Things to do in Oxford

Why go to Oxford

• Bodleian Library & Radcliffe Camera

  An 800-year-old working library whose domed reading room is one of the most beautiful interiors in Europe.

• Ashmolean Museum

  Britain's oldest public museum holds Egyptian mummies, Raphael drawings, and Stradivarius violins, all completely free.

• Christ Church College & Cathedral

  The grandest Oxford college doubles as a functioning cathedral and inspired the Great Hall in Harry Potter.

• Punting on the Cherwell or Thames

  Hiring a flat-bottomed punt and drifting past weeping willows and college gardens is quintessential Oxford.

• University of Oxford Botanic Garden

  The oldest botanic garden in Britain, founded 1621, packed with 5,000 species and utterly tranquil.

Good to know in Oxford

• Transit: Oxford is tiny and entirely walkable; the Oxford Bus Company X5 and Stagecoach S1 connect you to Bicester, Abingdon, and beyond cheaply, a day bus pass is around $6.
• Tipping: Tipping is appreciated but not obligatory; 10% is generous at sit-down restaurants, nothing expected at cafés or pubs.
• Tap water: Tap water is perfectly safe to drink throughout Oxford, carry a refillable bottle and skip the bottled water.
• Free-entry days: The Ashmolean, Pitt Rivers, Natural History Museum, and most university museums are free every day with no timed-entry requirement.

Trip essentials