England · City Guide
Oxford
Oxford is one of the world's great university cities, home to the oldest English-speaking university in the world and a landscape of extraordinary Gothic and Baroque architecture, beautiful college gardens, the Bodleian Library and the Ashmolean Museum. From the dreaming spires and the High Street to the Oxford Union and the surrounding Cotswolds, Oxford offers an experience of English intellectual and architectural heritage at its finest.
Elect's take
"Oxford is one of those cities where the architecture alone justifies the visit. The combination of medieval colleges, beautiful gardens, world class museums and the atmosphere created by centuries of scholarship creates something genuinely extraordinary."
The Bodleian Library is one of the oldest and most beautiful libraries in the world, with guided tours providing access to the extraordinary Divinity School. Christ Church, with its Tom Tower and the Great Hall that inspired Hogwarts in Harry Potter, is the most visited of the colleges. The Ashmolean Museum is England's oldest public museum with an outstanding collection of art and archaeology. Punting on the Cherwell from Magdalen Bridge is one of Oxford's great summer pleasures. The covered Oxford Market and the Covered Market provide excellent independent food shopping. The Cotswolds are immediately accessible from Oxford.
Best time to visit
How to get there
What to expect
Oxford Colleges
800 years of architectural heritage across 38 colleges in the heart of the city.
Bodleian Library
One of the world's oldest and most beautiful libraries with magnificent medieval interiors.
Ashmolean Museum
England's oldest public museum with an outstanding collection of art and antiquities.
Punting on the Cherwell
One of England's great summer pleasures on the beautiful river through the meadows.
Christ Church
Oxford's most famous college with the Great Hall that inspired the Harry Potter films.
Cotswolds Access
Immediate access to some of England's most beautiful countryside and villages.
