Familiarisation Tours
Congress: Designing for the Future, 21 - 23 June 2023
On Wednesday 21 June, to kick off Congress 2023 in Cambridge, there will be 5 afternoon Familiarisation Tours running in tandem, getting to know the host city.
Places on these are given on a first come, first served basis, and ticketholders will receive a link to register in advance.
Cambridge: The Other City walking tour
Led by an American artist who has lived locally for the past 10 years, The Other City will explore spaces and places in Cambridge that the typical tourist would probably not find on their own - where ‘town and gown’ cross over and history hides in plain sight. Focusing on the Kite area (the neighbourhood situated between city centre, the University, and the River Cam), we will travel from Cambridge Brew House to the Museum of Zoology via Midsummer Common and the Grafton Quarter. The tour is 1.85 miles of walking, conversation & observation, with multiple stops along the way including a community orchard, a hidden post office, a redevelopment site, and the infamous crossroads known as ‘Reality Checkpoint’.
Cambridge from the River Cam walking and punting tour
The first half of this tour will take in the streets of Cambridge, ending up at Bridge Street port for a punt on the River Cam, journeying along the College Backs for a sense of grandeur and sights that once inspired the poets Lord Tennyson, Xu Zhimo, and many more. The tour will return to Bridge Street so delegates will make their way to the Museum of Zoology independently.
Cambridge University walking tour
This walking tour will take in the University (not entering), led by guides with great insights into Cambridge, who are committed to providing interesting and enjoyable tours of this enchanting and historic city, rather than dry, stuffy tours that put people to sleep. Many of the guides have themselves been involved with Cambridge University, and so they have detailed knowledge of the University's incredible history and how this ancient institution really works behind the scenes.
Cambridge: Who Wrote Here? literary walking tour
This literary walking tour will let you discover how Cambridge influenced & inspired the world's great authors & poets. Many are still living, all are widely read. Delegates will be taken to where writers crafted, experimented or proclaimed their works, and visit monuments and locations in Central Cambridge – as well as a few secret spots… From local features that interested Pepys, to TV and Film name drops, the tour will span hundreds of years of Literary Cambridge.
Mill Road and David Parr House tour
This walking tour will journey along Mill Road, taking in architectural points of interest on the way to the David Parr House, the home of Victorian decorative-artist David Parr, who intricately decorated his own house in the same style of the grand homes and churches he worked on with firm F.R. Leach & Sons. More than 100 years later, the house has been preserved and is a brilliant portal into the Arts & Crafts era as well as the world of a working man of that time.