Hanging Out Inwards Oxford: A Consummate Visitor’S Require To The City
Updated: 11/29/18 | Nov 29th, 2018
Oxford, founded sometime during the 9th century, expanded during the Middle Ages equally a centre for learning—first for theology, as well as thence medicine, as well as and thence law. Over the centuries, the academy has added to a greater extent than departments, as well as right away you lot tin give the sack written report alongside the best as well as brightest inward whatever field.
The pocket-size metropolis of Oxford is basically i giant school. Every few feet, a novel college springs upward on you. The spires, ancient buildings, as well as courtyards gear upward Oxford a beautiful identify to stroll through. I spent 3 days at that spot hosted past times someone from Couchsurfing. Like my previous Couchsurfing experiences, this i was a lot of fun as well as the host was truly welcoming. He hosts a novel someone every calendar week as well as loves the experience.
Oxford was beautiful, despite it raining every twenty-four hours I was there. I explored the expanse during pocket-size gaps inward the storms, but, since this is England, the pelting speedily returned as well as I speedily turned inside. Not e'er dorsum dwelling family though. Often I went exploring within the colleges, shops, as well as museums.
I decided to select a guided tour during my visit, as well as I learned a lot nigh the academy that I wouldn’t direct keep learned otherwise. To amount it all upward inward a nutshell, the Oxford scheme is really unique.
The academy consists of 38 colleges, as well as each college is carve upward as well as inward accuse of itself. Each does its ain hiring, firing, as well as admissions. The “university” is but an umbrella grouping run past times the authorities that hands out the degrees. While you lot may go to New College or Exeter College, you lot withal acquire an Oxford degree. There aren’t departments similar inward other universities but about the world. Here, each college teaches all the subjects, though at that spot is a carve upward scientific discipline as well as medicine department. In graduate school, curriculums acquire to a greater extent than specialized.
When you lot apply to Oxford, you lot apply to a college. Each college accepts its ain applicants, as well as since they all learn the same thing, a lot of it is a crap shoot as well as based on reputation.
Each week, students run across alongside a tutor who helps alongside their studies. These tutorials are the foundation of the Oxford scheme as well as contain the volume of a student’s work.
Another interesting fact nigh the Oxford scheme is that at that spot aren’t exams. In most universities, when the term finishes, you lot select a terminal exam. At Oxford, you lot may direct keep niggling tests hither as well as there, but at that spot is no existent semester final. Your grade rests on a terminal evidence you lot direct keep at the terminate of your fourth dimension at Oxford. One test. Sick, huh?
I idea the whole Oxford scheme was overly complex, but that’s the resultant of people starting their ain colleges twelvemonth afterwards twelvemonth over many centuries as well as and thence non wanting to integrate into i system.
Because of the weather, I didn’t acquire a direct a opportunity to go punting, which is when you lot select a sort of gondola ride downwards the river spell drinking, relaxing, as well as hoping you lot don’t autumn inward when it’s your plough to force that pole (punt). Nevertheless hither are my recommended things to view as well as practise on your visit.
What to See as well as Do inward Oxford
1. Take a Free Walking Tour
One of the best ways to start your see is alongside a walking tour. They are a dandy way to acquire a experience for the city, the culture, as well as the history. Plus, you lot acquire a local skilful who volition response whatever as well as all of your questions! Two companies I recommend for gratis walking tours are Footprints as well as Strawberry Tours. Just gear upward certain to tip your guides!
2. University of Oxford Botanical Gardens
The Gardens are i of Oxford’s most scenic spots to select inward the scenery as well as slower mensuration of town. They’re also the oldest botanic gardens inward the country, having opened dorsum inward 1621. It’s a dandy identify for a tranquillity stroll, dwelling family to over 8,000 unlike types of plants. There’s a walled section, greenhouses, equally good equally a subdivision along the river. It’s a squeamish identify to convey a volume as well as relax inward the warm summertime months.
Rose Lane, +44 1865 286690, botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk. Open daily from 9am-4pm. Admission is five GBP.
3. Visit the Covered Market
Located inward a edifice that dates dorsum to the 1770s, this historical marketplace is a dandy identify to walk through as well as gustatory modality the local food. It was built equally a way to assist gear upward clean upward the streets as well as add together some organization to the mass of stalls that clogged the streets. These days, at that spot are a lot of homemade meals served here, as well as it’s the best identify to practise some inexpensive shopping for groceries inward the city.
Market St, oxford-coveredmarket.co.uk. Open Monday-Saturday from 8am-5pm as well as Lord's Day from 10am-4pm.
4. Bodleian Library
As the primary enquiry library of the University of Oxford, the Bodleian is i of the oldest libraries inward Europe. It opened inward 1602 as well as was based on the collection of Thomas Bodley. Presently, it has i of the largest collections of books inward the earth alongside over 12 i M m items inward the collection. The architecture of the edifice is really beautiful, making it definitely worth a visit!
Broad Street, +44 1865 277162, bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Open Monday-Friday from 9am-10pm, Sabbatum from 10am-4pm, as well as Lord's Day from 11am-5pm.
5. Go Punting
During the summer, punting is an ever-popular activity. You tin give the sack rent a boat or hire someone to select you, as well as many convey nutrient as well as vino alongside them to gear upward for a to a greater extent than interesting day. Rentals cost but about 20-25 GBP per lx minutes as well as tin give the sack check upward to five people. If you’re staying at a hostel or traveling alongside friends, this is a fun activity to practise alongside a group.
6. Blenheim Palace
This underrated attraction is but 8 brusk miles exterior of Oxford. Featured inward the moving painting Hamlet, it’s a magnificent identify to banking concern check out. Aside from the amazing architecture, the rooms are preserved alongside their master slice of furniture as well as the grounds include a beautiful garden as well as a butterfly house. It was constructed inward the English linguistic communication Baroque style, which was a short-lived fashion that is rare to view these days. It’s also the birthplace as well as ancestral dwelling family of Sir Winston Churchill, who lived inward the palace equally a child.
Woodstock, +44 1993 810530, blenheimpalace.com. Open daily from 9:30am-5pm. Admission is 27 GBP, alongside discounts available for students, seniors, children, as well as families.
7. Stroll Around South Park
Located inward eastward Oxford, South Park is the largest commons inward the city. It offers upward a sweeping sentiment of the city, as well as when the weather condition is nice, the commons is filled alongside people relaxing, playing sports, or having a picnic. It’s a dandy identify to practise some people watching or direct keep your ain picnic.
8. Visit the Ashmolean Museum
Founded inward 1683, this is truly Britain’s oldest populace museum as well as the world’s get-go academy museum. It’s dwelling family to a dandy collection of Ancient Egyptian art, equally good equally an impressive Eastern Art collection. Make certain to view the Amarna Princess Fresco equally good equally the Alfred Jewel earlier you lot leave. They’re worth it! They’ve lately opened a novel subdivision on 19th-century art, which is also worth checking out!
Beaumont Street, +44 01865 278000, ashmolean.org. Open Tuesday-Sunday from 10am-5pm. Admission is free.
9. Explore Blackwell’s Books
If you’re a bookworm, you’ll desire to gear upward a halt at Blackwell’s. It’s a 10,000 square-foot bookstore — which makes it the largest bookstore inward Europe — that is dwelling family to over 250,000 books. Whether you’re looking for a novel volume or but desire to browse, live certain to gear upward fourth dimension for a stop!
48-51 Broad Street, +44 01865 792792, bookshop.blackwell.co.uk/bookshop/wellcomeshop. Open Monday, Wednesday-Saturday from 9am-6:30pm; Tuesday from 9:30am-6:30pm; as well as Lord's Day from 11am-5pm.
10. Take a Day Trip to Windsor Castle or Stonehenge (or both!)
If you’re looking to go out of the metropolis on a twenty-four hours trip, both Stonehenge as well as Windsor Castle are within nigh an hour’s drive from the city. You tin give the sack easily view both on the same twenty-four hours if you lot direct keep a automobile or you lot tin give the sack select an organized tour (which usually includes a walking tour of Oxford). Tours volition cost but about xc GBP per person, thence if you lot direct keep access to a vehicle it volition live much cheaper (and faster) to practise a self-drive tour of each.
11. Wander Oxford Castle
This castle dates dorsum to the 13th century when the wooden fort was replaced alongside stone. When the castle’s military machine value declined they started to run the castle equally a prison, which was the illustration upward until 1996! It was as well as thence renovated as well as used equally a hotel, though you lot tin give the sack withal select tours of the castle as well as prison house areas. In the summer, they host theatrical performances inward the courtyard, thence live certain to banking concern check the website to view what’s on!
+44 01865 260666, oxfordcastleandprison.co.uk. Open daily from 10am-5pm (last tour is at 4:20pm). Admission is 11.50 GBP for 4dukts, alongside discounts avialable for students, kids, as well as seniors.
12. Explore the University
The best way to see the academy is to select a walking tour. You tin give the sack select a themed tour that focuses on pop media similar Harry Potter (some of the movies were filmed here) or Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien studied here) or but a regular tour that covers the history of the academy itself, which dates all the way dorsum to 1096. It’s to a greater extent than oft than non considered the oldest academy inward the English-speaking world, as well as the 2nd oldest inward the world.
+44 01865 686441, experienceoxfordshire.org/oxfordshire-tours. Tour days as well as times vary, equally practise prices. Expect to pay but about 16-25 GBP per someone though. Check the website for the most up-to-date information.
13. Visit Pitt Rivers Museum
This quirky anthropological museum is filled alongside all sorts of weird as well as wonderful curios, such equally shrunken heads as well as magical charms. Over 500,000 items telephone shout out upward the museum dwelling family alongside the displays changing regularly (not everything is displayed all at once). What makes this extra interesting is that the museum is organized past times theme, rather than geographical area, thence you lot tin give the sack examine some of the mutual anthropological threads throughout human evolution.
South Parks Road, +44 01865 270927, prm.ox.ac.uk. Open Tuesday-Sunday from 10am-4:30pm as well as Mon from 12pm-4:30pm. Admission is free.
14. Enjoy the Choral Evensong
Every twenty-four hours during the semester, many of the chapels as well as churches but about Oxford volition host a choral lawsuit that is gratis as well as opened upward to the public. They usually hap betwixt 5:15pm-6:45pm as well as finally 45 minutes. The choir songs are beautiful as well as are opened upward to everyone (you don’t demand to live religious to bask them). There are some amazing as well as angelic voices here, making this a truly intimate experience.
Budget Tips for Oxford
To assist you lot salvage some coin during your stay, hither are a few helpful budget tips:
- Get inexpensive food – If you’re going to live eating out, caput to the educatee housing areas for food. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 gustatory modality of local season as well as an affordable repast gear upward this a goodness budget option.
- See the educatee theater – If you’re looking for some entertainment, you lot tin give the sack purchase tickets to view affordable, top-notch educatee house for entirely a twosome of pounds. Performances hap during the schoolhouse twelvemonth as well as the select identify at the Burton Taylor house (which is located close the jitney station).
- Walk the city – Oxford is on the smaller side, which agency you lot tin give the sack but walk everyone. Not entirely volition you lot salvage yourself some coin but you’ll acquire a much improve experience for the city.
- Stay alongside a local – If you lot desire to salvage coin on accommodation as well as acquire some local insight, consider Couchsurfing. It’s a dandy way to larn to a greater extent than nigh the metropolis from the people who truly alive there. Just gear upward certain to post your requests inward advance since at that spot are non a ton of hosts (remember, it’s a pocket-size city!).
How to Get to Oxford
Oxford is located 62 miles from London. Trains leave of absence every five minutes from London as well as the trip takes nigh i hour. Tickets start at but about 20 GBP for a provide journeying as well as are unremarkably considerably cheaper if booked inward advance. If you lot desire to select the bus, await to pay 6-17 GBP, alongside the journeying taking but about xc minutes.
Oxford is i lx minutes away from London as well as makes for a goodness overnight trip out of the city. (If you lot don’t heed existence a niggling rushed, you lot tin give the sack also acquire inward a twenty-four hours trip but I don’t recommend it). There’s a lot of history here. With thence much to view as well as practise when you lot see Oxford, don’t rush it. Enjoy this classic English linguistic communication academy town slowly!
And, spell there, gear upward certain you lot go punting for me!
Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips as well as Tricks
Book Your Flight to Oxford
Find a inexpensive flying past times using Skyscanner or Momondo. They are my ii favorite search engines because they search websites as well as airlines but about the globe thence you lot e'er know no rock is left unturned.
Book Your Accommodation inward Oxford
You tin give the sack volume your hostel alongside Hostelworld as they direct keep the largest inventory for hostels! If you lot desire to rest somewhere else similar at a inexpensive guesthouse or B&B, run Booking.com equally they consistently provide the cheapest rates for that sort of accommodation. They are the best! My favorite places to rest inward Oxford are:
- Central Backpackers – This hostel is a dandy identify to run across people as well as a dandy identify to rest if you’re looking to political party equally at that spot is a fellowship correct adjacent door!
- Oxford Backpackers – This is your criterion backpacker hostel. It’s cheap, has gratis breakfast as well as gratis towels, as well as also has gratis entry to some of the nearby clubs.
Don’t forget locomote tnsurance – as well as protect your trip!
Travel insurance volition protect you lot against illness, injury, theft, as well as cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection inward illustration anything goes wrong. I never continue a trip without it equally I’ve had to run it many times inward the past. I’ve been using World Nomads for 10 years. My favorite companies that offering the best service as well as value are:
- World Nomads (for everyone below 70)
- Insure My Trip (for those over 70)
Looking for the best companies to salvage coin with?
Check out my resource page for the best companies to run when you lot travel! I listing all the ones I run to salvage coin when I locomote – as well as I think volition assist you lot too!
Want to a greater extent than locomote tips for Oxford?
Be certain to see our robust destination guide on Oxford for fifty-fifty to a greater extent than planning tips!
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