Cambridge vs Oxford daytrip from London

We have visited both Universities and both are very interesting. You need more than two hours, but you can see a lot in two hours.
Cambridge is a bit more appealing, but both have loads of history to enjoy =.

Oxford is on the west side of London and a bit closer to downtown London. Cambridge is on the east side.
You can easily take a train to Oxford. I am sure you can do the same for Cambridge, but we did it on a bus tour.

Both are great visits and highly recommended. Historically, I have preferred Oxford by a tad--think of the Oxford scenes in the BBC production of Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and more recently and prominently in Masters of the Air.

But regarding Cambridge, a consideration is the US military cemetery outside the city. And in Cambridge, I took a two-hour walk led by Tony Rogers (hopefully I have his name correct) that was excellent.

I've been to both and love them both. However, I've had a long time love affair with Inspectors Morse, Lewis and Endeavor so probably prefer Oxford for that reason. If you don't know, those were detective shows on PBS from the BBC>

Same with me, Laurie Beth! I've re-watched Morse three times, all except the last episode--can't do it. We stayed at the Randolph Hotel in Oxford in 2023 for five nights and indulged every night at the Morse Bar downstairs (where he and Lewis drank pints--always too many for Morse). They have a wall dedicated to Morse with various photos. My husband took photos of me as I raised my glass of champagne to John Thaw's photo (I know, it should have been a pint). We had lived in Oxford one summer when my husband worked at a lab just outside the city. We spent much time in the meadows of Magdalen College and at South Park (our kids were 2 and 5) as well as Christ Church's grounds. A facsimile of the dining hall of CC is what was used for the Harry Potter dining hall.

Legend has it that Hitler refused to bomb Oxford because he enjoyed its beauty.

In 2023 we also visited Cambridge for three days which I also loved. I'd like to have spent more time there.

Whichever you choose, you'll win!

We also have been to both. I think personally there is less to see in Cambridge and thus it makes the better day trip. We spent three nights in contrast in Oxford.

This isn’t to say you could not see a lot in a day trip to Oxford if you prefer it.

Thank you for all this helpful info. I lived in England 48 years ago, and we used to go to Cambridge on the weekends. As teenagers, we focussed on the market and buying bootleg albums, vs touring. My husband has never been. Both seem like great options. We’d take the train (staying in S.Kensington). It seems as if Cambridge town centre is a bus/taxi ride from the train, but apart from that, both should ooze history.
PS - first time posting a question on this forum. I should have known that the Rick Steves folks would be very helpful.

In December 2022 we visited Cambridge as a day trip and just walked from/to the train station into the town center.

The non-stop drizzle coupled with the cold temperature made walking around somewhat miserable. At that time many of the schools were still closed because of COVID so we didn’t get to see everything we wanted to.

One other note is to check the schedules of the colleges within the universities since some could be closed to view inside the buildings and/or the grounds if classes are in session or if special events are occurring.

It’s been a few years but we visited Cambridge when my son-in-law was studying there. As a student he had access to places that we otherwise would not have had. He borrowed the equipment from his school to take us punting on the Cam. Quite an experience.

As I recall we took the train from Cambridge to Kings Cross in London. Think it took about an hour, In an interesting twist, the platform in Kings Cross was number 10. We walked right past platform 9 3/4.

I would suggest Cambridge due to your history there. I lived in Oxford 50+ years ago and during our Spring 26 trip to the UK, I am doing a "memory lane" day in Oxford, seeing where I lived, where I went to school, where I ate. Amazingly, it's all still there!

I’ve been to Oxford twice and Cambridge once. As a Morse fan, I lean toward Oxford. I attended a weekend Oxford Continuing Ed class several years back and loved it. Also, I’m not sure if the Turf Tavern is considered touristy or not, but I enjoyed having dinner there. Along with a walking tour, I attended Catholic Mass at Blackfriars—felt like a quasi-local for an evening.

I liked Cambridge for the punting tour and King’s College and was lucky to have sunny weather, but as an earlier poster mentioned, I didn’t feel there was as much to do, but maybe I simply didn’t have enough time to appreciate it because it was a relatively quick day trip.

Cindy,

I see Cambridge and Oxford through the eyes of a local - I'm half way between them, an hour in the car either way.

Both have lots to offer, and each is dripping with history. Both are very scenic, in different ways.

Granted that Oxford was the backdrop for plenty of television, Cambridge doesn't have as much.

Cambridge is really easy to reach by train - Great Northern from London Kings Cross station twice an hour in 48 minutes nonstop. Other slower trains just over an hour are also available including Thameslink from both Kings Cross and St Pancras stations. Slower again but sometimes less expensive, there are also Greater Anglia stopping trains go from London Liverpool Street station.
About 10 or 15 minutes walk into town or a bus. Cambridge is a big station so needs a little planning to get to the right train to go home. For example, the main platform right next to the station is variously known as platform 4A, platform 4 and platform 1!!! There are lots of people about to ask for help, including two customer information stands on platform 1 and platform 4 who know everything. Advance tickets may be available but tie you to exact trains.
Just across the road from the station is the fabulous Cambridge University Botanic Garden (I'm a member so perhaps slightly biased).

Oxford is from Paddington station on GWR in 53 or 51 minutes or changing at Reading onto Cross Country (personal opinion - Cross Country = yukk) in just over an hour. Or Chiltern railways from London Marylebone in 1:22. Both routes are generally similar in price although Advance tickets may be available but tie you to specific times. 10 or 15 minutes on foot (or some buses) into town.

I'm with Nigel. Apart from anything else, there are major roadworks in Oxford which makes getting about a pain.
I always think Cambridge's attractive bits are much less spread out than Oxford's.

When visiting Cambridge, I wanted to see the courtyard that was where the runners ran a race in the movie "Chariots of Fire."

I wasn't able to go inside the courtyard, but a guard opened the door and let me take a quick look inside.

Thank you so much to everyone for their helpful and detailed replies. This has been so useful, and a good lesson in the benefits of the RS community.

We love both! and have spent a significant amount of time in both (mostly as part of my bellringing hobby 😄 ). Cambridge, as many have noted, is quieter and more compact. If I had to live in either place, I'd probably pick Cambridge, as I am a country mouse. But in terms of things to see, and for my usually-non-bellringing husband, Oxford wins – Blenheim Palace, lots of museums, pubs, walks, etc. And an easy bus into London (the "Oxford Tube").

We loved the first season of "Grantchester", and enjoyed the walk from Cambridge to Grantchester. And there is the Isaac Newton apple tree in Cambridge (in late winter the ground around the tree is covered with crocuses!), Stephen Hawking stories, "Chariots of Fire" courtyard, as mentioned, Polar exploration museum, etc. But for bookish me, Oxford wins – Addison's Walk, the colleges and graves of Lewis Carroll, Tolkien, C S Lewis, Kenneth Grahame, Eric Arthur Blair (George Orwell), etc. ... and yes, the Randolph :-)

P.S. Unless it is exam time or orientation, there are some colleges that are FREE to the public – for instance, Jesus College and Emma (Emmanuel) in Cambridge. Lovely grounds.

If you love museums, we adored the Pitt River Museum in Oxford! It is connected to/behind the Natural History Museum which is also wonderful. Cambridge has the wonderful Fitzwilliam Museum but we were even more delighted and amazed by the Pitt River Museum, and in Oxford you can also go to the Ashmolean Museum.

There is a statue of Eleanor Roosevelt in Oxford. https://maps.app.goo.gl/cDUsEiSTLVqRMoUFA