviews) |
| Check Availability | See the Shared Punt | See the Walk and Punt | See the Private Punt |
Other Ways to Punt in Cambridge
More Punting Tours on the River Cam
The cheapest shared seat, a walk-up ticket valid for months, student-guided tours, a walk-and-punt tour, a private punt and self-hire.
LOWEST PER PERSONCambridge: Shared Punting Tour with Guide
Explore the University buildings of Cambridge with this small-group guided tour on a punt with raised seats and tables.
WALK-UP TICKETCambridge: Guided Shared River Punting Tour
Embark on a guided punting tour along the River Cam. Experience the famous Cambridge University from the water and pass notable colleges, including King’s College Chapel and the Wren Library.
STUDENT GUIDESCambridge University: Guided Punting Tour on the River Cam
Experience the charm of the most famous Cambridge colleges and the Arcadian beauty of the River Cam, gliding along one of England's most idyllic water routes, which has inspired poets like William Wordsworth and Xu Zhimo
WALK + PUNTCambridge Walk & Punt Tour by Alumni™ & optional King's
Discover Cambridge with the ORIGINAL™ alumni-led tour, combining an insider walking experience with a traditional punting journey on the River Cam.
PRIVATE PUNTCambridge: Bridge of Sighs Punting Tour
Enjoy the best Cambridge punting tour on the River Cam and glide along the famous, private, and sublime College Backs. Discover the secrets and inspiring history of the city from your guide.
PUNT IT YOURSELFCambridge Self Rental Punting
Our self rental punts accommodate up to 6 persons, including the punter. FREE tuition and buoyancy aids. Exploring the River Cam offers a blend of history, relaxation, and fun.
The Guide
Which Cambridge Punting Tour to Book
Every chauffeured tour poles the same stretch of the Backs. What changes is the punt, the guide and whether the price is per person or per group.
A Cambridge punting tour is about 45 minutes on a flat wooden boat poled along the Backs, the stretch of the River Cam behind the colleges, and the real choice is between a seat on a shared punt and a punt of your own. The chauffeur, often a student, stands on the back with a long pole and tells you about Queens’, King’s, Clare, Trinity and St John’s as you pass under their bridges. The tour this page puts first is Scholars Punting’s Guided River Cam Punting Tour, the most reviewed punting tour on GetYourGuide: 45 minutes with live commentary, rated 4.7 out of 5 from 1,570 reviews. GetYourGuide lists it from US$39 for up to three people (checked October 2026).
What you see from the punt
The route along the Backs is short and packed. Heading downstream from the Mill Lane end you pass Queens’ College and its wooden Mathematical Bridge, the lawns in front of King’s College Chapel, Clare College and the stone arches of Clare Bridge, Trinity’s Wren Library, and St John’s, where the punt goes under the covered Bridge of Sighs. Most of these river fronts cannot be seen from the street: the colleges face the river, and the river is the way in. The listings’ itineraries name the same stops, give or take Darwin College at the upstream end.
A seat, or the whole punt
Shared tours put you in a large punt with other visitors, often around 12. They are the cheapest way on the water: Rutherford’s Shared Punting Tour with Guide is from US$22 a person, rated 4.7 from 802 reviews, with raised seats, tables, blankets and umbrellas.
Group-priced tours sell a punt for two, three or more people. Scholars’ tour is listed per group of up to three, Let’s Go Punting’s Chauffeured Punting Tour per group of up to two, and Rutherford’s Bridge of Sighs tour per group of up to 12 for a private punt. Read the unit next to every price before you compare: “per person” and “per group” look alike in a list. The private punting page covers the whole-punt options.
Self-hire means you do the punting. Granta Moorings’ Self Rental Punting is an hour with a quick lesson and life jackets, listed per group of up to six, against an ID deposit. Self-hire or chauffeured? explains how hard it is.
Pick the punt that fits:
Most reviewed
Scholars Guided River Cam Tour
45 minutes along the Backs with live commentary; refund if the river closes for weather.
Check times →Lowest per person
Rutherford's Shared Punt
A seat on a shared punt with a guide, blankets and umbrellas, for 50 minutes.
See the shared punt →A walk and a punt
Walk & Punt Tour by Alumni
A graduate guide through the colleges on foot, then a 45-minute punt; King's College Chapel optional.
See the walk and punt →Your own punt
Bridge of Sighs, Private
A whole punt with a chauffeur, cushions and a table, for a family or a party.
See private punting →Prices and review counts as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026, not a quote.
Where the punts leave from
Each company has its own punting station, so check the voucher. Scudamore’s, the oldest and largest company, runs from Quayside by Magdalene Bridge at the north end of the Backs and from Mill Lane at the south end; Alumni Tours’ guided punting tour meets at the Mill Lane station. Granta Moorings, upstream by the Mill Pond, is the start for the student-guided tours of Granta and We Are Cambridge, and for self-hire towards Grantchester.
When to go
Punting runs all year in daylight. Scudamore’s sells tickets you can use from 9am until dusk, and the last tours leave about an hour before it gets dark, so a winter afternoon is short. Most tours go ahead in rain unless the river is unsafe, with blankets and umbrellas on board; Scholars refunds a tour cancelled for weather. Summer weekends are the busiest, when the Backs fill with punts and the queues at the stations grow. Every tour on this page can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before. How long punting takes covers times and walk-ups.
Guest Reviews
What Guests Say About the Punting Tour
4.7/5
from 1570 verified guests
"We had a lovely punting experience, and Johnny was an excellent guide. He was very knowledgeable, well-spoken, funny, and had a great sense of humour. His ability to speak multiple languages, including Hindi, was a great bonus. He made the tour interesting and memorable, and we learned so much about Cambridge. Highly recommended!"
"It was interactive, John was very knowledgeable about the colleges and Cambridge history."
"Really good trip. Much better value than similar excursions. Local guide who told us some really interesting facts. Really engaging and let my teenager ‘have a go’!"
"Sol was very informative about all the campuses of Cambridge University and all the history behind it. he was funny and friendly too."
"Sanoy our punting guide was great and had lots of historical info for us. the river was lovely. def recommend"
"Loved our trip down the Cam with our “punter”. Highly knowledgeable, good fun and great at steering the punt around. Totally recommend to any visitors to Cambridge"
"We had an amazing river boat tour in Cambridge with Gabriel! He was knowledgeable, engaging, and had a great sense of humor that made the tour both informative and entertaining. We learned so much about the history of Cambridge while enjoying the beautiful views along the River Cam. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Cambridge!"
Read all 1,570 verified reviews
See All ReviewsForty-Five Minutes Along the Backs
Scholars Punting's guided River Cam tour is 45 minutes on a chauffeured punt past the colleges of the Backs, with live commentary. Rated 4.7 from 1,570 reviews, listed from US$39 for up to three people as of October 2026, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before and a refund if the river closes for weather. Starting from US$39 per group up to 3 (the listing's price for up to three people; checked October 2026).
Check Punting Tour TimesCan't Make These Dates?
Browse More Available Options
Find a tour that fits your schedule. Check each listing's cancellation terms: some dates are non-refundable.
Cambridge Punting FAQ
The questions people ask before booking a punt in Cambridge, answered in the first sentence.
From about US$22 a person for a shared chauffeured punt, US$34 for a punt for two and US$166 for a private punt for up to 12, on GetYourGuide in October 2026. Rutherford's shared punt is the cheapest seat; Let's Go Punting's chauffeured punt is priced per group of up to two. Check whether a price is per person or per group. The prices guide lists every option.
Yes on a first visit: in about 45 minutes a punt shows you the colleges' river fronts, which you cannot see from the street. A shared seat on Rutherford's punt is US$22 a person (October 2026). Is punting worth it? weighs it up.
For most visitors, Scholars Punting's guided River Cam tour, the most reviewed at 4.7 from 1,570 reviews; for two people, Let's Go Punting's chauffeured punt at 4.9. The best punting tour compares them.
Scudamore's is the oldest and largest, with two stations and the biggest fleet, but the companies all punt the same Backs, so the guide matters more than the name. Scudamore's walk-up tour is rated 4.8, Alumni Tours' guided punting tour 4.6.
45 to 50 minutes on a chauffeured tour of the Backs, an hour or more on self-hire, and about an hour and a half each way to Grantchester. The walk and punt tour takes about three hours in all. How long punting takes lists every option.
Yes on most days, at the punting stations' kiosks, though summer weekends bring queues. Scudamore's walk-up ticket is valid for 180 days for the next available punt; booking online fixes your time.
Easy to start on a quiet stretch and hard to do well in a crowd: most people move straight within minutes, and the risk is a pole stuck in the mud. Granta's self-hire includes a quick lesson and life jackets. Self-hire punting explains how.
Tips are optional and not included in the price on most listings. Alumni Tours' punting tour and Let's Go Punting's chauffeured punt both list gratuities as excluded; guests who enjoyed the stories often tip the chauffeur.
Take a seat on a shared punt, from about US$22 a person, or split a group-priced punt or a self-hire between friends. For a group of up to six, Granta's self-hire is the cheapest per head if one of you punts.
From about 9am, until dusk: Scudamore's sells tickets usable from 9am until dusk, and the last tours leave about an hour before dark. Hours follow the daylight, so winter afternoons are short. Scholars refunds a tour cancelled for weather.
Yes, upstream from Granta Moorings or Mill Lane, about an hour and a half each way, so hire for three hours or more. Granta's self-hire goes towards Grantchester Meadows. Punting to Grantchester has the route.
Still have questions? Email us at info@puntingtourcambridge.com