A Day to visit Oxford

City of the Dreaming Spires

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Completed in 1749, Radcliffe Camera forms part of the Bodleian Library.[/caption]

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What’s so great about Oxford?

No, of course, like York or Bath, you just can’t see Oxford in a day. The City of the Dreaming Spires, and the oldest university in Britain, is an enormous treasure store of museums, pubs, college quads, shops and alleys to be explored. Central city Oxford has bustled with all the accoutrements of a “college town” for more than 500 years. Like all such grand, small cities, however, Oxford certainly can be tasted in a day—and it’s an easy and inexpensive day trip from London by train, or by car from Heathrow.

How to get to Oxford?

Oxford couldn’t be easier to reach. Trains run from London Paddington at least every hour for the hour’s ride up to Oxford. Oxford Station is right in the city, just a few minutes walk to Carfax Tower and the High Street. By car, Oxford is a straight shot up the M40, under an hour’s drive from the M25 London Orbital.

Where to stay in Oxford?

If you plan a stay over in Oxford, do make arrangements ahead of time. The best place in town, and the best located, is the famous Randolph Hotel, just across the street from the Ashmolean Museum. Of course, it’s also the most expensive. The Old Bank Hotel and the Eastgate Hotel are also good center city choices; as is the Royal Oxford (near the train station). Nothing center city is going to be a “budget” choice; for that you’d find more contemporary lodgings out near the ring road.

Spend the morning &ellipsis;

Spoiled for choices. Think of Carfax Tower at the top of the High Street (locally known as “The High”) as center point. It’s a climb of 124 steps to the top—for magnificent views over the dreaming spires of the city’s quads and alleyways.
To the north lies pedestrianized Corn Street—shopping central. Corn Street leads just a couple of blocks to the Ashmolean Museum (the oldest museum in Britain), to Martyrs Memorial and to The Broad—a wide thoroughfare of shops and eateries, including the Tourist Information Center (TIC) and Blackwell, Oxford’s most famous bookstore.
Just a block to the south of Carfax Tower lies Christ Church College and Christ Church Cathedral. Christ Church is the “show college” most often seen by visitors and open throughout the day. That the college chapel is also Oxford’s cathedral, dedicated to Saxon St. Frideswede, is one good reason for its popularity. But don’t miss the Gothic refectory (closed at lunchtime), its walls lined with the portraits of famous Christ Church alumni, and, yes, a scene of Harry Potter filming.
From Carfax Tower to Magdalen Bridge, the High is lined with the cafes, coffee houses, shops and pubs that are the university town’s own. To the left lies Oxford’s Covered Market, open daily and a classic of the market genre. Next door sits the University of Church of St. Mary’s, and on the right the Botanic Gardens, the oldest such gardens in the country. Alleys and arches punctuate the High, leading to centuries-old pubs, college quads and courtyards.

Take lunch

Sandwich shops and pub lunches abound, as do more formal luncheon options. Or head for the covered market and put together lunch from one of the greatest collection of delis in England. Nibble away on a bench at St. Mary’s next door and watch the people pass by.

In the afternoon

The Pitt Rivers Museum of World Archaeology, the Museum of Natural History, Radcliffe Camera, the Bodleian Library, the Museum of Oxford or a stroll in Christ Church Meadow and a punt on the river: all Oxford still lies before you to explore. Many of the college quads such as New College, Lincoln and Magdalen are open afternoons to visitors. It’s impossible even to list all of Oxford’s options and interests. The best strategy is to make the TIC on Broadway an early stop, get a local map and an idea of what’s going on, and chart a route for the day that maximizes your interest and minimizes the walking.

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The walls of Christ Church college refectory are lined with portraits of its famous alumni.[/caption]

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Often photographed, Hertford Bridge, better known as the Bridge of Sighs, forms a skyway between two buildings of Hertford College over New College Lane[/caption]

In need of refreshment?

There’s always a famous pub at hand, pulling great real ale, but very happy to provide tea or coffee as well. The Eagle and Child on St. Giles has its claim to fame as the regular haunt of the Inklings—C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and their mates. Or seek out the Turf Tavern down an alley near the Bridge of Sighs. The Turf was a favorite spot of Inspector Morse’s and lately of Inspector Lewis. Or duck down an alley off the High to The Chequers, one of several pubs in town dating from the 1400s.
If your day is not spent, a quiet way to conclude is with choral evensong in ancient Christ Church Cathedral, at 5:30 weekdays. The old shrine of St. Frideswede echoes with the praises of the choristers.

Dinner in town?

The King’s Arms near Radcliffe Camera on Berwick Street is a great place for evening pub fare. There’s a good inexpensive oriental buffet in the courtyard of Oxford Castle. Within a few blocks of the High, though, are many options—ranging from kebob stands to Wagamama noodles to the dining room of The Randolph.

For the evening

This is a major university town. Every evening there are concerts, lectures, dramas and events at venues throughout the city. Two theaters, the New Theater and the Oxford Playhouse host an ongoing schedule of West End and local productions. Pubs are generally bustling with a good-natured crowd of students, dons and visitors from around the world. Once again, the TIC is the place for current information.

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One is only spoiled for choice of great pubs in the ancient university city.[/caption]

Neat to know

A great savings can be had by booking your trains ahead of time, although it does limit your flexibility. The most expensive rail tickets are open tickets you can use on any train. Between Oxford and London Paddington, the difference is more than £20.
Among the behind-the-scenes experiences worth seeking out in Oxford is a tour of the Bodleian Library—one of the great repositories of learning in the world. They won’t simply turn you loose in the stacks, of course, but the 45-minute tour (which generally does not have to be booked in advance) is a treat for both bibliophiles and architecture buffs.