Cambridge - Shared Punting Tour
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Cambridge, England
- 50 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Overview
Punting (traveling by flat-bottomed boat along the River Cam) is a classic Cambridge experience—and on this small-group tour, you can leave the navigation to your guide while you sit back and enjoy the views. The boat makes for an ideal sightseeing vantage point, and you’ll be treated to an up-close perspective of some of the city’s top sights. Plus, you can bring your own picnic, thanks to the on-board tables.
- Enjoy a more cost-effective experience on a small-group punting tour
- A unique Cambridge experience that’s great for locals and tourists alike
- Choose from a range of start times to fit your sightseeing schedule
- Experience is stroller-accessible and service animals are welcome
What's Included
- Extras such as food and drink are not included with these tickets and you're welcome to bring your own drinks and nibbles on the boat.
- You will be sharing the boat with others - up to 12 people per boat. If you'd prefer a private tour, please get in touch with Rutherfords directly.
- Does not include children's tickets
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Rutherford's Punting CambridgeQuayside Boardwalk, Jesus Green Moorings, Cambridge CB5 8AQ, UK
What3words https://w3w.co/river.kings.tonic
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Rutherfords Punting Company (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- There is no minimum or maximum age, all age groups are welcome to join us on the river.
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 442 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Tara_K, Jun 2026
James was a wonderful guide! A really lovely experience with history and beautiful scenes! We saw ducklings and a kingfisher! The pimms stop was a highlight - what a lovely time we all had!
Harry_L, Jun 2026
A great way to see some of the famous colleges on the river Cam; good general info from a friendly guide called Ryan. It’s fun to be in the water and let yourself be drawn into the grandeur of it all.
Dayna_N, Jun 2026
We had an amazing time on our tour guided by James. He was very knowledgeable, fun and kind. Definitely would book again
Lewis_P, Jun 2026
Lovely day to be out on the river with someone else doing the work.
Max was also a great tour guide.
Bring a hat.
Katie_H, Jun 2026
We had a lovely time on the river with our punter Max! The boats are lovely quality (well we got 1 of 2 new boats) and they had blankets and flowers - very romantic!
Lesley_H, Jun 2026
Really good. Very knowledgable punter.
Great location.
The photo open the website is slightly misleading as no drinks are offered (description does say this but photo makes it look like drinks are provided!)
Sinead_J, Jun 2026
Lovely trip punting. The two Sam’s and Dougy were wonderful. It was such a lovely trip along the river, learning about the history of the colleges and bridges etc.
Highly recommended trip. Books with Rutherfords they are lovely :)
Jacqueline_M, Jun 2026
Excellent organised shared punt with friends, brought our own Presecco and had a thoroughly good time, our guide was knowledgeable and will definitely recommend.
Carol_G, Jun 2026
Great insight into Cambridge colleges and their history. Excellent commentary from our guide Dougie.
simonne_B, May 2026
The boat ride was amazing, Tom our guide was very informative about the various colleges. All the staff were polite and very helpful. We would definitely recommend!
Karolina_H, May 2026
Our guide, Jack, was fantastic. He gave us a great overview of Cambridge and its universities, added some fun facts, and was always available to answer any questions we had. His extensive experience in navigating the boat was evident, and the cruise was safe and enjoyable. I highly recommend it.
Charlie_B, May 2026
I wish there was more stars to give as our punting experience with Rutherford's was superb. Danny was fabulous with his information on all the things we saw as we navigated down the river, a lovely time was had by us.
Jessica_S, May 2026
We had such a lovely time on the Cambridge punting tour, and Jack made the experience even better. He was incredibly polite, entertaining, and knowledgeable throughout the tour. He explained the history of Cambridge really well and kept everything interesting and engaging from start to finish. You can tell he genuinely enjoys what he does, and it made the whole experience memorable. Highly recommend this tour, especially if you get Jack as your guide!
preetam_g, May 2026
Very informative. I thoroughly enjoyed my time and would definitely recommend it. I'll be visiting again for sure.
Marcus_S, May 2026
We started our boating around 10:30 a.m. local time. The weather was perfect and our guide and our “Gondolier” was very helpful during the boarding and the tour. He had a massive knowledge but wasn’t too much talking so everyone could enjoy and ask questions about Cambridge and the Colleges. I would recommend Denny for every tour, we enjoyed very much our time during the trip.
Kim_M, May 2026
Max was a great tour guide. Pinky was rude as can be. I would do this again.
Make sure you go with Max
Catherine_C, May 2026
Tom was a fantastic guide, didn’t race along so we had plenty of time to see and soak in the views. He was very knowledgeable with all the history and answered all the questions we had. The rest of the team were very friendly and very kindly moved our booking to half an hour later when we had an emergency! The boat had little tables for you to bring food, big umbrellas in case it rained and blankets if it was cold.
garland_n, May 2026
This was a wonderful experience, Max was a great tour guide, boat was well kept, loved the table, blankets, umbrella and flowers- great touch! Learned about Cambridge and saw beautiful places. Highly recommend this punting experience!
Zi_L, Apr 2026
Our punter, Max, is great! He shared a lot of interesting facts of Cambridge colleges. Definitely recommend.
Catherine_S, Apr 2026
Interesting trip with plenty to see. Very good tour guide who gave lots of interesting facts and interacted with the group very well
Jack_T, Apr 2026
What an amazing experience! The punter is very experienced and knowledgeable! Definitely one of the highlights of my trip!
Vanessa_H, Apr 2026
Lovely trip but let down by the commentary. The boat was lovely but the guy taking us barely spoke and when he did could barely be heard. If you just want the experience without the knowledge then this is still fun.
Eren_C, Apr 2026
We had a very disappointing experience due to poor organisation and system issues. We purchased our tickets just 10 minutes before the scheduled start time and confirmed with the staff at the location that our booking was visible in the system.
Despite this confirmation, we were made to wait, taken down to the boat as if we were about to board, and then suddenly told to step back off. At that point, we were informed that there was a system issue and that sometimes bookings do not appear properly. We were then refused entry because they claimed we exceeded their capacity and they did not have the appropriate license.
This situation was extremely unprofessional and embarrassing. If there are known system issues, customers should be clearly informed in advance—not misled and then turned away at the last moment.
I would not recommend this experience unless these operational and communication problems are properly resolved.
Callum_B, Apr 2026
Max was very informative, great history along the way, couldn’t of asked for a better guide along the water, highly reccomend
Elaine_J, Mar 2026
A brilliant experience. Our tour guide Max was excellent, sharing really interesting facts about the colleges and well known people associated with the colleges. Also gave great insight into the history of the colleges we passed on the tour.
Meera_M, Mar 2026
Easy enough to book, plenty reminders through the app of booking, upcoming payment, etc.
On day of activity, we arrived at least 15 minutes early to our 3:30pm booking. Were told to wait against the pub railings then were completely forgotten about. No eye contact or actual checking of our tickets from the boy manning the desk. Would’ve been left behind if we didn’t say excuse me and get ourselves to the front. If we didn’t say anything, we would’ve been pushed to another time which I think another couple had to do, and missed our next bookings in the day. Poor organisation.
Actual punting and the boy providing some facts was great and very nice.
Catherine_R, Feb 2026
Our guide wss friendly and very knowledgeable.
Knew lots of interesting facts and made the experience worth booking.
VENKATESH_N, Jan 2026
Its a scam no one turned up lost the money. Dont refer or suggest to anyone because people endup lossing money.
Hamish_P, Jan 2026
Great evening winter tour with Max - funny, informative and well worth the money. Would highly recommend.
Jessica_C, Dec 2025
Max was brilliant! He said a lot of interesting facts about Coventry and the university. Had amazing views from the river too x
From $27.26
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Attractions in Cambridge, England