London to Oxford

Trains are generally more reliable (time wise) arent susceptible to traffic jams on the motorways. Also less stressful. I would be inclined to use the train

Here's what I found when I checked the fares: 1. £28.00 for an Oxford Tube coach (child rides free with a paying adult). 2. The standard walk-up fare for a National Express coach is £28.00. If you book in advance at www.nationalexpress.com, you can get a discount fare of £21.00 (plus a £0.50 booking fee). 3. The standard walk-up train fare for the three of you is £30.00. Booked well in advance at www.eastcoast.co.uk, you can get a fare as low as £10.00. The ticket is for a specific departure date and time and is non-refundable and non-exchangeable. If you can commit in advance, discount fare train tickets will be your best option.

You also need to factor in times you are travelling and where your accommodation in London is and the car pickup in Oxford. The train will have different fares depending on which day you travel and at what time. Trains leave from Paddington Station and Oxford train station is a little out from Oxford city centre. The Oxford tube bus starts from Victoria and goes through Lancaster gate, Bayswater and Notting Hill hotel districts. The bus has many stops through Oxford and terminates at the bus station which is more central than the train station. Not sure of the logic of hiring a car in Oxford. If you want to avoid Central London congestion then hire a car from Heathrow Airport which is about a third of the way to Oxford out of London.
Oxford is not as bad as Central London, but its certainly vehicle hostile where most people park on the edge of Oxford and use the park and ride bus rather than take their car into the centre.

Its really easy to rent at Heathrow and just head out of London. I have done this and also driven to and in Oxford. Don't remember it being any more stressful than any other city with parking. But, it seems expensive to go to Oxford just to get a car. Also, many times the rental rates are cheaper at the airport.

I have always been satisfied with the Oxford Tube. I've never rented a car.

Oxford is not a small quaint town. It's a city of more than 100,000. To be honest, I would not want my first experience with UK driving to begin pulling away from a garage in central Oxford. That said, getting out of Heathrow isn't a piece of cake, either. Ideally, pick up the rental in a smaller, more rural area. The train from Paddington to Oxford is more comfortable and quicker than the Tube coach. Both drop you off on the edge of the city center, i.e., about a 10-15 minute walk. There are taxis waiting at the station, while there probably won't be at the bus stop. (And it is a stop, not a station.)

We are renting the car to drive around Cotswolds and then to North Wales and over to York where we plan to turn it in.
So where would it be best to rent? Now I'm really confused! I thought you were charged some fee when renting at the airport, and a London congestion charge. I don't really care where we rent as long as it's not complicated or more expensive.

Hi, We have rented the car from Hertz in Oxford twice to get to the Cotswalds and beyond. You have to take a cab to get to the rental car. We took the train to Oxford. The rental car is a straight and easy shot to the road. We only endangered a few pedestrians and a biker and a side view mirror. It honestly gets easier driving, once I got the hang of vanishing point again.

Kris, you raise a question about the dreaded Congestion charge. Everything you need to know is on the TfL Congestion Charge page . Remember evenings, nights, bank holidays, weekends do not attract Congestion Charges.

I would check out the rates at the airport and in Oxford and include the expense to get there, then go with the cheapest. Rates can change frequently, so I do not prepay, I keep checking and change my reservation if the price goes down. I don't think you are paying those fees if you leave from the airport and get on the freeway. I have done this and do not recall any extra fees. I find it easier to get used to the driving if I have a little time( not in the city). I also get an automatic. I drive a manual at home, but just did not want to deal with one more issue while I was driving. I do not drive into London, but return to the airport was easy.

Thanks everyone for the input.

Kris, I didn't mean to be confusing. Just suggesting that, price aside, driving in the UK for the first time will be an easier experience from a small town than a big city. That said, Oxford is not that intimidating. If you take the Oxford Tube, remember that you get on and get off at ordinary street-side bus stops. You need to look for the right sign, not for a station. No congestion charge unless you are actually in London.

J.c. it was not just you! I just thought that I had seen on the boards that the best place to rent a car if you were headed to the Cotswolds was Oxford, so when I got the other opinions I got confused. I value all the opinions :) now I just have to figure out which is best for me.
Thanks everyone.