Destination guides > Europe > England > Heart of England > Oxfordshire > Oxford
Oxford
Oxford is famous for its university, which is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious. The university is divided into 39 colleges and between them it has educated five kings, 25 British prime ministers, 40 Nobel Prize winners and many notable writers including CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and Oscar Wilde. It is a bustling city with a youthful vibe that isn't dampened by the throngs of tourists that pass through town each day.
Practical information
Oxford Tourist Information Centre
15-16 Broad Street, Oxford
Tel (01865) 252200
Website www.visitoxford.org
Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5pm, Sun 10am-3.30pm
Coming & going
BUS & COACH
Several bus companies operate frequent services between London and Oxford. These include National Express, the Oxford Bus Company, the Oxford Tube and Megabus. The competition between bus companies makes Oxford a relatively cheap excursion from London.
Megabus has several express buses a day to London with prices between £1 and £6 (plus 50p booking fee). Megabus departs from the Oxpens Coach Park on Oxpens Road next to the Ice Rink (which is accessible by walking up Queen Street from the city centre) and outside The Taylorian at St Giles, which is round the corner from the Ashmolean Museum and across the road from the Randolph Hotel. Their London terminus is outside the Allsop Arms near the corner of Gloucester Place and Marylebone Road (tube Baker Street, Marylebone train Marylebone).
The Oxford Espress (tel (01865) 785 400) links London (Victoria Coach Station) with Oxford (Gloucester Green) daytime departures are every 15 minutes and the coaches feature free Wi-Fi access and powerpoints at each seat. This bus costs £13 one-way (£10 students); £16 day/next day return (£13 students); £20 three-month return (£15 students). The Oxford Bus Company also runs the Airline bus between Oxford and Heathrow and Gatwick Airports.
The Oxford Tube has very frequent bus services linking Oxford with London. Oxford Tube fares are £13 one-way, £16 day/next day return and £20 return. They stop at several locations in Oxford including High Street and St Clement's and their London terminus is on Buckingham Palace Road (tube/train Victoria) with stops on Bayswater Road (tube Notting Hill Gate) and on Park Lane near Marble Arch (tube Marble Arch).
TRAIN
First Great Western has frequent trains linking Oxford with London (Paddington) and Stratford-upon-Avon. CrossCountry connects Oxford with Birmingham, Bournemouth, Coventry, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Southampton and Scotland.
The train station is conveniently located at the western edge of the city next the YHA hostel and just a short walk from the backpackers' hostel.
Local transport
The Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach both operate local bus services in Oxford. Competition between the two bus operators keeps prices low and services competitive although you cannot use one company's pass on the other's buses.
Hostel accommodation
Central Backpackers
13 Park End Street, Oxford OX1 1HH
Tel (01865) 242288
Oxford Backpackers
9a Hythe Bridge Street, Oxford
Bus Oxford Bus 2A, 2B, 4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 5, 10C, 10D, 400; Stagecoach 10, 10A, 11, 20, 44, 63, 66, X5, X31
Tel (01865) 721 761
Oxford YHA
2A Botley Road, Oxford
Bus Oxford Bus 2A, 2B, 4, 4A, 4B, 4C, 5, 10C, 10D, 400; Stagecoach 10, 10A, 11, 20, 44, 63, 66, X5, X31
Tel (01865) 727 182
Sightseeing, museums & tourist attractions
Ashmolean Museum
Open in 1683, the Ashmolean Museum is regarded as Britain's finest museum outside London. It's treasures include sketches by Michelangelo and paintings by Da Vinci, Manet, Monet, Matisse and Van Gogh.
Beaumont Street, Oxford
Tel (01865) 278 000
Website www.ashmolean.org
Admission free
Open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun 2pm-5pm
Bodleian Library
One of Europe's oldest libraries has been an important part of Oxford University since 1488. One-hour tours of the medieval library include a visit to the 17th century Convocation House and Court, which was the seat of parliament during the Civil War.
Catte Street, Oxford
Tel (01865) 277 224
Website www.bodley.ox.ac.uk
Tours cost £2.50-12
Open Mon-Fri 9am-4.45pm, Sat 9am-12.30pm
Carfax Tower
Great views over Oxford reward those who climb the 99 steps to the tower of the 14th-century Church of St Martin.
Carfax, Oxford
Tel (01865) 792 653
Admission £2.10
Open 10am-5pm daily
Christ Church College
The largest of Oxford's colleges was founded by Henry VIII and built by Cardinal Wolsey. Thirteen British prime ministers were educated here and it was also the college that inspired Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Highlights of the college include Oxford's cathedral with its vaulted 15th-century ceiling; the Great Tudor Dining Hall where Charles I held his parliament and Elizabeth I watched a play; the famous Tom Tower, built by Sir Christopher Wren and the Great Quadrangle, Oxford's largest.
St Aldgates, Oxford
Bus Oxford Bus 16, 18, 35, 35A, X3
Tel (01865) 286 573
Website www.chch.ox.ac.uk
Admission £6
Open Mon-Sat 9.30am-5.30pm, Sun noon-5.30pm
Modern Art Oxford
This museum hosts a programme of temporary exhibits of modern art.
30 Pembroke Street, Oxford
Tel (01865) 722 733
Website www.modernartoxford.org.uk
Admission free
Open Tue-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm
Museum of Oxford
This museum recounts the history of the city and the university and it also hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions.
St Aldates, Oxford
Tel (01865) 252761
Website www.oxford.gov.uk/museum
Admission free
Open Tue-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-4pm
Sheldonian Theatre
The Sheldonian is one of Sir Christopher Wren's first buildings, which was designed when he was an astronomy professor at Oxford.
Broad Street, Oxford
Tel (01865) 277 299
Website www.sheldon.ox.ac.uk
Admission £2
Open 10am-12.30pm & 2pm-4.30pm daily
