I am planning a trip to England for next year and am more interested in spending time in Oxford than, say, London. I will be bringing my teen daughter, who is exploring the idea of attending school there. We love history and art so I know a day trip isn't long enough, but how long is long enough to fully experience the area?
Will we need a car or is it easy to move about using public transportation?
No car needed.
When I went, I saw everything I wanted in 2 solid days. But I focused on the highlights. Another day could have been beneficial.
Do you plan to go to Blenheim palace too? If so, then a day longer. And the palace is worth the trip. You can take a bus from oxford to the palace.
Thank you.
I am in the initial planning stages so I'm not exactly sure what else we will do or even how long the total trip will be. I'm starting here then will build outward since visiting Oxford is our primary focus
A car in Oxford is a pain in the neck.
Is your daughter expecting to enrol at Oxford University or one of the prep schools nearby?
Is it more important to visit the colleges or visit museums?
Two days would be a nice amount of time to see the city itself - you could visit a bunch of colleges, enjoy the shops & market and see some museums.
If you have longer, Blenheim Palace is a good day out - you can do it via public transport from Oxford.
No car needed for Oxford - and indeed can be a liability in the medieval city centre. But Oxford also makes a nice starting point to see the Cotswolds and other bits of countryside, and you’d want a car for that.
Depending on the time of year, you may be interested in staying at a college.
https://www.universityrooms.com/en-GB/city/oxford/home
I stayed at Wadham one night a few summers ago and was happy to catch a Shakespeare production there.
When you graduate, LOL! Seriously, Oxford is worth at least a couple days. You can stay at a B & B just outside of Town and bus in easily. For example you are only 45 minutes by bus to Blenheim Palace in Woodstock. We actually stayed there. Be sure to see Winston & Clementine Churchill's Grave in Bladon which is near there. You could probably find a B & B that is closer to Town, too. The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archeaology and the Oxford University Museum of Art and Archaeology are World Class. Check the National Trust UK web site for other worthy historic properties to see in the Region. They have a Touring Pass you can buy online for 7 or 14 days that may save you money on admissions and parking at their listed properties and parklands. I would recommend an automatic car for extended journeys if the price is not too dear. Driving on the left is not that different...just follow the other drivers and be sure to look both ways. Or take a tour,
kellyandjasonp, when we know the most important part of the trip we can advise more accurately. If you need to visit colleges you should know of the times when all colleges are shut to visitors, which one are open in the afternoons and which all day.
We booked through University Rooms and spent two nights at Keble College last summer. The grounds are gorgeous and the included dining hall breakfast was fun. But the rooms were extremely spartan and....oh my god....the bed was like a cot with a giant downward hill in the mattress. It was unbelievably uncomfortable... I slept on the floor. I asked for a new room or a different mattress or even just a piece of wood to put under the "mattress" and was told there was nothing they could do.
I would want to spend 3 days and 4 nights in Oxford if I were in your shoes.
You want to stay long enough to get the feel of the place.
There are plenty of good pubs for food and interesting buildings there besides all the colleges' buildings to explore.
The Tourist Information center has a city walking tour you can sign up for.
Other things to do in the area without a car:
Take the train to either Moreton-In-Marsh or Stratford-Upon-Avon and catch this tour:
Go Cotswolds. They pick up at several locations.
https://www.gocotswolds.co.uk/
You will get a good sample of the Cotswolds without having the stress of renting a car and driving.
Oxford is on the main train line from London.
Good train service and connections to many places.
It is easy to get around using public transportation.
After you complete your visit to Oxford, you may want to take the train north a short distance to see Warwick Castle, then continue on the train to Stratford-Upon-Avon to spend a night or two. It's a lovely town with a historic center with the buildings with Shakespeare connections, the Royal Shakespeare Company & Theatre, the River Avon, good pubs and restaurants.
Rebecca,
Thank you very much!
Hello Kelly and Jason,
You're welcome.
Your best transportation within Oxford will be walking.
It is fairly compact.
The TI center can give you a detailed map of Oxford.
While you are in Oxford, do take a short trip up to Woodstock and see Blenheim Palace, as someone else mentioned. Very grand.
If Oxford is your first stop after you fly into Heathrow Airport, know that Heathrow has a bus (coach) station, and you can take a bus (coach) from there directly to Oxford. You do not have to go into London first. No train goes directly from Heathrow to Oxford.
Have a great trip.
Regarding accommodation be aware that hotels with "Oxford" in their name can be a long way away - as far south as Didcot for example. Also don't ignore the "town" side of things altogether in favour of "gown".
We stayed in Oxford for 2 months when my husband did some academic work there a while back. We've been back several times since. For short stays we book into the Lakeside Guest House. It's on the main road coming into Oxford from the south. It's about a 10 minute walk to Christ Church College OR there is a bus stop right outside the front door if you don't want to walk. The guest house is very comfortable, clean, and well run. The owner is very nice!
Like others have said, a car in Oxford is a liability. Parking is difficult and you can't drive around to the things you will want to see anyway. It's a small place and is very walkable.
If your daughter is serious about attending school at Oxford you really should spend time exploring some of the colleges. They are closed during exams and during other key times during academic terms so you should call ahead or check their websites to make sure the ones she is interested in will be open. For some of the colleges you can just walk in. Some are not open to the public at all. They all have a different feel, have different cultures, and she needs to be sure the ones she applies to will be a good fit. My son is currently at university in England and the system is EXTREMELY different from the US. Make sure she does her homework first so she knows what she is getting into. It isn't easy for American students to adjust and it can be very challenging both academically and culturally.
Anita,
Thank you very much for your input., especially about the schools.
We are still very early in the college hunt (she's middle school age) but we are being very diligent in order to ensure she is prepared. We homeschool using the classical method which is why European schools are being considered. We feel it will be a much better fit than American schools. I'd like the opportunity to communicate via private message with you regarding your son's experience. Is there a way to send a PM through this message board?
To send a PM just click on the person's name in one of the answers when you are signed in. Then click on "Send xxx a Private Message" and you're in.
Ah! So simple. Thanks.
I don't have much to add, but as we also were classical homeschoolers I was intrigued & wanted to say hi ;-)
Both of our sons seriously considered uni in the UK, but ended up at (excellent) big state schools here (go figure!).
We spent a week in Oxford last month learning to ring tower bells (can't get much more English than that!) and had a fabulous experience. I agree that the Lakeside Guest House is in a good location (we stayed in a nearby flat); since it was dark and rainy much of the time we were there, we took the very convenient buses that run up that north-south road (it has various names) into town. We were also in Oxford in September and stayed at Christ Church College – highly recommended, of course!
It's definitely a great idea to visit in person. We met a young American woman (a new bellringer) doing her master's degree at Oxford; she had chosen an Oxford college at random when she applied, and ended up far from the city center. She was kicking herself for not having done more research when she applied. (She LOVED everything else about Oxford, including her college, but her dorm was quite a hike from the city center.)
Adding: in September we drove to Oxford (b/c we needed a rental car the following week for my husband's business trip) and that was a big mistake. In December we took a coach (bus) from Heathrow and it was perfect – as a PP says, they have WiFi and comfy seats – also a toilet, and the coach driver deals with your luggage. If you are coming from London a train also makes sense.
Sure kellyandjasonp...feel free to PM me! I'd be happy to share!
No interest in Cambridge ?? Saw it many years ago and loved the East Anglia region.
I'm impressed. Hauled DD around many parts of the U.S. during her high-school summers so she could compare big-small, city-country, public-private. She finally decided that the opposite coast was far enough from Mom. But they were fun trips!
Laura - I think I know which college you're referring to.
Note, however, that many colleges don't accomodate all their students in their main buildings - it's possible to end up living in the outskirts whatever college you go to.
I know nothing about Oxford itself, but there are plenty of UK university students who have YouTube channels and they’re a wonderful way to learn about the UK university system. She might even find one she likes better.
Philip - you probably know better than I! It is a college north of the city centre; I don't recall the name. And yes, we noticed that some annexes are quite far away. When we stayed at Christ Church College we made sure our reservation was for the central dorms.
We also met a young man at Keble College whose rooms were very conveniently located near the city centre.
We were very impressed by the frequent, clean, convenient buses, and also by the number of people we met ranging in age from 13 to 78 who bike everywhere around Oxford. When I got home I dug out my yellow vest for my own short bike commute. (Our roads are much wider, but then so are our cars!)
I've been to Oxford once (1.5 days) but I feel like you need 4 good solid days to see both Oxford, and the nearby Blenheim Palace (which I would not want to miss- it is probably the greatest "manor home" in all of England). Don't try driving in Oxford, I made that mistake in going into a really tight carpark and ..oops. Scrape...luckily I had insurance but I'm sure the back half of the car plating had to be removed due to an injury via pole. Parking really is dreadful in Oxford. You can get around easily by bus or uber though. And you can walk to most things..
