Things to do in Oxfod

The Ashmalean Museum of Art & Archaelogy in Oxford is worth seeing in Oxford. It has stuff Harry Potter would like. When you are in Stow be sure to visit Hidcote Manor; it has a really weird collection.

The Ashmolean is definitely the museum to visit. http://www.ashmolean.org/ I liked just wandering around the city. When I was there two weeks ago we went for a punt on the fiber one night. It was pretty silly, but a lot of fun. We then went and had a pint in a very old pub in the city center. It was down an alley and around a corner and through a door. ; ) We had dinner at the Pizza Express which turns out to have really good pizza and is one of the places where "Shakespeare at here!" ; ) If you are an Alice and Wonderland fan, there are all sorts of Lewis Carroll connections. Pam

Cindy, the main Harry Potter sight in Oxford is Christ Church College. It's well worth visiting, although there is usually a line to get in. Also, since vehicle access to the city centre is restricted, you'll want to pick up your car the last thing before you leave Oxford; the National Car Rental place is a little bit of a hike from the train station, but not too bad. Chipping Norton would be a nice place for you to stop for lunch and a little sightseeing, but I highly recommend that you go to the Falkland Arms in Great Tew. It's easy to find off of the A44 and a wonderful pub with great food. Blenheim Palace is also a wonderful site and definitely worth a visit, but it's a large estate and can be exhausting, especially if you've just arrived - perhaps best left for another day. Hope this helps - enjoy your time in Oxford and the Cotswolds!

When you are in Stow be sure to visit Hidcote Manor; it has a really weird collection Hidcote Manor Garden is the world class "room" garden, that from which all other room gardens spring. It is incredible, magnificent and overwhelming. If you like gardens, even a little bit, it is the place to go. It is near Chipping Campden, a little way from Stow. It has no collection, weird or otherwise. If you want the weird collection it is down the road a little at Snowshill Manor . Yes, there are lots of different things that were collected by an eccentric, and well worth seeing. Both are National Trust properties.

The last thing you want in Oxford is a car. See Oxford as you wish, then get the car. Even if it means backtracking to the Station area. Street parking, if you can find it, and it is extremely hard to find, is expensive. Most pay and display spaces are small (if your car goes outside the lines even a little you will get a ticket) and cost £1 (minimum payment) for 30 minutes and even more expensively at £2.50 for the maximum hour. The spaces are patrolled by a veritable army of very keen officers. If you try to park at the multistory, the entrance and exits are quite confusing, narrow, with concrete humps, and the spaces are narrow, and the cost is the same - just about - as parking on the street. Driving in the centre of Oxford can be confusing with lots of one way roads and alleys, and dead end streets. Lots of bicycles. It can be done, I am there a lot and was there last Friday. But it can be really overwhelming. Don't try to park near the Ashmolean. Walk or take the bus, and get the car at the end. I'd take the A40 and stop at Burford on the way. If Burford doesn't do it then stop at Bourton-on-the-Water and just soak it in.

Thanks, Susan, for the tip on places to eat. Where is Great Tew? On the way to Stow? Nigel - our bus from Heathrow drops us off at Gloucester Green. On the map the station and car rental doesn't look far, but can be deceiving. We will have our luggage with us, but only 1 duffle a piece and on wheels. I don't know if there is a place to leave our luggage if we decide to see some sites. I agree and had already decided to wait until the end to pick up the car. There seems to be a couple of routes to choose - one going north and then west and the other straight west. We are downloading UK maps on our Garmin and taking with us. Would still love to walk around Oxford - we will be back 3 days later to drop off car. Maybe we could take a taxi to Oxford centre and look around before heading in to London by train...?? Yes, we plan to get to all the little villages surrounding Stow - we have 3 days! Yay!

Sorry: I have been to Snowhill...and I misrembered it as Hidcote...thanx for the correction.

If you have time, Christchurch has a pocket sized cathedral and beautiful grounds. Getting out on the river and punting or paddle boating is fun. Visit the market. You might sneak one of those things in. If not, just walking the Univeristy area is fun. Make sure you see Radcliff and the Bridge of Sighs if walking is all you do.

Cindy, 4 hours isn't much for Oxford. I suggest going from the station directly to the rental car office to make sure everything is in order. Then, head to the center of town for a couple hours. Don't be shy about using cabs to get around since you have so little time. The bus station and the train station are about 10-15 minutes walking from the city center. One place that I really like that doesn't get much tourist attention is the Oxford Covered Market, just off the city center. Think one large roof over dozens of individual shops. Plenty of places for a quick bite, too. Oxford is a city of a bit more than 100,000. If you pick up your car on the west side, so much the better. Like I said, plan on getting a cab to get there. (Look up and carry the phone numbers of Oxford taxis. During the morning and evening rush, it's very difficult to flag down a taxi.) Central Oxford has plenty of fast food, etc., places, in case you want to eat lunch there. But, I'd opt for fish and chips, then cookies, then ice cream at the covered market.

Wandering the colleges is a joy - most should be open to the public as they students are not back until end of September. Check this website for information on opening hours and costs
http://www.visitoxfordandoxfordshire.com/see-and-do/University-of-Oxford-Colleges.aspx As for meals, well there are always the pubs. As a Univ. town there are a lot to chose from - or for something a bit different, pick up a picnic meal at the market and sit and enjoy some (hopefully) sun and the peace of the river.

We rented our car at Heathrow so we had one for two weeks. We drove the Oxford from Chipping Camden and visited Blenheim Palace just before Oxford. It is huge and well worth the visit. In Oxford, we parked our car in a parking lot and immediately go onto the hop on-hop off bus. The entire Oxford campus is huge when you consider that there are about 38 colleges as part of the overall campus. Buildings are everywhere. The interior part of the campus is very scenic. We walked around a bit of it. We also visited Blackwells book store. Very interesting. As Harry Potter fans, you might be interested in Lacock Abbey if you are heading anywhere near Bath. It's close by. Here's a quote and picture from www.findhogwarts.com. Many of the classroom scenes were filmed at Lacock Abbey. The Sacristy was Snape's classroom and the Warming Room was home to Professor Quirrell. The Cauldron that appears in the classroom is actually a fixture in the abbey! However, it appears much higher off the ground when visiting because in the movies, the entire classroom was built on a raised platform in the room and the cauldron appeared to sit flush on the floor! Also, the Chapter House is where Harry first discovers the Mirror of Erised! Here's a Picture of the cauldron that dates from 1500 and is quite real. Also, the lower cloister corridors were used in the film amist a lot of added graphics. You can see a lot more pictures on www.findhogwarts.com

Cindy, you can get to Stow from Oxford either via the A44 through Chipping Norton, or via the A40 through Burford. Suggest you drive out to Stow on one road and then back on the other. Great Tew is off of the A44 before you get to Chipping Norton. You'll see signs for Great Tew and Little Tew to tell you where to turn off. I would not want to have to drag luggage around Oxford. Non-guests can leave luggage, for a small fee, at Oxford Backpackers Hostel, which is located between the bus station and the train station - you might want to check out that option. There are many, many places to eat in Oxford. The Covered Market is a good place to grab a quick meal. There are also a lot of great pubs there. Far From the Madding Crowd is an independent pub quite near the bus station. You might also like The Eagle and Child, The White Horse, or The Turf Tavern. The Vaults and Gardens Cafe in the basement of St. Mary's Church also serves good meals and the climb up the church tower gives the best view in Oxford. All of these places are in easy walking distance. Whatever you decide to do, have fun!

I am really partial to Blenheim and it is only 10 miles from Oxford. You can also visit the nearby village on Bladon which is across from Blenheim, where Churchill is buried in the family plot. It is about a 30 min drive to Stow from there taking the "back" roads, very scenic too. Blenheim is very impressive and I am sure you can visit their website for pics or check youtube.com also.

I also enjoy Blenheim. however, if you bounce along the river between Oxford and the Cotswolds, you will find many enjoyable little villages- most have at least a decent pub for meals

If you spend time in Oxford try to visit Christchurch College near the time the dining hall serves lunch. We were allowed in briefly just before the students were there for lunch. The table settings were impressive and fireplaces at each end of the long hall had log fires burning. As HP fans, you would enjoy this. You can visit Blenheim from Stowe-we drove from Winchcombe and it was not a bad drive at all. Not far from Blenheim you could stop by Blaedon to visit the Churchill grave if that is of interest. I can recommend Huffkins Tea Room in Stowe for lunch or tea-very nice. Stowe is our favorite place to base for seeing Cotswold sights. Enjoy!

We did not go to Oxford this time but did go to Woodstock and Bladen. From there drove to Witney where we were staying. It's a straight shot from Witney to Burford, which is a very nice place. Along the way, we stopped at Minster Lovell, Asthall, Swinford, and Widford. The last 3 little villages have wonderful very old churches with wall paintings. From there we drove north to Stow. It all depends on the types of things you like to see - we are very much into history, so these old churches are a delight.