Oxford

The "City of Dreaming Spires," home to the oldest university in the English-speaking world; the Radcliffe Camera, the Bodleian Library and the Harry Potter filming locations at Christ Church are must-sees.

Oxford lies about 90 km northwest of London, where the Thames (known as the Isis as it flows through the city) meets the River Cherwell. The University of Oxford can be traced back to at least the 12th century and is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. It consists of more than 30 colleges and several permanent private halls, and there is no single "campus": the colleges and libraries are scattered across the Old Town, where Gothic spires abound, earning it the poet's name "City of Dreaming Spires." The core area is small, centered on Carfax Tower; Radcliffe Square, the Bodleian Library, Christ Church and the Ashmolean Museum are all within a 15-minute walk. At the east end of the High Street are Magdalen College and the Botanic Garden, and to the north is the Museum of Natural History.

Getting there: it takes about 1 hour by GWR train from London Paddington and about 1 hour by Chiltern train from London Marylebone; the Oxford Tube and X90 coaches from the Victoria area of London take about 1 hour 40 minutes and run 24 hours a day. Oxford railway station is about a 15-minute walk from the city center.

Visiting the colleges: popular colleges such as Christ Church, Magdalen and New College charge admission and often require timed online booking. From late April to mid or late June is exam season (Trinity Term), when many colleges close or restrict visits; colleges also close temporarily for events and graduation ceremonies, so be sure to check each college's website before you go. Please observe the "Keep off the grass" rule; visitors are not admitted during services or in student residential areas.

One day is enough for the main colleges and museums; with 2 days you can add punting, a tower climb for the view, and a deeper museum visit. Oxford can also be paired with Cambridge as a "twin cities" trip; there is no direct train between them, so you usually transfer via London and spend one day in each. British weather is changeable, so bring rain gear in every season.

Top sights

• Christ Church, Oxford – One of Oxford's largest and most prestigious colleges, which has produced 13 British Prime Ministers. Its Great Hall inspired the Hogwarts…
• Bodleian Library – One of Europe's oldest libraries and a legal deposit library of Britain. The fan-vaulted ceiling of the Divinity School is breathtaking.
• Radcliffe Camera – Oxford's most iconic building, an 18th-century Palladian domed reading room standing in the middle of Radcliffe Square, the city's most bea…
• Ashmolean Museum – Britain's oldest public museum, admission-free, with collections spanning ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, Eastern art and Renaissance painti…
• Punting on the River Cherwell – Rent a flat-bottomed punt under Magdalen Bridge and pole yourself along the River Cherwell past green meadows and college gardens. It's the…
• Blenheim Palace – The only palace in Britain named after a non-royal, non-episcopal residence, the birthplace of Winston Churchill. Its Baroque architecture…
• Bridge of Sighs, Oxford – An enclosed walkway spanning New College Lane and linking two buildings of Hertford College, a popular photo spot in Oxford.
• Magdalen College, Oxford – A prestigious Oxford college on the banks of the River Cherwell, known for its iconic tower, cloisters and deer park, where C.S. Lewis once…
• Oxford University Museum of Natural History – A free Victorian Gothic temple of science, with dinosaur skeletons and a Dodo specimen under a cast-iron and glass roof, connected to the P…
• Covered Market, Oxford – An indoor market established in 1774, with butchers, dessert shops, cafés and small boutiques, a great place for lunch and souvenirs in cen…
• Sheldonian Theatre – Christopher Wren's first major building and the hall where the University of Oxford holds its matriculation and degree ceremonies, with a s…
• University Church of St Mary the Virgin – The university church beside Radcliffe Square, where climbing the 13th-century tower offers close-up views of the Radcliffe Camera and Oxfo…
• Carfax Tower – A medieval church bell tower at the heart of Oxford's Carfax crossroads. Climb 99 steps for views over the old city, and mechanical figures…
• Oxford Castle & Prison – Norman castle remains where the 11th-century St George's Tower and the castle mound still stand. Costumed actor-guides tell 900 years of th…
• Pitt Rivers Museum – An anthropology museum entered through the Natural History Museum, with more than half a million objects from cultures around the world cra…
• University of Oxford Botanic Garden – England's oldest botanic garden, founded in 1621 and facing Magdalen Tower across the street. The bench where Lyra and Will agree to meet i…
• New College, Oxford – Founded in 1379 but still called 'New College.' Its cloister and ancient oak tree were filming locations for Harry Potter, including the sc…
• Merton College, Oxford – One of Oxford's oldest colleges, with a 13th-century Mob Quad and one of England's oldest academic libraries still in use. Tolkien once tau…
• Turf Tavern – A 13th-century pub tucked into a narrow lane beside the Bridge of Sighs. Famous patrons such as Clinton and Hawking have sat under its low…
• Port Meadow – An ancient public meadow along the Thames that has never been ploughed. Horses and cattle graze freely, dusk brings silhouettes of spires a…
• University Parks – Wide lawns and tree-lined walks behind the Natural History Museum. Stroll along the River Cherwell to see punts, and watch university crick…
• History of Science Museum, Oxford – Housed in the 'Old Ashmolean,' purpose-built in 1683 and regarded as the world's first building designed specifically as a museum. The coll…
• Waddesdon Manor – A French-style chateau built in the 19th century by the Rothschild family, with 18th-century French furniture, Sèvres porcelain and paintin…
• Uffington White Horse – A stylised white horse about 110 metres long, cut into the chalk hillside in the Bronze Age. Nearby is an Iron Age hillfort, and walks alon…
• Bicester Village – A large designer outlet village north of Oxford with more than 160 brand stores, Chinese-speaking staff, tax-refund services and direct tra…
• Keble College, Oxford – A Victorian Gothic Revival college in red brick, with colourful geometric patterns that make it instantly recognisable. Its chapel holds Ho…
• Christ Church Meadow – A meadow south of Christ Church College, enclosed by the Thames and the Cherwell, where longhorn cattle graze. Riverside paths offer views…
• Henley-on-Thames – A rowing town on the Thames famous for its five-arch stone bridge, riverside walks and the Henley Royal Regatta, first held in 1839.
• Headington Shark – A 7.6-metre fibreglass shark sculpture that appears to plunge into the roof of a private house, Oxford's best-known offbeat landmark.

Where to eat

• Pompette – A husband-and-wife-run French bistro in Summertown, listed in the Michelin Guide and consistently featured in The Good…
• Cherwell Boathouse – An iconic over-50-year-old boathouse restaurant on the banks of the River Cherwell, famous for its river views, punting…
• Arbequina – A tapas bar converted from an old pharmacy on Cowley Road, blending Spanish classics with Middle Eastern flavors, liste…
• Spiced Roots – A family-run Caribbean restaurant and rum bar on Cowley Road, highly praised for its jerk chicken and slow-cooked oxtai…
• Pierre Victoire – An old-school French bistro on Little Clarendon Street, offering cozy candlelight and reasonably priced set menus popul…
• Turf Tavern – A historic pub hidden down a narrow alleyway near the Bridge of Sighs, offering traditional British pub food and a vari…

Itineraries

• Classic England Rail Tour – A classic rail journey linking London, Bath, Oxford, and York—ideal for first-time visitors to England.
• London in Depth with a Day in Oxford in – Core London sights plus Greenwich and Notting Hill, with a day trip by train to Oxford.
• Oxford, Shakespeare Country and the Cotswolds in – A short trip from London: Blenheim Palace, Shakespeare's hometown, Warwick Castle and honey-coloured villages.