I walk through the long passage of this Arcade daily on my way to the faculty, and the impression…read moreit makes is largely that of a bleak characterless provincial mall. There is no design creativity whatsoever with shops simply lined up along the way on two levels. It's filled with bland typical high street businesses like mobile phone companies' stores, HMV, Starbucks, Tophshop, etc. On the bright side there is also Hugo Boss here. An attempt to develop the upmarket retailing is also evident in a number of high end watch and jewelry boutiques. Overall though, with all the foreign tourists, students and the general reputation of Cambridge for being an attractive town, its premier modern department store could be somewhat more interesting.

What a shame... if all the story telling was to be beleived we were going to get exactly what…read moreCambridge needed - a quality new shopping area which met our needs. Unfortunately i would suggest the Grand Arcade ahs failed to deliver. Some units are still empty giving the impression that it isnt finidhed in parts, and many of the shops that are there are just the same old carbon copies you can get anywhere. The feeling inside is certainly lacking in something as it just doesnt create the right impression of somewhere you would want to stay to shop in. Good ideas.poor result.

Given that driving and parking within Cambridge city centre is worse than London, it makes perfect…read moresense to park your vehicle here and pick up a plus bus ticket for the day. There's loads of parking space and as far as I could see the frequency of buses to downtown Cambridge is quite high. You can pay for parking and pick up bus tickets at the automated ticket machines on location. However if you are taking the train into the city and have a network rail card, it is best to buy your discounted plus bus ticket as an add on to your train ticket

I loved the Grafton Center, though a lot of it stems from the fact that I lived across the street…read morefrom it when in Cambridge. It has a nice cinema, a music shop, and (i hope it is still there) an awesome cart that sold the best dried fruit and baklava ever. Not somewhere I'd recommend as a destination if you're there on holiday, but a good utilitarian mall for students.

Grafton centre is the best place I spend my Saturday mornings to afternoon. It has entertainment…read morerestaurants and shops to satisfy your shopping addiction if you know what I mean. Shops present are Next, H&M, Debenhams, Boot, Phone 4 u, Oasis, Millie cookies, La senza, Claire's accessories and many more designer shops all under one roof. The location in the city centre makes it sometimes exciting to leave your quiet room, sad you may think but it is quite thrilling. After my morning activities, I walk few mins to the bus stop to catch the park and ride bus all the way to the city centre. Then walk a short distance through the park to Grafton centre, where I fill my eyes with the things I can't afford and the things I can definitely go home with me. After all the shopping and the tired feeling, I stop at one of the restaurants to have my lunch before going home. It is a great way to spend ones Saturday and for family shopping.

Cambridge Tyres obviously specialises in tyres, but you can book your car or van in for an MOT here…read moretoo. Its local to Cambridge and very reasonably priced with a great friendly service - ask for Matt who is the Manager of the garage.

Medium sized local train station with a few train platforms. Located about a 10 min drive from the…read moreuniversity section of town, it's an 1 hour 10ish minutes commute from London about £40 off peak round trip booked a couple weeks in advance, (prices may be higher or lower based on when you book, and peak vs non-peak transit times). In the station tickets are available for purchase at machines or ticket windows, if you haven't purchased online in advance. There are bathrooms, waiting areas and a small M&S express store inside the station, most of the platforms are covered and there are plenty of signs indicating platform numbers and arriving trains. Generally speaking station looked pretty clean. Outside the station there are bike racks and also temporary standing space for cars waiting for passenger pick up though long term parking I believe is a bit of a walk. Also local buses have stops right down the street (mostly walking towards the left as you exit the station), and they have general routes on posted signs and arrival times (posted live on electric signs). For more details on more local stops and fare amounts (vary by bus line and route), best to do some Google research prior to getting on.

Cambridge, wow. I expected more. Other than terminating and originating on a couple of platforms,…read morethis station looks just like every other mid-country station. Yes, there is an AMT (two, actually) and a waiting room, there is some parking too. Otherwise, ho-hum. There are staffed ticket booths and a ticket barricade, but not nearly enough departure boards.