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Waterbeach is a large fen-edge village located 6 miles north of Cambridge in Cambridgeshire in England, and belongs to the administrative district of South Cambridgeshire. The parish covers an area of 23.26 kmē.

Waterbeach is on the Car Dyke, a Roman waterway whose course can be traced as far as Lincoln. Recent archaeological investigations have found extensive evidence of Roman settlement at the south end of the village.

Waterbeach appears in the Domesday Book as Utbech. In the 12th Century, the Knights Templar were based at Denny Abbey located to the North of the village.

RAF Waterbeach and airfield (now called Waterbeach Barracks) were built in 1940 on the northern edge of the village as part of Bomber Command. Vickers Wellingtons arrived in March 1941, followed by Short Stirlings and Avro Lancasters. After WW2 Liberators and Dakotas from Transport Command flew from RAF Waterbeach. Squadrons there were: 59, 51, 77, 62, 53, 18 and 24. Fighter Command took over on 1st March 1950 and used Meteors, Swifts, Venoms, Vampires and Javelins. In addition Hawker Hunter fighters arrived in May 1955 and, two years later, the prototype English Electric P1 (Lightning) visited RAF Waterbeach. Three Squadrons were there from that year; 56, 63 and 253. Later squadrons were: 25, 46, 64, 1 and 54. The last RAF fixed-wing aircraft from 54 Squadron left in August 1963, and the site was then used by the RAF Construction Branch. The original control tower and many RAF buildings, including several hangars, are still present.

The base and airfield remain property of the Ministry of Defence, but are no longer used by the Royal Air Force. The barracks, airfield and surrounding quarters are now used by the British Army, housing 25 and 39 Engineer Regiment and a weekend barracks for Cambridgeshire Army Cadet Force. The former airfield is now used as a training area for troops, with occasional visits by helicopters and Harriers.

The parish contains two Scheduled Ancient Monuments: Denny Abbey (now also housing the Farmland Museum) and the site of Waterbeach Abbey (near the present church).

Waterbeach has a doctor's surgery, three village shops (The Village Stores, One-Stop and Rosemary Newsagents & shop) and a Post Office, a butcher, a bakery, two hairdressers and a barber's shop, a pharmacy, a primary school, a Parish church dedicated to St John the Evangelist, a Baptist church famous for its connection with Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a corps of the Salvation Army, a small independent library, three public houses (The Sun, The White Horse and The Brewery Tap), a social club, a Tandoori restaurant (The Slap Up Tandoori), a Chinese takeaway (Chung Hwa), a fish and chip shop (The Beach Fryer), also between Tuesday to Saturday a kebab van resides on the green.

Waterbeach railway station lies on the London (Kings Cross) to King's Lynn line, allowing some of its residents to commute to London for work. The village lies close to the busy A10 road that also links London to King's Lynn. A regular bus service also operates through the village that links Cambridge to the towns of March, Wisbech and Littleport and the small city of Ely.

The Waterbeach Community Primary School swimming pool was built in 1960 by local people, today the school is raising funds to update the pool. Waterbeach Community Primary School is situated on the High Street.

Located in the grounds of the school is 'The Playhouse' which houses the Waterbeach After School Playscheme (WASPS) and the Waterbeach Community Playgroup. There are three playgroups in the village; Waterbeach Community Playgroup,Waterbeach Toddler Playgroup and the Buchanan Children's Centre.

Within the Army Barracks there is a golf course, fishing lake and open-air swimming pool (seasonal), all of which may be used by local residents.

Waterbeach Community Association works to promote togetherness in the villages of Waterbeach, Landbeach and Chittering, and organise various social events throughout the year. These include the Waterbeach Feast, an annual party for local senior citizens, a Christmas Carol service on Waterbeach Green on Christmas Eve, and charity fundraising, as well as the village magazine "Beach News", which is produced and distributed entirely by volunteers and is delivered free to over 2,500 local homes four times a year.