Oxford and Stratford upon Avon in January

Both Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon are easy daytrips from London. Personally I think Oxford is worth at least a night and possibly two, while having been to Stratford-upon-Avon a few times I can't imagine wanting to stay over. But that may be just a personal prejudice!

Hotel - in Oxford, I've stayed in and like Vanbrugh House.

Just a note, when you book your train ticket, make sure you book Stratford-upon-Avon and not Stratford (London). Very different places!

I suppose it depends on how much you are into Shakespeare as to how much time you need in Stratford.

There is also a bus every two hours from 0905 from Stratford to Moreton in Marsh railway station to see a bit more of the area (route 1) or every 2 hours from 0950 on the arguably more scenic route 51 via Shipston, then train back direct from Moreton in Marsh to London.

Either route 1 or 51 connects at Moreton into the hourly 801 to Cheltenham through the Cotswolds- for train (or National Express bus) to London.

So even if January isn't the ideal time for touring the Cotswolds that is another way of at least seeing some of the scenery and towns.

I'd endorse Simon's comment about how much time to spend in Startford on Avon vs Oxford.

For Oxford, do book your Bodlean tour in advance if you can - you can only see the interesting parts on a guided tour and these get booked up (although a comment on another thread say they hold some tickets back to sell on the day). Unless you are massive Harry Potter fans, I would give Christ Church a miss - it is massively over-priced to enter. Other colleges are free to enter or much cheaper.

Do visit the Ashmolean museum and the University museum (to which is attached the Pitt Rivers museum) - these are all free.

Don't forget that in January it gets dark around 4pm, and that Oxford is very prone to fogs and dampness (even when it's not raining). Snow is possible but if you do get any, it's unlikely that there will be much. Overnight frosts are very likely, however, and you can get full days of rain.

I also agree with Simon. I loved Oxford and could easily have spent several nights there and even more. There’s so many things to see and it has such a wonderful vibe.

I enjoyed Stratford-upon-Avon, but for me, it was a one-off and I have no real desire to go back. It was nice to see, but imo it was more of a tick-the-box kind of place.

what Mardee said. And I used to live just down the road from Stratford upon Avon so was there frequently for local activities.

We did Stratford Upon Avon on a day trip from Chipping Campden and loved it. We did all the Shakespeare stuff. You can do all that in 6-7 hours.

Totally agree with what previous posters have written, especially Mardee and Nigel.
Since your trip will be in January, my advice would be different from what I would tell you if your trip would be in June.
The weather may be very cold in January or it may be clear skies and sunny....no one knows what the weather will be this far ahead of time.
We have been to Stratford-Upon-Avon only in warm weather and enjoyed spending several days there walking around. Yes, seeing the Shakespeare sights and two plays. However, we used it as a "break" in the middle of our trip to England one time. We had been on the go pretty hard for a couple of weeks, and chose to stay in SUA for several nights.
We enjoyed the good restaurants and pubs there and just took some time to relax. We watched the narrowboats travel on the canal beside our hotel and helped one older couple with the lock right beside our hotel.
My husband visited a bicycle shop there and the Pashley factory (bicycles built in Stratford-Upon-Avon).

So I would say it's a good place to see the Shakespeare sights, see a play and spend awhile in a nice little town by the river. However....
If all you're going to do is jump off the train, walk through the center of town and jump back on the train, I'd say don't bother. Just stick with Oxford.

About Simon's comment: "Both Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon are easy day trips from London."
This is true, but I'd want more time in Oxford....several nights....and I'd skip SUA totally before I'd do it as a day trip from London.....purely personal preference.

You might watch a few YouTube videos of SUA before you decide whether to go there or not.
There are several videos of a walk around the town that will give you a preview.