What to see in Oxford if you go for the day, or if you have decided to spend at least one night there, is what we are going to see in this post.
Just an hour by train from London, we find the university city of Oxford. Considered by many as a destination for just the day, the city has so much to offer that it is worth staying at least one night.
►Find the best price on your London/Oxford train ticket
It is known as the city of dreaming spires, a phrase coined by Matthew Arnold to describe the harmony in the architecture of university buildings.
Indice:
What to see in Oxford
We will walk and discover Oxford together, and see what this city has to offer. Ready, travel companions? What to see in Oxford?
Sheldonian Theatre
First stop: the Sheldonian Theatre. Located in the centre of Oxford, the Sheldonian Theatre is the official venue for ceremonies at the university. It is here that graduations are celebrated, the congregation meets, and where students are admitted to the university. Its construction was inspired by the Teatro Marcello in Rome and was completed between 1664 and 1668.
Bridge of Sighs
Just opposite the monumental complex formed by the Bodleian Library and the Sheldonian Theatre, we find Oxford’s Bridge of Sighs.
The Bridge of Sighs connects two buildings of Hertford College. It was completed in 1914 and its popular name seems to come from its resemblance to the Venetian bridge. But there are several legends about its name, and one of them says that it is called that because it was the place where the boys and girls staying at the university residence had to separate, hence the sighs.
Radcliffe Camera
We arrive at what is perhaps the most emblematic building in Oxford: the Radcliffe Camera.
Very close to the Bodleian Library and the church of St Mary the Virgin, we find the Radcliffe Chamber. Built in 1749 according to the design of the architect James Gibbs, it was intended to house the Radcliffe scientific library, which was the case until its collection was moved to another location in 1850.
After the Radcliffe Library moved to another building, the Radcliffe Camera became additional reading rooms for the Bodleian Library.
The camera was used as a location in the films: The Secret of the Pyramid, The Opium War, The Saint, and The Golden Compass.
It is one of the must-sees in Oxford. You can visit it on a short tour, website.
University Church of St Mary the Virgin
Just a few steps from where we are (most of the tourist attractions are in the centre and within walking distance of each other), we find the church of Santa María la Virgen.
The University Church of St Mary the Virgin is the largest of the city’s parish churches. And something you should know is that by going up it you get the best views of Oxford!!
From here, if you dispel the doubts about why it is called the city of needles,
The ticket costs £5 and is one of the most recommended visits in Oxford. But check the information and even get your tickets on their website University Church.
You can complement it with a tour on the Oxford tourist bus.
We continue with what to see in Oxford and we go to ……
Bodleian Library
The Bodleian Library is the principal research library of the University of Oxford, one of the oldest libraries in Europe and the second largest in Britain, second only to the British Library in London.
Some scenes in Harry Potter were filmed at the Bodleian Library, the Divinity School Hall was used as the infirmary in one of the films, and the Duke Humphrey library was used as the filming location for the Hogwarts library.
►If you’re a Harry Potter fan, we have an article about a Harry Potter trail in Edinburgh.
Tickets to enter the Bodleian Library can be obtained online on its Bodleian Library website, you have 90-minute tours of 60′ or 30′.
We chose the 30-minute tour which costs £9 and includes a visit to the Divinity School and Duke Humphrey’s medieval library.
Christ Church
Christ Church is one of the larger colleges that make up the University of Oxford in England. As well as being a college, Christ Church is the cathedral church of the Diocese of Oxford.
Check the availability of the schedules, since it is a functioning college. Here is the Christ Church website. The cost of admission is £16.
The college is also linked to a fantasy character, Alice in Wonderland. Charles Dogson, who was a mathematics professor at the college, was the one who wrote the story of Alice, signing it with the pseudonym Lewis Carroll, to protect the identity of the family and the girl he was friends with.
Although Christ Church College was and is the largest and most prestigious college in Oxford, as well as the most visited by tourists, the Harry Potter films have brought the image of its imposing dining hall around the world.
That the scenes were filmed in the college dining hall is a false legend, as in reality the scenes were filmed in the studios in London. They say that the Hogwarts dining hall is inspired by this one, but if you visit any other college, you will see that they all have a very similar dining hall.
If you want to see another dining room, don’t miss the section in this post “Where did we stay?”, as we stayed in a college and had breakfast in a dining room in the best Harry Potter style!!
The stairs leading to the dining room were used in the film. We will remember McGonagall welcoming the students standing on top of them.
If you are a fan of HP, this is a must-see in Oxford.
Walk through the city
A good walk through the city will make you discover wonderful corners. Getting lost in its streets is perhaps the best plan.
A visit to the shopping area is a must on this route. You can’t miss a visit to one of the city’s most traditional pubs, such as The Bear Inn.
You will see now, because we said, that it is a destiny that deserves, that we stay at least one night…
Although we chose Christ Church, there are many colleges to visit in Oxford. The first ones were founded in the 13th century and today there are 38 colleges, which have become the great tourist attraction of the city, since many of them can be visited. It is very interesting to be able to visit these student residences, from one of the oldest, Balliol College, to the largest, Christ Church College.
But it sounds much more interesting if we tell you that we can stay overnight in one of them… yes, as you read.
Where do we stay in Oxford?
Our accommodation in Oxford was in a student room at Keble College. Many colleges rent out their available rooms to tourists in the summer when their students are on holiday.
We took advantage of the opportunity, since we went in August, to live a different experience in terms of being able to enjoy a college from the inside, including having breakfast in the large dining room in the best Harry Potter style.
There are websites that are dedicated to that, in our case we book it through University Rooms, you will see single, double, private bathroom or shared rooms, there you filter according to your preferences and you will see what options are available.
We had a similar experience staying at Trinity College Dublin, we leave you the post in case you didn’t see it.
But if you’re travelling in a season other than summer, or you’re not convinced by places or prices, there’s a variety of B&Bs and hotels in Oxford to stay in.
From this beautiful city we leave for The Cotswolds, a place with a lot of charm that I recommend you see in the post.
Map and video extras
NOTE: The information in this article is based on our own experience, being totally objective. This article contains affiliate links
