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Cambridge · United Kingdom

Car hire and driving in Cambridge

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In United Kingdom traffic drives on the left. Picking up at STN means 36 km (22 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q3086706.

Drives from Cambridge

Car rental from Cambridge: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Cambridge to BedfordUnited Kingdom40 km (25 mi)about 37 min
Cambridge to PeterboroughUnited Kingdom48 km (30 mi)about 44 min
Cambridge to LutonUnited Kingdom51 km (32 mi)about 47 min
Cambridge to ChelmsfordUnited Kingdom57 km (35 mi)about 52 min
Cambridge to Milton KeynesUnited Kingdom62 km (39 mi)about 57 min
Cambridge to Enfield TownUnited Kingdom63 km (39 mi)about 57 min
Cambridge to ColchesterUnited Kingdom64 km (40 mi)about 59 min
Cambridge to TottenhamUnited Kingdom68 km (42 mi)about 1 h 2 min
Cambridge to NorthamptonUnited Kingdom68 km (42 mi)about 1 h 3 min
Cambridge to WalthamstowUnited Kingdom68 km (43 mi)about 1 h 3 min
Cambridge to WatfordUnited Kingdom70 km (44 mi)about 1 h 4 min
Cambridge to IlfordUnited Kingdom71 km (44 mi)about 1 h 5 min
Cambridge to LondonUnited Kingdom79 km (49 mi)about 1 h 12 min
Cambridge to BerlinGermany902 km (561 mi)about 13 h 45 min
Cambridge to MadridSpain1,342 km (834 mi)about 20 h 28 min
Cambridge to RomeItaly1,478 km (918 mi)about 22 h 32 min
Cambridge to ParisFrance404 km (251 mi)about 6 h 10 min
Cambridge to HamburgGermany679 km (422 mi)about 10 h 21 min
Cambridge to BudapestHungary1,449 km (900 mi)about 22 h 6 min
Cambridge to WarsawPoland1,419 km (881 mi)about 21 h 38 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Auto EuropeA broker specialising in Europe, often with clearer all-in pricing for US renters.Get European rates on Auto Europe (opens www.autoeurope.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Cambridge?

The left, as everywhere in United Kingdom.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.