Planning a day in Cambridge is usually about colleges, punts and finding somewhere decent for lunch.

Then someone needs the loo, and suddenly a £1 charge becomes part of the itinerary.

At the moment, Silver Street is the only Cambridge City Council public toilet site charging. 

It sits by Silver Street Bridge, opposite Queens’ College and beside the Mill Pond.

The charge is £1 per visit, paid by contactless bank card or mobile payment.

The council does not confirm cash acceptance on its public information, so don’t make loose change your only plan.

The site isn’t just one row of cubicles.

The underground facilities include seated toilets, urinals and squat-style toilets.

At street level there’s a wheelchair-accessible toilet and a baby-changing facility.

The accessible toilet is free for Radar-key users, and baby-changing access is free.

There’s no separate child exemption listed, so families should check the council’s current information before setting off.

Opening hours are 8.30am to 7.30pm from Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 6pm on Sunday.

That covers a good chunk of a city-centre day, but it isn’t round-the-clock cover.

 A late wander along the river still needs a backup plan.

The good news: paying isn’t your only option.

Parker’s Piece toilets have reopened on the Gonville Place side, with five free cubicles, including one wheelchair-accessible cubicle.

The council’s public-toilets directory also lists free facilities at Drummer Street, Lion Yard and Quayside, with opening times and accessibility information for each site.

So the simplest plan is to check the council’s public-toilets page before leaving, pick a facility near the part of Cambridge you’re visiting and keep a second option in mind.

Silver Street may be handy if you’re by Queens’ College or the Mill Pond, but it isn’t the city’s only answer and for some visitors, the free alternatives will be the better fit.

If you’ve found another reliable public toilet stop in Cambridge, tell us where it is and what visitors should know.