Come rain or shine, the city is brimming with shopping opportunities, including three covered shopping centres offering shelter from poor weather to a choice of outdoor markets selling everything from fine food to ceramics and scented soaps. There are also some top-of-the-range designer shops in Cambridge, such as Brora, specialising in luxury Scottish cashmere and the designer menswear shop Anthony.
Cambridge’s city centre Grand Arcade certainly lives up to its name with an impressive range of outlets over three sky-lit floors. Conveniently served by a multi-storey car park for anyone driving from one of our Cambridge hotels, Grand Arcade boasts a John Lewis department store, which makes it a magnet for shoppers from all over the region. There are over 60 stores and restaurants in the centre, where you can shop to your heart's content for fashion, beauty and technology items, plus much more.
Slightly further away from the heart of the city is the popular Grafton Centre, which is less than a 15-minute walk from our Cambridge East (Newmarket Road) hotel. Here you’ll find high street brands, such as H&M, River Island, Next, and The Entertainer. There's also a Vue Cinema if the weather's taken a turn for the worse and you fancy catching one of the latest big-screen blockbusters.
And if you still fancy some more retail therapy, head for the Lion Yard Shopping Centre where you’ll find popular outlets, including quirky newcomers Flying Tiger Copenhagen and Smiggle, as well as old faithfuls such as Lush, Accessorize and Superdry. The central library is also here, with its own second floor café if you're in need of a cuppa.
If you're interested in the very best in arts and crafts, then Cambridge is a great place to come. Make a beeline for the All Saints Craft Market, which was named Best Small Speciality Market at the 2018 Great British Market Awards. It's been trading for over 40 years in its charming city centre location surrounded by some of Cambridge's best-known architectural landmarks. The market attracts a broad range of independent producers of arts and crafts selling everything from mosaics and jewellery to paper-cut art and greetings cards. This hidden gem is open every Saturday, with extra markets during the summer and at holiday times.
Cambridge Market Square is another must-visit venue for shoppers who like to stray a little away from the beaten track. It hosts Cambridge Farmers' Market every Sunday from 10am to 4pm, where there are gifts galore to be had from the array of local arts and crafts on sale, plus a wide range of organic produce. On Thursdays from 7am to 4pm (except for the last week of December and the first week of the new year), you'll find Cambridge Country Market taking place in the square. Here, it's home-made produce that's the order of the day, with a tempting offering of baked goods, honey, eggs and much more.