Oxford

Bodleian Library

Oxford

At least five kings, dozens of prime ministers and Nobel laureates, and luminaries such as Oscar Wilde, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien have studied in Oxford's…

Pitt Rivers Museum

Oxford

If exploring an enormous room full of eccentric and unexpected artefacts sounds like your idea of the perfect afternoon, welcome to the amulets-to-zithers…

Merton College

Oxford

Founded in 1264, peaceful and elegant Merton is one of Oxford’s three original colleges. Like the other two, Balliol and University, it considers itself…

The Perch

Oxford

This thatched and wonderfully rural 800-year-old inn can be reached by road, but it’s more enjoyable to walk half an hour upstream along the Thames Path,…

Oxford University Museum of Natural History

Oxford

Housed in a glorious Victorian Gothic building, with cast-iron columns, flower-carved capitals and a soaring glass roof, this museum makes a superb…

Ashmolean Museum

Oxford

Britain’s oldest public museum, Oxford’s wonderful Ashmolean Museum is surpassed only by the British Museum in London. It was established in 1683, when…

Alice’s Shop

Oxford

This tiny 500-year-old shop was operating as a grocery – and managed by a sheep – when Lewis Carroll’s Alice popped in. Opposite Carroll’s Christ Church…

Botanic Garden

Oxford

Stretching beside the River Cherwell, Oxford's small, peaceful botanic garden was founded in 1621 for the study of medicinal plants. The oldest of its…

Malmaison Oxford Castle

Oxford

You won’t mind being locked up in this wonderfully converted former prison. Centring on a turreted tower of Oxford’s castle, it’s now a sophisticated…

Head of the River

Oxford

A genuine jewel among Oxford hotels, this large and characterful place, at Folly Bridge immediately south of Christ Church, was originally a Thames-side…

Story Museum

Oxford

Conceived in celebration of Oxford’s unparalleled storytelling heritage, the Story Museum sprawls its way through a courtyard complex that includes…

Isis Farmhouse

Oxford

Half the fun of this isolated pub – yes, it really is a farmhouse – is the half-hour walk to get there, south along the Thames footpath from Folly Bridge…

Museum of the History of Science

Oxford

Students of science will swoon at this fascinating museum, stuffed to the ceilings with awesome astrolabes, astonishing orreries and early electrical…

Oxford Castle and Prison

Oxford

Little now remains of Oxford Castle, which was built for William the Conqueror in 1071, and largely destroyed after the English Civil War because the…

All Souls College

Oxford

One of Oxford’s wealthiest and most tranquil colleges, All Souls was founded as a centre of prayer and learning in 1438. Much of its facade dates from…

Radcliffe Camera

Oxford

Surely Oxford’s most photographed landmark, the sandy-gold Radcliffe Camera is a beautiful, light-filled, circular, columned library. Built between 1737…

Last Bookshop

Oxford

Booklovers beware! This enticing little Jericho shop can easily swallow an hour of your time. Specialising in remainders and discounted stocks, largely…

Magdalen College

Oxford

Guarding access to a breathtaking expanse of private lawns, woodlands, river walks and even its own deer park, Magdalen ('mawd-lin'), founded in 1458, is…

Christ Church

Oxford

With its compelling combination of majestic architecture, literary heritage and double identity as (parts of) Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, Christ Church…

Trinity College

Oxford

Founded in 1555, this small college boasts a lovely 17th-century garden quad, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Its exquisite chapel, a masterpiece of…

Blackwell’s

Oxford

The most famous bookshop in the most studenty of cities, Blackwell’s is, with its vast range of literature, treatises and guilty pleasures, a book-lover’s…

Weston Library

Oxford

Opened as the New Bodleian Library by King George VI in 1946, and renamed following a modernist overhaul in 2015, the Weston Library remains an extension…

Christ Church Cathedral

Oxford

Christ Church Cathedral, entered from the quad, doubles, uniquely, as the college chapel and the city’s cathedral. From the 8th century onwards, this site…

Church of St Margaret of Antioch

Oxford

Binsey’s small 12th-century church stands half a mile west of the Thames (and The Perch pub), in a splendid rural setting that’s only slightly marred by…

Bridge of Sighs

Oxford

As you stroll along New College Lane, look up at the steeped Bridge of Sighs linking the two halves of Hertford College. Completed in 1914, it's sometimes…

Tolkien’s Resting Place

Oxford

Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien (1892–1973) is buried with his wife Edith at Wolvercote Cemetery, 2.5 miles north of Oxford city centre. Their…

The Trout

Oxford

Three miles northwest along the Thames from Oxford – a wonderful walk– this old-world pub has been drawing drinkers for around four centuries, and was…

Magdalen Bridge Boathouse

Oxford

Right beside Magdalen Bridge, this boathouse is the most central location to hire a punt, chauffeured or otherwise. From here you can either head…