How Long Is Punting in Cambridge?
How long punting in Cambridge takes: 45 to 50 minutes on a chauffeured tour of the Backs, an hour or more on self-hire, about 1.5 hours each way to Grantchester, and when it starts.
A chauffeured punting tour of the Backs takes 45 to 50 minutes, a self-hire is usually booked by the hour, and punting upstream to Grantchester takes about an hour and a half each way. Punting starts in the morning, Scudamore’s sells tickets usable from 9am until dusk, and the last tours leave about an hour before it gets dark.
Check Scudamore's walk-up ticket
How long each option takes
| Option | Time on the water |
|---|---|
| Rutherford's shared punt, Granta student-guided tour | 50 minutes |
| Scholars guided tour, Alumni punting tour, Scudamore's tour | 45 minutes |
| Walk and punt tour | about 3 hours in all, 45 minutes of it on the punt |
| Self-hire | 1 hour, extra time charged pro rata (Granta Moorings: £38 a boat for the first hour, then per quarter hour; checked October 2026) |
| Grantchester and back by punt | about 3 hours with a stop |
Can you just turn up?
Yes, on most days: the punting stations sell tours at their kiosks, and Scudamore’s walk-up ticket is designed for it, valid for 180 days and used for the next available punt. On a sunny summer weekend the queue can be long. Let’s Go Punting asks you to book a departure time with its office after booking online, and late arrivals miss their tour. Booking ahead online fixes the time, and the tours here can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before.
What time does punting start?
In the morning, from about 9am at Scudamore’s, and it runs until dusk. Opening hours follow the daylight, so in winter the last tours leave in the mid-afternoon; check the hours for your date and allow 45 minutes before closing. Most tours go ahead in light rain, with blankets and umbrellas on board, unless the river is unsafe. Cambridge punting prices lists every option.
Check times and book
A Walk-Up Ticket for the Next Punt
Scudamore's guided shared tour is 45 minutes along the Backs, sold as a ticket valid for 180 days that you use on a walk-up basis for the next available punt. Rated 4.8 from 300 reviews, listed from US$109 per group of up to three as of October 2026.
Check Scudamore's Ticket