One of the world’s most famous university cities, Oxford is both beautiful and privileged. It’s a wonderful place to wander: the elegant honey-toned buildings of the university’s 38 colleges wrap around tranquil courtyards and narrow cobbled lanes where a studious calm reigns. But along with the rich history, tradition and energetic academic life, there is a busy, lively town beyond the college walls.
Oxford sights
Not all of Oxford’s colleges are open to the public. Check www.ox.ac.uk/colleges for full details.
📕 Bodleian Library
Oxford’s Bodleian Library is one of the oldest public libraries in the world and quite possibly the most impressive one you’ll ever see. Visitors are welcome to wander around the central quad and the foyer exhibition space. For £1 you can visit the Divinity School, but the rest of the complex is only accessible on guided tours. Check timings online or at the information desk. Advance tickets are only available for extended tours; others must be purchased on the day.
⛪ Christ Church
The largest of all of Oxford’s colleges, with 650 students, and the one with the grandest quad, Christ Church is also its most popular. Its magnificent buildings, illustrious history and latter-day fame as a location for the Harry Potter films have tourists visiting in droves. The college was founded in 1524 by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who suppressed the 9th-century monastery existing on the site to acquire the funds for his lavish building project.
Pitt Rivers Museum
Hidden away through a door at the back of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History (📞 01865-272950; www.oum.ox.ac.uk; Parks Rd; h10am-5pm;Wc), this wonderfully creepy anthropological museum houses a treasure trove of half a million objects from around the world – more than enough to satisfy any armchair adventurer.
One of the reasons it’s so brilliant is the fact there are no computers, interactive displays or shiny modern gimmicks. Dim lighting lends an air of mystery to glass cases stuffed with the prized booty of Victorian explorers.
Ashmolean Museum
Britain’s oldest public museum, second in repute only to London’s British Museum, was established in 1683 when Elias Ashmole presented the university with the collection of curiosities amassed by the well-travelled John Tradescant, gardener to Charles I.
Today its four floors feature interactive displays, a giant atrium, glass walls revealing galleries on different levels and a beautifully sited rooftop restaurant. Collections, displayed in bright, spacious, attractive galleries within one of Britain’s best examples of neoclassical architecture, span the word.
Magdalen College
Set amid 40 hectares of private lawns, woodlands, river walks and deer park, Magdalen (mawd-lin), founded in 1458, is one of the wealthiest and most beautiful of Oxford’s colleges. It has a reputation as an artistic college.
Some of its notable students have included writers Julian Barnes, Alan Hollinghurst, CS Lewis, John Betjeman, Seamus Heaney and Oscar Wilde, not to mention Edward VIII, TE Lawrence ‘of Arabia’, Dudley Moore and Cardinal Thomas Wolsey.
🛌 Accommodation
Central Backpackers– A welcoming budget option between the train station and town centre, above a bar. This small hostel has basic, bright and cheerful dorms, with lockers, for four to 12 people, a rooftop terrace and a small TV lounge. There’s a six-bed girls-only dorm.
Oxford Coach & Horses
Once an 18th-century coaching inn, this fabulous English-Mexican-owned boutique B&B hides behind a fresh powder-blue exterior, just a few metres from the Cowley Rd action. The eight light-filled rooms are cosy, spacious and individually styled in soothing pastels with the odd splash of purple, turquoise or exposed wood. The converted ground floor houses an airy, attractive breakfast room.
www.oxfordcoachandandhorses.co.uk
Galaxie hotel – A breezy reception hall leads past black-and-white photos to homey, boutique-y
rooms at this smartly updated B&B, spread across two interconnecting Victorian town houses. Rooms, in various sizes, are styled in creams and greys offset by lime-green cushions; some come equipped with desks, fridges and kitchenettes. Sculptures, fire burners and tiki-bar-style benches dot the garden. It’s 1.5 miles north of the centre.
Burlington House– Twelve elegantly contemporary rooms with patterned wallpaper, immaculate bathrooms, dashes of colour and luxury touches are available at this beautifully refreshed Victorian merchant’s house.
Personal service is as sensational as the delicious breakfast, complete with organic eggs, fresh orange juice and homemade bread, yoghurt and granola. It’s 2 miles north of central Oxford, with good public transport links.
☕ 🍽 Restaurants and Cafes
Edamamé– The queue out the door speaks volumes about the food quality at this tiny, deliciously authentic place. All light wood, dainty trays and friendly bustle, this is Oxford’s top spot for gracefully simple, flavour-packed Japanese cuisine. Dishes include fragrant chicken-miso ramen, tofu stir-fry and, on Thursday night, sushi. No bookings; arrive early and be prepared to wait. Cash only at lunch.
Vaults & Garden – Hidden away in the vaulted 14th-century Old Congregation House of the University Church, this buzzy local favourite serves a wholesome seasonal selection of soups, salads, pastas, curries, sandwiches and cakes, including plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options. It’s one of Oxford’s most beautiful lunch venues, with additional tables in a pretty garden overlooking Radcliffe Sq. Arrive early to grab a seat.
Turl St Kitchen– A twice-daily-changing menu transforms meals into exquisite surprises at this lively, super-central multilevel cafe-restaurant. Fresh, organic, sustainable and locally sourced produce is thrown into creative contemporary combinations, perhaps starring veggie tajines, roast beef, hake-and-chorizo skewers or fennel-infused salads.
Proceeds support a local charity. The interior is a rustic-chic mix of blue-tiled floors, faded-wood tables and fairy lights. Good cakes and coffee.
Nightlife
Eagle & Child– Affectionately known as the ‘Bird & Baby’, this quirky pub dates from 1650 and was once a favourite haunt of authors JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis and a few other Inklings. Its narrow wood-panelled rooms and selection of real ales, craft beers and gins still attracts a mellow crowd.
Bear Inn– Arguably Oxford’s oldest pub (there’s been a pub on this site since 1242), the atmospherically creaky Bear requires all but the most vertically challenged to duck their heads when passing through doorways. A curious tie collection covers the walls and ceilings, and there are usually a couple of worthy guest ales and artisan beers.
Turf Tavern – Squeezed down a narrow alleyway, this tiny medieval pub (from at least 1381) is one of Oxford’s best loved. It’s where US president Bill Clinton famously ‘did not inhale’; other patrons have included Oscar Wilde, Stephen Hawking and Margaret Thatcher. Home to 11 real ales, it’s always crammed with students, professionals and the odd tourist. Plenty of outdoor seating.
