Oxford, United Kingdom: travel guide
The City of Dreaming Spires is home to the world's second-oldest university, with honey-stone college quads, renowned Bodleian Library, the Ashmolean Museum, and charming punting on the River Cherwell.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Currency
- GBP
- Time zone
- Europe/London
Top places to visit in Oxford
Windsor Castle Day
Heritage · about 5 h
Royal residence and the oldest occupied castle in the world, with state apartments.
Christ Church College
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 1.5 h · entry GBP 15
Oxford's grandest college with a magnificent Great Hall that inspired Hogwarts' dining hall. Tom Tower, the cathedral, beautiful gardens, and a fine art gallery are all within the college walls.
Bodleian Library
Heritage · 4.8 rating · about 1.5 h · entry GBP 3
One of Europe's oldest and most famous research libraries (1602), with 13 million items. The Radcliffe Camera, Divinity School (Harry Potter filming location), and Bodleian tours are iconic.
Ashmolean Museum
Museum · 4.7 rating · about 2.5 h
The world's first public museum (1683), housing an extraordinary collection from Raphael drawings and Michelangelo cartoons to Egyptian mummies, Anglo-Saxon treasures, and Stradivarius violins. Free.
Punting on the River Cherwell
Activity · 4.7 rating · about 2 h
Oxford's most quintessential activity — gliding past the Botanic Garden and Magdalen College deer park on a flat-bottomed punt pole. Hire self-drive punts from Magdalen Bridge Boathouse.
Oxford Radcliffe Camera
Heritage · 4.8 rating · about 0.5 h
The Radcliffe Camera — Oxford's spectacular 1749 Palladian library, England's first round library, with the iconic dome and the famous All Souls Square location.
Oxford Blenheim Palace Day
Heritage · 4.8 rating · about 8 h
A day trip from Oxford to Blenheim Palace — the spectacular UNESCO World Heritage 1722 Baroque palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, and the iconic Capability Brown gardens.
Oxford Bicester Village Day
Market · 4.5 rating · about 8 h
A day trip from Oxford to Bicester Village — the spectacular designer outlet shopping, with the iconic 160+ luxury brands at up to 60% off, and the famous fashion tourism heritage.
Oxford Magdalen College
Heritage · 4.7 rating · about 1.5 h
Magdalen College — Oxford's spectacular 1458 college with the iconic Great Tower, the famous May Morning Choir performance, the historic Cloisters, and the magnificent Deer Park.
Oxford Pitt Rivers Museum
Museum · 4.7 rating · about 2 h
The Pitt Rivers Museum — Oxford's spectacular ethnographic collection of 500,000+ artifacts (since 1884), with the iconic shrunken heads, the dense Victorian display style.
Oxford Natural History Museum
Museum · 4.7 rating · about 2 h
The Oxford University Museum of Natural History — the spectacular Victorian Gothic museum (1860) with the iconic dodo specimen (only soft tissue remains in the world).
Oxford Cotswolds Day Trip
Heritage · 4.8 rating · about 8 h
A day trip from Oxford to the Cotswolds — the spectacular Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with the iconic honey-stone villages (Bourton-on-Water, Stow), and the rural England heritage.
Where to stay in Oxford
- Cathedral Quarter about GBP 100 per night
Belfast's most vibrant area. Victorian pubs, street art, and the best restaurants and bars. Excellent boutique hotels.
- Titanic Quarter about GBP 130 per night
Modern waterfront development. Close to the world-famous Titanic Belfast museum. New hotels with great views.
Hotels
- Vanbrugh House Hotel Oxford 4-star · GBP 180 to GBP 380 per night
- Malmaison Oxford 4-star · GBP 160 to GBP 450 per night
- Old Bank Hotel Oxford 5-star · GBP 280 to GBP 550 per night
- The Old Parsonage Hotel 5-star · GBP 280 to GBP 560 per night
- Burlington House Oxford 4-star · GBP 110 to GBP 210 per night
- Parklands Oxford 3-star · GBP 95 to GBP 180 per night
Where to eat
- Quod Restaurant & Bar Brasserie, Modern European · about GBP 38 per person
- The Cherwell Boathouse Modern British, British · about GBP 55 per person
- The Oxford Kitchen Modern British, Seasonal · about GBP 75 per person
- The Turf Tavern British, Pub · about GBP 17 per person
- Browns Brasserie Oxford British, Brasserie · about GBP 28 per person
- The Trout Inn Wolvercote British, Pub, Gastropub · about GBP 28 per person
- The Eagle and Child British, Pub · about GBP 18 per person
- Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons French, Fine · about GBP 195 per person
Getting around
- Bus main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.
- Walking main way to get around
Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.