If you are planning a trip to Cambridge, but finding the hotels in the very heart of the city a bit too pricy, you are certainly not alone.
We have family living just outside Cambridge, so we visit the area quite regularly. While we normally stay with them, for this particular trip we wanted to do a proper bit of sightseeing. We decided to spend two nights at a hotel that was close enough to the city centre, yet still highly affordable.
That is how we ended up choosing the Premier Inn Cambridge East (Newmarket Road), which offers incredible value for money.
Travelling with just a small backpack each, we wanted a practical, budget-friendly base so we could spend our money on enjoying the city instead. Drawing on our experience as regular visitors to the area, here is our honest, detailed review of the hotel, including how to get there from the station by foot or taxi, and what the local neighbourhood is like.
🇯🇵 この記事を日本語で読む:【ケンブリッジ格安ホテル宿泊記】プレミア・イン・ケンブリッジ・イースト（Newmarket Road）レビュー！駅から徒歩・タクシーでのアクセスや周辺環境まとめ
- 1. Essential Information & Why We Chose This Hotel
- 2. Logistics: Getting from Cambridge Station to the Hotel
- 3. The Local Neighbourhood & Access to Sights
- Room Review: Our Experience Inside the Room
- Hotel Facilities & On-site Dining
- What We Loved vs. What to Keep in Mind
- Verdict: Is Premier Inn Cambridge East Right for You?
1. Essential Information & Why We Chose This Hotel
Premier Inn is the UK’s largest budget hotel chain. Think of it as the ultimate reliable, functional, and no-nonsense choice—very clean, comfortable, and brilliantly priced.
Essential Information of Premier Inn Cambridge East
- Official Name: Premier Inn Cambridge East (Newmarket Road) (Note: You might sometimes see it listed as “Premier Inn Cambridge City East” on some booking sites).
- Number of Rooms: 121 rooms across 6 floors.
- Check-in: 15:00 – Midnight ／ Check-out: Until 12:00 (noon).
- Hotel Facilities: 24-hour reception, on-site Thyme restaurant (serving breakfast and dinner), free Wi-Fi, and complimentary luggage storage.
- In-room Amenities: Air conditioning, famously comfortable King Size Hypnos beds, Freeview TV, en-suite bathroom (with shower or bath), and tea/coffee making facilities.
Top Tip for Choosing a Cambridge Hotel: There are actually four Premier Inns dotted around the Cambridge area (one right in the centre with no parking, one to the north-west, and one right by the A14 motorway junction). Out of all of them, the East (Newmarket Road) branch strikes the perfect balance if you want to keep costs down but still be within reasonable walking distance of the station and the main sights.
Stay Dates & Room Type
We booked our comfortable two-night stay for mid-June 2026, which is normally a fantastic time of year to experience the early summer in Cambridge. Our choice of accommodation was the Standard Double Room, which featured their signature incredibly comfy King Size Hypnos bed.
Why We Chose This Hotel
For this trip, our main priority for our two-night stay was a prime balance of location and affordability. Compared to accommodation right in the city centre, this hotel allowed us to save a significant amount on our travel budget, making it an absolute winner for backpackers and budget-conscious travellers alike.
2. Logistics: Getting from Cambridge Station to the Hotel
As lightweight backpackers, we do not have heavy suitcases to drag around, so our plan from the outset was to save on transport costs and simply walk from the railway station. Depending on the unpredictable British weather, you have two great options:
If it’s dry : An Easy 25-30 Minute Walk
- Distance & Time: It is roughly 2.1 km (about a 25 to 30-minute walk) from Cambridge Station to the hotel.
- The route takes you northwards through some local residential and commercial streets. If you are an active traveller or a backpacker who doesn’t mind a brisk 25-30 minute stroll, it is a perfectly manageable distance and a great way to save a bit of cash.
- A Quick Caveat: Some of the pavements along the way can be a bit narrow or uneven, so if you do happen to be rolling heavy luggage, you might find it a bit of a slog.
If it Rains: A Quick Taxi or Ride-Share (Approx. 10 Minutes)
British weather can be famously fickle. If the heavens open, walking for 30 minutes with a backpack is no fun at all. Fortunately, because the distance is short, a taxi ride won’t break the bank.
- Estimated Costs & Options:
- Ride-sharing apps (Uber or the locally popular Veezu): Around £7 to £10 one way.
- Traditional Black Cabs (from the station rank): Around £8 to £12 one way. (Prices vary slightly depending on the time of day and local traffic).
- A Handy Trick for a Smooth Drop-off: If you plug the hotel’s main address into an app, the driver might drop you off right on the busy Newmarket Road. However, the hotel’s proper, designated drop-off bay is actually at the back on Coldham’s Lane. Asking to be dropped off there means you can step straight into the reception without getting drenched if it’s pouring down!
3. The Local Neighbourhood & Access to Sights
The area around Newmarket Road (known locally as Barnwell) is quite different from the postcard perfect university college grounds, offering a brilliant, practical slice of local Cambridge life.
- Brilliant Shopping & Dining Options: The hotel is practically next door to a retail park and several large supermarkets, making it incredibly easy to grab snacks or travel essentials. For food, there is a Nando’s just a short walk away. If you fancy a proper British pub experience, excellent local pubs like The Geldart and The Cambridge Blue are within walking distance, offering fantastic pub food and a great selection of real ales. There’s also a cheap supermarket 5 minutes walk away.
- Getting to the University & Historic Centre: To get to the historic heart of Cambridge (where King’s College and the famous chapels are), it is a straightforward 15 to 20-minute walk (about 1.5 km) heading west. The best part? The walk takes you right past Midsummer Common and along the beautiful River Cam. On a lovely day, it is an absolutely gorgeous walk to start your day of sightseeing.
Room Review: Our Experience Inside the Room
Room Size & Interior Decor
The room was spacious and clean. There was enough light in the room and very organised.
The feature of Premier Inn is their comfortable bed. As they say, the bed was super comfortable and the pillows were designed to be fitted to your neck and head shape. Therefore, we had the best sleep of this trip to Norfolk and Cambridge here.
There was a power socket by the bed but it was only one side.
Bathroom & Toilet (The En-suite)
The bathroom was big enough and very clean.
There were hand soap, shampoo in the bathroom, but bath towel was only one prepared, so we had to ask for another one at the front desk.
There was a big bathtub, but the tap didn’t work. So Mai filled up the bathtub with the shower.
There were two types of shower in our room; a regular shower and a rain shower.
The water pressure was good, but according to my Japanese wife, “the hot water was not hot enough.”
Room Amenities & Facilities
There was a wide desk and a big TV. Free WiFi was provided, but it was not super fast. If you want to work online or upload lots of things, you might want to use your mobile data connection or pay for a faster connection.
There was a tea set; glasses, spoons, teabags, instant coffee and electric kettle. Teabags and coffee were provided at the front desk on the ground floor to refill.
There is no fridge in the room. A hair dryer was provided and a bottle opener was on the wall.
Hotel Facilities & On-site Dining
On the ground floor, there is a lounge space and a cafe bar which we didn’t use in this trip.
The Restaurant & Breakfast Experience
We don’t know whether they can do room service, but there was a food menu and a drink menu in the room.
Other Guest Services
There is a small front desk, but hotel staff were not always there. You can press the button at the counter to call the staff.
Check in should be done by self check-in machine. We were feeling lazy and let one of the staff check us in. We had to put our booking reference number and input some more information into the machine and then got a piece of paper where the room number was printed and the room card keys.
Checking out was super quick. You just drop your card keys into the key box at the entrance door.
What We Loved vs. What to Keep in Mind
The Pros: What We Honestly Loved
- Unbeatable Value for Money
- Incredible Sleep Quality
- Super smooth check-in and check out
The Cons: Things to Keep in Mind
- The Distance from the Station in Bad Weather
- Bathroom fan was a bit noisy
Verdict: Is Premier Inn Cambridge East Right for You?
Overall, Premier Inn Cambridge East is a fantastic, reliable option if you want to experience Cambridge without the hefty price tag. It is ideal for travellers who:
- Want to avoid overpaying for city-centre hotels and prefer a fantastic budget rate.
- Are travelling light (like backpackers) and enjoy a pleasant 20 to 30-minute walk.
- Want the flexibility to hop in a quick, affordable taxi (£10 or less) if the weather turns grey.
While it sits just slightly outside the immediate tourist bubble, it makes for the ultimate cost effective base if you plan your transport right. It certainly served us perfectly for our two-night sightseeing trip, and we highly recommend it for your next Cambridge adventure!
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