Premier Inn Cambridge City Centre for: location, public transport access, best for tourism
The Premier Inn Cambridge City East for: parking & driving, value for money
Comparing Premier Inn Cambridge City Centre vs The Premier Inn Cambridge City East: location, parking & driving, public transport access, value for money, best for tourism, target traveller
Premier Inn Cambridge City Centre: 3 wins
The Premier Inn Cambridge City East: 2 wins
Ties: 1
Premier Inn Cambridge City Centre (Hero's Choice): In the absolute heart of Cambridge - 60 seconds from Market Square, beside Corn Exchange, inside Lion Yard shopping complex. Maximum convenience for sightseeing.
The Premier Inn Cambridge City East: Located on Newmarket Road retail corridor, 25-minute walk to city centre. Near Beehive Centre shopping but distant from historic Cambridge.
Premier Inn Cambridge City Centre: No parking available. Nearest Grand Arcade multi-storey costs £45 per day. Challenging one-way system approach with potential bus gate fines.
The Premier Inn Cambridge City East (Hero's Choice): On-site paid parking available, though cramped. Grafton Centre overflow parking nearby. Straightforward road access with no navigation hazards.
Premier Inn Cambridge City Centre (Hero's Choice): Excellent for train/bus arrivals. 5-minute walk from bus station, 26-minute walk or short taxi from train station. Central location reduces transport needs.
The Premier Inn Cambridge City East: Bus stop at neighbouring Travelodge provides city centre connections. Similar distance from train station but requires residential walk or taxi.
Premier Inn Cambridge City Centre: Room rates moderate but hidden parking costs can double total spend. Premium location justifies higher overall cost for the right traveller.
The Premier Inn Cambridge City East (Hero's Choice): Better overall value when parking included. Avoids city centre parking trap while maintaining Premier Inn's reliable standards at genuine budget prices.
Premier Inn Cambridge City Centre (Hero's Choice): Unbeatable for sightseeing - all major attractions walkable. King's College 5 minutes, colleges and river within easy reach. Maximum exploration time.
The Premier Inn Cambridge City East: Requires 25-minute walk or taxi to reach historic centre. Good for budget-conscious visitors willing to commute to main attractions.
Premier Inn Cambridge City Centre: Ideal for train arrivals, romantic weekends, graduation ceremonies, Corn Exchange events, and first-time visitors prioritising convenience over cost.
The Premier Inn Cambridge City East: Perfect for families driving, business travellers needing parking, budget-conscious visitors, and those visiting Anglia Ruskin University.
Two Premier Inn hotels. Same brand, same prices, same purple bedding. Yet they couldn't feel more different.
The Premier Inn Cambridge City Centre sits in the literal heart of Cambridge, 60 seconds from Market Square, beside the Corn Exchange, inside the Lion Yard shopping complex. You're not near the action, you're in it.
The Premier Inn Cambridge City East sits 1.2 miles away on Newmarket Road, a retail park location with on-site parking, quieter nights, and a 25-minute walk to anywhere worth visiting except the local neighbourhood pubs.
One delivers maximum convenience with zero parking. The other offers stress-free arrival but costs you half an hour each way to experience Cambridge.
Arriving by car at the City Centre Premier Inn is an exercise in expensive frustration. There is no hotel parking. None. The nearest car park is Grand Arcade multi-storey - a 4-minute walk and £45 per 24 hours.
The approach involves navigating Cambridge's one-way system through narrow streets packed with pedestrians. Miss your turn and you're committed to a long loop through the city centre. Find the Grand Arcade entrance on Corn Exchange Street, pray there's a space, and budget the parking cost into your trip. Two nights equals £90 in parking alone - potentially more than your room cost.
By train or coach: Brilliant. The bus station is a 5-minute flat walk through the city centre. From the train station, it's a manageable 26-minute walk if you're travelling light, or an £8-12 taxi ride that drops you directly outside.
Newmarket Road is straightforward. No one-way nightmares, no bus gate cameras, no £70 fines waiting for the unwary. The hotel has on-site parking - it's paid and cramped, but it exists. For larger vehicles, the Grafton Centre car park is a 4-minute walk with more space.
By public transport: Less convenient. The Travelodge next door has a bus stop outside that connects to the city centre. From the train station, you're looking at a 25-minute residential walk or a taxi fare similar to the City Centre option.
The Arrival Winner: Depends entirely on your transport method. By car: City East wins decisively. By train/bus: City Centre is superior.
This is where the fundamental choice becomes clear.
Premier Inn City Centre places you inside Cambridge's postcard. Market Square is 60 seconds away. King's College Chapel is a 5-minute stroll. The Corn Exchange is literally next door. Every college, every historic building, every tourist sight is walkable. You're paying for location with every step saved.
Premier Inn City East sits in retail land - Starbucks, Pizza Hut, the Beehive Centre shopping park. To reach Market Square requires a 25-minute walk through residential Petersfield. It's pleasant enough after the first 10 minutes when you start seeing Cambridge proper, but those 25 minutes each way add up.
The maths: if you're making three trips into town daily (morning sightseeing, afternoon break, evening meal), that's 2.5 hours of walking from City East versus 15 minutes from City Centre. The location premium pays for itself in time saved and energy preserved.
City Centre: Grand Arcade multi-storey at £45 per day. No alternatives worth mentioning. The total cost often exceeds the room rate, making the 'budget' hotel surprisingly expensive for drivers.
City East: On-site paid parking that's cramped but functional. The City Centre option transforms a budget stay into an expensive one purely through parking costs.
The Winner: City East, decisively.
Room rates are virtually identical - both sit in the £70-100 range depending on dates and demand. The difference comes in the hidden costs.
City Centre hits you with parking fees that can double your total spend. Factor in £45+ per day for Grand Arcade and your 'budget' booking becomes mid-range pricing.
City East charges for on-site parking but at lower rates than city centre car parks. The trade-off is taxi fares if you're heading into town regularly - budget £8-12 per journey.
The better value depends on your itinerary. Staying put and exploring on foot: City Centre wins. Multiple trips by car or extensive use of parking: City East delivers better value.
Winner: Depends on the University
Cambridge University ceremonies at Senate House: City Centre wins. You're 4 minutes from the ceremony venue with perfect access for family photos at Market Square and King's College. For Anglia Ruskin University: City East is closer to campus and offers easier arrival logistics for families driving in.
Winner: City Centre
Romance requires atmosphere, and City Centre delivers the Cambridge of your imagination. Market Square at dawn, evening strolls to King's College Chapel, candlelit dinners all within walking distance. City East offers a car park view and a 25-minute walk to anything romantic.
Winner: City East
Business travellers prioritise efficiency and parking access. City East offers stress-free arrival, on-site parking, and better driving routes around Cambridge. The Guildhall co-working space is accessible by taxi from either hotel, but City East wins on logistics.
Winner: City Centre
The hotel is literally 60 seconds from the venue. Leave after the encore and be in bed within three minutes. No other hotel in Cambridge - at any price - matches this convenience for Corn Exchange events.
Winner: City East
The room rates are similar, but City East avoids the parking trap that can double your costs. Walk into town for sightseeing, taxi back with shopping - still cheaper than City Centre parking fees.
Winner: City Centre
Maximum sightseeing time, minimum travel faff. Every major sight is walkable. You're experiencing Cambridge from the moment you step outside rather than spending time commuting from a retail park.
Winner: City East
Families usually arrive by car and need parking. City East delivers this plus proximity to Asda and the Beehive Centre for supplies. The 'kids eat free' breakfast helps budgets, and there's space to spread out without city centre congestion.
Winner: City Centre
You're inside Lion Yard shopping complex with Grand Arcade connected. Drop purchases at the room and continue shopping. City East puts you near retail parks but misses the historic centre's unique shops.
Book Premier Inn Cambridge City Centre if:
You're arriving by train, bus, or taxi
You want to walk to all major sights and restaurants
You're attending Corn Exchange events
Maximum location convenience matters more than cost
You're here for a romantic weekend or graduation ceremony
You don't mind paying £45+ daily for parking
Book Premier Inn Cambridge City East if:
You're driving and need stress-free parking
You're travelling with family and need space plus supplies access
Budget control is more important than walking convenience
You're visiting Anglia Ruskin University
You don't mind a 25-minute walk to reach the historic centre
You prefer quieter surroundings over central location
The Bottom Line: These aren't different quality hotels - they're the same brand making different trade-offs. City Centre trades parking headaches for location perfection. City East trades walking time for arrival ease.
Choose City Centre if Cambridge's historic heart is your priority and you're not driving. Choose City East if you need parking that won't bankrupt you and don't mind the commute to experience the real Cambridge.
Neither delivers luxury or charm - that's not what Premier Inn does. But both deliver clean, reliable accommodation at the right price point for their respective locations. The 'better' choice depends entirely on how you're travelling and what matters most to your Cambridge experience.
Premier Inn Cambridge City East, without question. It has on-site parking and straightforward road access. The City Centre location has no parking and costs £45+ per day at Grand Arcade multi-storey, plus challenging one-way streets to navigate.
City Centre is literally in the historic centre - 60 seconds from Market Square. City East is 25 minutes walk through residential Petersfield, or a short taxi ride. The location difference is the key deciding factor between them.
Premier Inn City Centre is unbeatable - 60 seconds from the venue. You can leave after the show and be in bed within three minutes, avoiding taxi queues entirely. No other Cambridge hotel matches this convenience.
Yes, both are standard Premier Inn hotels with identical room quality, bedding, and facilities. The City East is newer with slightly better soundproofing, but the core experience is the same purple-branded Premier Inn standard.
City East for most travellers. Room rates are similar, but City Centre's parking costs can double your total spend. City East avoids the parking trap while offering the same Premier Inn reliability at genuinely budget prices.
Both are similar distances - about 26 minutes walk or £8-12 taxi. City Centre involves walking through busy city streets. City East goes through quieter residential areas. By taxi, both are equally accessible from the station.
Neither Premier Inn is particularly close to the station. Both are roughly a 25-minute walk or £8-12 taxi ride. If train station proximity is your priority, the ibis Cambridge Central Station is directly beside the platform exit, and the Clayton Hotel is a 5-minute walk with better facilities. For a detailed comparison, see our Clayton vs Hilton battle page.
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