Hi, I'll be travelling to Oxford on July 12--and would like to go on Rick Steve's "Oxford Walk" described in his 2019 England book. I'm trying to schedule a full day--could someone please tell me how long this walk takes? Thanks!
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
Generally the books provide time estimates for the walks, in the general description at the beginning, and they're pretty clear about taking longer if you want to linger at places along the way. Isn't there one in the book you have?
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Yes, I know--that's why I ask. In this case, the book says it's a "quick stroll," but doesn't indicate a time at all. The activities suggest a much longer time than that "quick stroll." Thanks!
Posted by
UK
1015 posts
Hello - I haven’t got the book so can’t comment on the length of the walk but...
The centre of Oxford is really compact. You could see it in an hour OR you could choose to go into a whole bunch of colleges, explore the covered market, visit museums, book yourself on a Bodleian Library tour.
It’s easy to spend a day there especially if the weather’s nice, and you can also just “get lost” and explore the little back streets as the centre is so small you can always find your way back.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5866 posts
I just plugged the route into googlemaps. It is 0.3 miles which is less than a 10 minute walk. It is 0.4 if you continue on to the covered market.
I walked around this area (and beyond) when I visited in May. I had about 90 minutes before my walking tour started so I had a quick lunch at Pret, wandered through the covered market, looked in some of the shops, etc.
A others have stated, it will really depend on whether you stop along the way. If you are just taking a leisurely walk and stopping to see the outside of places, 30 minutes would suffice.
If you like walking tours, I enjoyed the Harry Potter and Alice walking tour offered by the Visit Oxfordshire tourist office:
https://www.experienceoxfordshire.org/product-category/tickets/tours/walking-tours/official-tours/
It included entrance to the Divinity School, The New College, and Christ Church College. We finished within Christ Church College and you could spend additional time there. The guide was very good.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
Seems like the RS walk would take very little time. If your schedule allows, you might want to take one of these guided walks, for a deeper look. There are also "free" walking tours, sometimes with students, that might be entertaining. Not really free because you're expected to tip the guide, but if you really aren't liking it you can always bail out early.