Best Punting Tour in Cambridge

There is no single best punting company in Cambridge, because they all punt the same stretch of the Backs: for most visitors the best choice is the most-reviewed tour, Scholars Punting’s guided River Cam tour at 4.7 from more than 1,500 reviews; for the cheapest seat, Rutherford’s shared punt; for a couple, Let’s Go Punting at 4.9; for a guide who studied there, Alumni Tours. Scudamore’s is the oldest and biggest operator, with two stations and the largest fleet.

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The best by kind of visit

Most visitors: Scholars Punting. The Guided River Cam Punting Tour is the most reviewed on GetYourGuide, 45 minutes with live commentary, listed per group of up to three, and refunded if the river closes for weather.

On a budget: Rutherford’s. The Shared Punting Tour with Guide is from US$22 a person, rated 4.7, with raised seats, tables, blankets and umbrellas on the punt.

For two: Let’s Go Punting. The Chauffeured Punting Tour has the highest rating of the bigger tours, 4.9, and is priced per group of up to two.

For the stories: a student or graduate guide. Alumni Tours’ guided punting tour from Mill Lane, Granta’s shared tour by university student guides and We Are Cambridge’s English punting tour, which adds Darwin College and an app guide in several languages, all put someone who knows the colleges at the pole.

For flexibility: Scudamore’s walk-up ticket. Scudamore’s guided shared tour is sold as a ticket valid for 180 days that you use on a walk-up basis for the next available punt.

Pick the best for your group:

Prices and review counts as listed on GetYourGuide in October 2026, not a quote.

What the reviews agree on

Across companies the chauffeur makes or breaks the tour: guests name their punters and praise the stories and the jokes, and the few weak reviews describe a guide who said little. The punts themselves are similar, flat and low with cushions, and the river is calm. The differences that matter are practical: whether the price is per person or per group, which station you start from, and how busy the Backs are at your time. Early mornings and late afternoons outside summer weekends are the quietest. Cambridge punting prices sets the options side by side.

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