Ely Hotels: Where to Stay in Cambridgeshire

Hotels in Ely are few, and most sit close to the cathedral. Ely is a small cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, so the lodging list is short. We checked official sites, the Visit Ely tourist board and booking listings for every property in this guide. We dropped two names from the old version of this page because we could not find a hotel under those names. Details below come from those sources. Please confirm rooms, hours and policies by phone before you book.

Compare Ely, Cambridgeshire, England hotels on Expedia

Where to Stay in Ely, Cambridgeshire

Hotels in Ely Cambridgeshire at a Glance

Five places to stay came up in our checks. Poets House and the Lamb Hotel are in the middle of the city. The Nyton Guest House is a short walk out toward the golf course. The Old Hall sits on the fen edge in Stuntney. Travelodge is on the outskirts on Witchford Road.

Each property has a different style. Poets House is a boutique hotel in a Grade II listed building. The Lamb is a coaching inn with low beams. The Nyton is a long-established guest house. The Old Hall is a family-run manor house with a restaurant. Travelodge is the plain budget option. We do not list room rates here because rates change by date. Use the Expedia link above to see current offers for your dates.

Poets House Hotel in Ely

Poets House is a boutique hotel on St Mary’s Street, Ely, CB7 4EY. The phone number is 01353 887777. The Muddy Stilettos guide places the cathedral about 100 yards away and describes a walk of about five minutes to the city centre. The building is Grade II listed. The guide says author Sybil Marshall once lived there.

The hotel has 21 bedrooms in House, Twin, Master and Executive styles. The official site lists a copper bathtub and a waterfall shower in each room. Rooms also have free Wi-Fi, a Smart TV, tea and coffee facilities, a hairdryer, a safe and bathrobes. Some rooms overlook Ely Cathedral.

Check-in is from 3 pm and check-out is at 11 am. Guests arriving after 7.30 pm should contact the hotel first. Food is served from 9 am to 8.45 pm each day. Bookings for the dining room go through the hotel. The Sonnet Lounge serves lighter snacks.

Pets are not allowed. Parking is limited. The hotel runs a small off-site car park and public parking is nearby. Ask reception for current arrangements when you book.

The Lamb Hotel in Ely

The Lamb Hotel is a Regency-style coaching inn at 2 Lynn Road, Ely, CB7 4EJ. Visit Ely says the building dates back to the 15th century. The bars have low beams and crooked walls. Greene King runs the hotel. The phone number is 01353 663574.

Visit Ely lists 37 en suite bedrooms. Dogs are welcome in all room types. Overnight guests can order a cooked breakfast. The bar serves wine and real ale and the restaurants serve pub meals. A small car park has its entrance on Market Street. The Lamb also has meeting space for up to 16 people.

The Expedia listing gives check-in from 2 pm to 10 pm and check-out at 11 am. Treat those times as unconfirmed and check them with the hotel. The same listing places Ely Museum a one-minute walk away and the cathedral a two-minute walk away. The Lamb is the best pick here for guests who want to leave the car parked.

The Nyton Guest House

The Nyton Guest House is at 7 Barton Road, Ely, CB7 4HZ. The phone number is 01353 662459. Visit Ely describes a long-established guest house in large gardens next to the golf course. Many rooms overlook the cathedral. The tourist board puts the cathedral and city centre about a ten-minute walk away.

A restaurant on site is open to non-residents. Frommer’s mentions an oak-panelled bar overlooking the gardens, free parking and free Wi-Fi. Frommer’s also says every room has an en suite bath or shower, a TV and tea and coffee facilities. We found no official room count, so ask when you call. Listings differ on the number of bedrooms.

The Old Hall Ely in Stuntney

The Old Hall is a family-run manor house at Stuntney Causeway, Stuntney, Ely, CB7 5TR. The phone number is 01353 663275. Visit Ely says the house sits about a mile from central Ely and looks over three ornamental lakes toward the cathedral. The Morbey family runs the house.

The Local Heritage List for Cambridgeshire records the building as a rebuilt country house now used as a hotel. The record links the site to the family of Oliver Cromwell. The old hall was de-listed in 1983 before demolition and a new range was added in 2003. So the house you see today is a modern rebuild in a historic style.

The tourist board lists bed and breakfast rooms, a restaurant with dinner, Sunday lunch and a bistro menu, and gardens. Expedia lists free parking, free Wi-Fi, a terrace and a garden. The Expedia listing says pets are not allowed. The listing gives check-in from 4.30 pm to 10 pm and check-out at 10 am. Confirm those times by phone. The Old Hall is the choice for guests with a car who want a quiet country stay near the city.

Travelodge Ely for Budget Hotels in Ely

Travelodge Ely is on Witchford Road, Ely, CB6 3NN. Visit Ely calls the hotel a budget option about a four-minute drive from the centre. The phone number on the listing is 0871 984 6028. We found only the tourist board page for this property, so treat the details as unconfirmed. Check parking, breakfast and access on the Travelodge website or by phone.

The Old Palace and The Bedford Could Not Be Verified

The old version of this page named a hotel called The Old Palace and another called The Bedford. We searched for both. We found no hotel or guest house in Ely under either name. The Old Palace search returned only an architecture page about the old bishop’s palace. The Bedford search returned Bedford Lodge, a hotel near Newmarket, not in Ely. We removed both. If you know of a current listing, check the property directly before you plan around the name.

The old text also described boutique stays on Market Street. We could not source any specific property there, so we dropped the claim.

Where to Stay in Ely Near the Cathedral

Stay near Ely Cathedral if you plan to visit on foot. Poets House and the Lamb Hotel are the closest of the places we checked. The Nyton is farther out but still a walk. The Stained Glass Museum is inside the cathedral. Its staircase has 40 steps. The museum is open Tuesday to Saturday and closes on Good Friday, 25 December and 26 December. Its own pages show two sets of hours, so call 01353 660347 before you go.

Oliver Cromwell’s House at 29 St Mary’s Street also holds the Visit Ely tourist information centre. The phone number is 01353 662062. Staff there can answer questions about rooms and opening times.

Getting to Ely and Where Else to Stay

Ely lies on the A10 north of Cambridge. The Stained Glass Museum says a large free car park sits within 300 yards of the cathedral. By train, the museum puts Ely about 15 to 20 minutes from Cambridge and about 1 hour 15 minutes from London. The same page gives a 15 minute walk from the station to the museum.

Greater Anglia runs the station. The station has a ticket office, a buffet, toilets and Wi-Fi. Step-free access reaches all platforms. Local buses leave from a stop near Tesco about a five minute walk from the station entrance.

If every Ely room is full, look at Cambridge. Trains run there often, and the city has far more hotels. Check the Expedia link above for dates when Ely is sold out.

How to Choose Between Hotels and Motels in Ely

Ely has no motels in the American sense. Visitors pick among a boutique hotel, a coaching inn, a guest house, a manor house and a budget chain. Match the property to your trip.

Choose Poets House for a boutique stay with a copper bath and a dining room. Choose the Lamb for a central base and dog-friendly rooms. Choose the Nyton for a garden setting and a restaurant open to non-residents. Choose the Old Hall for a quiet stay with lake views and a car. Choose Travelodge for a plain room on a tight budget.

Ask three questions when you call. First, ask about parking, because spaces are limited at the two central hotels. Second, ask for a cathedral view if you want one. Third, ask about dogs, because policies differ sharply. The Lamb welcomes dogs while Poets House and the Old Hall do not.

What We Checked and What We Could Not

We checked each property against at least two sources where we could. Poets House has its official site, Muddy Stilettos and Visit Ely. The Lamb has Greene King, Visit Ely and Expedia. The Nyton has Visit Ely and Frommer’s. The Old Hall has Visit Ely, Expedia and the Cambridgeshire heritage record. Travelodge has only Visit Ely in our checks.

We could not confirm the check-in times for the Lamb, the Old Hall or the Nyton from an official source. We found no phone number for the Lamb on the Expedia page, so we used the Greene King and Visit Ely numbers. We did not state prices. Call each property to confirm before you book.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Hotels in Ely are few, so book early and call to confirm details. Poets House and the Lamb Hotel put you next to the cathedral. The Nyton and the Old Hall offer quieter stays. Travelodge covers the budget end. Compare current offers on Expedia, then phone your pick to check rooms, parking and pets.

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