This list of places to visit in Oxford It will help you to enjoy this famous university city to the fullest that we are sure, will exceed all your previous expectations.
City not only stands out for having some of the oldest and most prestigious colleges in the world, Oxford also impresses with its beautiful historic center, full of stone buildings crowned by spiers and historic pubs, where the good atmosphere reigns.
In addition, this city will give you unforgettable moments while you walk and visit its main tourist attractions, since although it may seem a lie, we assure you that you will feel in every corner the tradition and the value for knowledge, which have made this place a great source of Great writers and illustrious characters.
Based on the experience of the time we spent in the city during our last month trip to London, we have made this list of what we believe are the 10 places to see in Oxford essential. We start!
1. Christ Church College
The huge Christ Church is the most famous college and one of the places to visit in Oxford in one day more beautiful. In addition to being part of the University of Oxford, this college has inside the cathedral of the city and is one of the most prestigious to have up to thirteen Prime Ministers among its former students.
To visit it we recommend you follow the itinerary of the brochure that you get at the entrance and that goes through all the most interesting places in college such as the stairs, the dining room, the large central courtyard, the cloister and, above all, the cathedral with its beautiful stained glass windows and chapels.
Although always enjoyed great prestige, its popularity has grown in recent years thanks to its spectacular dining room, which served as an inspiration to recreate the great dining room of the Harry Potter saga.
If you are a big fan of this young wizard, do not miss this Harry Potter tour with a Spanish guide that goes through all the scenes where scenes from the movies were shot.
Visiting hours: Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sundays from 2pm to 5pm. Keep in mind that the Hall only opens from 10am to 12pm and from 2pm to 5pm. We recommend you check the schedules on this official page.
Chirst Church College
2. Bodleian Library
In a city full of large bookstores and libraries, the Bodleiana library stands out above all, one of the oldest in Europe and the main research library to see in Oxford.
Keep in mind that although there are some visits that should not be guided, to enter the library room, you have to book some of the guided tours offered at the entrance box. We booked the half-hour mini tour that passes through the two most interesting places like the impressive Duke Humfrey's Library and the Divinity School, a medieval hall built between 1427 and 1483, which has served as a filming stage in the Harry Potter movies.
There are two other important buildings near the library that we recommend you not to miss, such as the Sheldonian Theater and the new Bodleian Library, known as the Weston Library, where the rarest and oldest books are located.
Visiting hours: you can check the tour schedules on this page.
Bodleian Library, one of the places to visit in Oxford
3. St Mary the Virgin Church
One of the best things to do in Oxford is to climb the tower of the St Mary the Virgin church from where you can enjoy the views of the Radcliffe Camera and the nearest colleges.
This 13th-century church has one of the most beautiful spiers in England and inside you can see several stained glass windows, an organ, the pulpit and the tomb of Adam de Brome from the 14th century.
To climb the tower you will have to make a small queue of about 20 minutes, depending on the time and day of the week you visit it, as access to a small number of people is restricted due to the narrowness of the stairs.
Another viewpoint of the city is the Carfax Tower, although if you only want to climb one, we recommend the tower of this church.
Views from St, Mary the Virgin Church
4. Covered Market
The Covered Market, an old covered market, is another of our favorite corners and must-see places in Oxford.
In this 1774 market you can buy all kinds of products, hats, gifts, clothes, cakes, fresh products such as vegetables and meats in addition to flowers and enjoy well-decorated shops, among which a wide variety is included of restaurants, cafes and a place to try the delicious Ben's Cookies.
Visiting hours: every day from 8 am to 5 pm. On Sundays it opens at 11am.
Covered Market
5. Radcliffe Camera, one of the places to visit in Oxford
The Radcliffe Camera, built between 1737 and 1749, is the most iconic building in the city thanks to its neoclassical and other architectural style. places to visit in Oxford.
Although formerly it was used as a scientific library, this building has long been one of the additional reading rooms of the Bodleian Library although it must be borne in mind that it can only be seen on the outside, since only the members of the library.
An interesting way to get to know the city and the history of each building is to book this guided tour in Spanish through the historic center or this free tour of Oxford Free!
Radcliffe Camera, one of the places to see in Oxford
Our recommended hotel in Oxford
Our recommended accommodation in Oxford is the Rewley House University of Oxford, located a 10-minute walk from the city center. In addition to its magnificent location, the hotel has fairly spacious university residence rooms, an excellent breakfast and one of the best quality / price ratios in the city.
6. Historic pubs
Another of the best things to do in Oxford in one day and that you can not miss, is to eat a good fish and chips, accompanied by a large pint of beer in one of the historical pubs of the city.
Among the most famous taverns is:
- Turf Tavern: the most famous pub in the city where they have drunk and spent pleasant personalities such as Stephen Hawking, Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor or Margaret Thatcher. This old place of 1381, is hidden in a beautiful alley and has several terraces to eat or drink.
- The Bear Inn: This small pub from 1242 is perfect to taste the typical English food and feel the local atmosphere in which students and teachers mix.
- Eagle and child: classic pub where great writers of fantastic literature met as C.S. Lewis author of The Chronicles of Narnia and J.R. Tolkien author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. They have a great variety of craft beers and a good university atmosphere.
- The Checkers: 15th-century tavern with a large terrace and a period interior, perfect to taste the traditional Sunday Roast and English beers: lagers and ales.
- King's arm: another historic pub to visit in Oxford with several rooms and full of students. The legends say that the highest IQ of any bar in the world is concentrated in this pub.
Historical pubs
7. Oxford streets
The historic center of Oxford has many charming streets to walk around and look for some souvenirs in its many shops. Among the most important shopping streets that concentrate a large number of historical colleges and pubs are the pedestrian Conmarket and High Street although our favorite street in the city is Holywell Street, which recalls its old houses with colorful facades to the Notting neighborhood Hill in London and has become for us, in another of the essential places to visit in Oxford.
Holywell street
8. Bridge of sighs
Near the Bodleian Library is the Bridge of Sighs of the eighteenth century, linking the old and new part of Hertdord College. This bridge, the same name as the one in Venice, has become one of the most photographed places to visit in Oxford, so we recommend that at least you spend a few minutes to contemplate it and understand the reason why one of the legends about the origin of the name of the bridge, says that in this place the boys and girls students were cited at night , and sighs were heard.
Bridge of Sighs
Recommended travel cardsRemember that in order not to pay commissions and always have the current change we recommend you use the N26 card to pay and the Bnext and Revolut cards to get money at the ATMs. They are the ones we use, They are free and will save you a lot.
You can find more information in this article about the best cards to travel without commissions.
9. Other Colleges
The city has 38 colleges that all together form the prestigious Oxford University, its main tourist and student attraction.
Each college operates autonomously with its own rules of operation and its different student acceptance requirements, to pursue its magnificent and difficult university degrees. Keep in mind that fame is not accidental since Oxford University, considered one of the best in the world, has formed 29 Nobel Prizes, heads of state from around the world and their students have won 160 Olympic medals.
Among the best colleges to see in Oxford are:
- New college: one of the most beautiful in the city, which impresses with its architecture and the complex that forms its gardens, cloisters, chapels and the oldest dining room in the country.
- Magdalen: one of the richest and largest colleges in Oxford in which stands out its high tower and a park with deer.
- All souls: the most exclusive where students have to overcome "the most difficult exam in the world" to enter.
- Balliol College: one of the oldest universities in Oxford, dating from 1263 and has a magnificent chapel and large landscaped gardens.
- Merton College: another of the most famous in the city where he taught J.R.R. Tolkien. If you are a follower of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings you can book this tour through the origins of Middle-earth.
Oxford Colleges
10. Ashmolean Museum
The free Ashmolean Museum of 1683 is one of the oldest museums in the country and our latest recommendation from places to visit in Oxford in one day.
This museum of art and archeology at the University of Oxford has several important collections such as that of the Egyptian mummies, Sudan and that of contemporary art.
Visiting hours: every day from 10am to 5pm.
Ashmolean Museum
How to get to Oxford from London
Although Oxford has an airport nearby, the vast majority of tourists visit the city from London in one day.
To get to Oxford you can book one of the trains that leave every 10 minutes from London Paddington station and take about an hour to arrive. Another option is to take an Oxford Tube or X90 company bus that leaves every 10 minutes from Victoria Coach Station.
If you want to make the excursion more comfortable and with the explanations of a guide in Spanish you can book this excursion by train or by bus that includes Stratford, both considered two of the best excursions in London.
For more information about the transfer you can check this post on how to go to Oxford from London in one day.
If you feel like helping us complete the list of the 10 places to visit in Oxford, add yours in the comments.
