Can I park at the ibis?

Only if your company is paying for it. It’s one of the most expensive slabs of tarmac in East Anglia. If you’re driving, you’ve picked the wrong hotel. Go to the Travelodge on Newmarket Road instead. The "station convenience" of the ibis is a massive liability if you're burdened with a vehicle.

Is this a good hotel to stay at to be near Mill Road?

Yes. Actually it’s the most convenient. If proximity to Mill Road is one of your biggest concerns, then this hotel is ideal for you. It’s a short (8 minutes) walk to reach Mill Road and that would put you in the centre. Turn right to go over the railway bridge or left to head towards Parker Piece. For a higher-end experience and only a slightly longer distance, consider the Clayton Hotel nearby.

Hotels often claim to be at train stations, is it really true for the ibis?

Absolutely. This one is actually at the Cambridge Central Station. The next closest one that can make this claim is the Clayton. The time from the front door of the ibis to the ticket machines at the station is measured in seconds, not minutes.

Can I park at the ibis?

Only if your company is paying for it. It’s one of the most expensive slabs of tarmac in East Anglia. If you’re driving, you’ve picked the wrong hotel. Go to the Travelodge on Newmarket Road instead. The "station convenience" of the ibis is a massive liability if you\u0027re burdened with a vehicle.

Is this a good hotel to stay at to be near Mill Road?

Yes. Actually it’s the most convenient. If proximity to Mill Road is one of your biggest concerns, then this hotel is ideal for you. It’s a short (8 minutes) walk to reach Mill Road and that would put you in the centre. Turn right to go over the railway bridge or left to head towards Parker Piece. For a higher-end experience and only a slightly longer distance, consider the Clayton Hotel nearby.

Hotels often claim to be at train stations, is it really true for the ibis?

Absolutely. This one is actually at the Cambridge Central Station. The next closest one that can make this claim is the Clayton. The time from the front door of the ibis to the ticket machines at the station is measured in seconds, not minutes.

Angled view of the ibis hotel at Cambridge Central Train station looking across from the cafes.

Back to Cambridge

ibis Cambridge Central Station

Corporate Functional££

The Radical Truth

The best value gateway to Mill Road and Cambridge Station. Being directly at the train station, its location is perfect for early-morning departures and late night arrivals. It is a perfect location for someone visiting the local corporate offices or visiting Mill Road.

The Warning

Town is easy to by foot, but walking the direct route can be busy, especially along Hills Road (the direct route into town).

The Insider Hack

The food vans outside the train station offer some excellent non-hotel food while short walk (less than 10 minutes) will have you on Mill Road with an eclectic mix of global cuisines. A few minutes further and some real gems of local pubs can be found.

The Neighbourhood Reality

Neighbourhood Gallery

The local vendors outside the train station and a very short (1 minutes walk away) walk from the ibis. Ideal for a non-hotel burrito or coffee.

The Old Ticket Office (OTO) pub which leans into the vibe of the original station terminal. It is right next to the food vendors in another image here.

The Ibis Cambridge Central Station is a logistical victory if you want to stay right at the train station. In fact, you can’t get any closer. This location doesn’t capture the quintessential Cambridge vibe but you are close to the real locals experience. Most guests take the main route into the centre, coming out of the ibis, down Station Road towards the Botanic Garden and then turn right on Hills Road. Instead, leaving the hotel turn hard right, through the station car park, under the footbridge and in a few minutes, you’re on Devonshire Road, which leads directly to the heart of Mill Road.

Why Mill Road? It’s the heart of the local community. Mill Road is stuffed with local businesses from small tailors, unique shops like Al Amin and Culinaris to food from many corners of the world. The side roads play host to real local pubs, an industry still thriving in this city. This is the only way to stay at the ibis and actually feel like you're in Cambridge. You get the corporate convenience of the station with the "independent" soul of the city's best food district within a 10-minute walk.

For early morning train departures and late night arrivals or for the traveller visiting one of the many corporate or law offices in the immediate area, this could be just the right place for you. Access from the station is superbly easy. There are no steps, road crossings, or any real hurdle from exiting the station and arriving at the hotel. Surrounded by lots of commercial properties, some of them high-end international firms (reflecting Cambridge's hub as a global business centre), there is also a strong residential presence in the area. Along with the commuters, this stops the area from becoming too quiet and ghostly into the later evening hours. It's quite easily walkable but with a fair amount of slow moving traffic.

Right out the front is a taxi rank, making personal transport anywhere in the city very easy, and access to the expensive but handy station car park adds to the traffic, and the surrounding noise. The bus stops for the train station are nearby and also many local amenities are within easy walk of the hotel. The Sainsbury's local (for food, snacks and bits and bobs) along with the Pret sandwich shop and Caffe Nero, all within direct view of the front door, give you the options if you don't want to choose the local vendors. Grabbing a drink in the evening? The Station Tavern is right next door with the Old Ticket Office (OTO) beside that, offering some outside seating if watching the commuters drift by is your vibe. The OTO is a nice addition as it really is what it says, the old station building.

The Mill Road Hotel Truth

Despite it's location and vibrancy, Mill Road doesn't have any hotels along it or really near it's heart except for the this ibis at the station and the nearby Clayton. This is the best budget option for a stay close to the heart of Mill Road.