Christopher Marlowe & John Fletcher

Two of England's finest playwrights have a connection to Cambridge that most visitors miss entirely. Christopher Marlowe and John Fletcher both studied here, and their presence in the city's academic history is woven into the fabric of the place - though finding the exact spots requires a bit of detective work.

Marlowe arrived at King's College in the 1580s and left his mark on English drama before his mysterious death in 1593. Fletcher came later, studying at King's as well, and went on to collaborate with Shakespeare on several plays. Neither has a dedicated visitor attraction in the traditional sense, but Cambridge itself is the memorial - their college rooms, the courtyards they walked through, the libraries where they studied.

This isn't for casual tourists after a quick photo. Literature types and history buffs who know their Tudor and Jacobean drama will find genuine interest in tracing these connections through King's College and the city's older streets. A proper literary walking tour organised through Cambridge would bring this to life far better than wandering alone.

It's free to explore the city, though accessing college buildings usually costs a few quid and requires respect for still-functioning academic spaces. Allow half a day if you're mixing this with Cambridge's other attractions - the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Backs, market square. Better still, base yourself at one of the nearby caravan sites like Cambridge Cherry Hinton or Highfield Farm and spend a full day in the city, treating Marlowe and Fletcher as part of a broader literary pilgrimage rather than a standalone destination.