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Where to stay in Oxford with a car

Posted by (Michigan USA) on

We're going on a road trip through southern England and Wales. We'll be renting a car at Heathrow and returning it to Heathrow. On our way back to Heathrow, we were considering stopping for a night in Oxford but I'm having tremendous trouble finding anywhere I can stay with any kind of parking availability. I don't intend to drive IN Oxford, but I need to put the car SOMEWHERE for the night.

Does anyone have any suggestions on this? My budget is up to $350 for the night including parking and I understand that the parking will likely not be on site, but I'd like it to be somewhat close. I've seen some suggestions to park and ride to a hotel but we'll have a suitcase and a small bag each plus my husband's CPAP, so that doesn't seem reasonable.

I'm open to staying outside the center and taking a bus in to tour IF there's somewhere to park, but I'm not sure how to find a place like that.

I've gone through a long list of hotels and none seem workable for us. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by
733 posts

We had the same situation and rented a flat in Kidlington, about 5km away. It was a
house that had been divided into multiple flats and there was a parking lot in front;
each flat had one assigned parking spot. Booking.com will show you individual flats
and you can specify parking as a a requirement.

Driving into Oxford, there are car parks on the south side of downtown; a lot next
to the ice rink, and a parking garage attached to the shopping center. Easy to park
in one of those and then stroll into Oxford.

Posted by
1316 posts

I posted this back in September:

Keep in mind that in Oxford there is also lodging a bit out in the suburbs. Years ago we stayed at Cotswold House, which is out on Banbury Road - they provide parking for those with cars - which we didn't have. There is a bus to Oxford proper passing by what seemed to be every 10 minutes, so we didn't feel at all isolated. We took a cab from the train station to reach the lodging initially.

My nephew attended Oxford Brookes University and my brother never had a problem finding lodging near there, which is just east of Oxford. Look at the Mercure Oxford Hawkwell House as a place to start.

Posted by
74 posts

Parking (and driving) in the centre of Oxford is a nightmare. If you google "Oxford Park and Ride" there are four carparks on the outskirts with regular bus services in. Friends have used this overnight with no problem.
Booking.com, using the "parking" filter, shows hotel options, mostly offsite and all expensive by UK standards.

Posted by
298 posts

AirBnb also allows you to filter the selections by "free parking."

You can filter for other options you prefer as well.

All the best,

Raymond

Posted by
34485 posts

remember to avoid the Botley Road area which does not currently allow vehicles into or out of Oxford due to bridge works near the station.

Cars in Oxford require permits.

Street parking is difficult and expensive.

There are hotels on the periphery with parking - rarely free.

Have you looked around the castle?

Holiday Inn Oxford on the Peartree Roundabout services has parking for only £6 a night and relatively inexpensive rooms.

It is adjacent to the Peartree Park and Ride, details https://www.oxford.gov.uk/peartreeparkandride

Posted by
386 posts

Thanks to all who helped!

And Nigel I spotted and booked the Holiday Inn Oxford 5 minutes before seeing your post :-) It looks like a good option for us.

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