With its compelling combination of majestic architecture, literary heritage and double identity as (parts of) Harry Potter’s Hogwarts, Christ Church…
Must see attractions in Oxford
- Top ChoiceChrist Church
- Top ChoiceBodleian Library
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…
- Top ChoiceAshmolean Museum
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…
- Top ChoiceMagdalen College
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…
- Top ChoicePitt Rivers Museum
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…
- Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Housed in a glorious Victorian Gothic building, with cast-iron columns, flower-carved capitals and a soaring glass roof, this museum makes a superb…
- Radcliffe Camera
Surely Oxford’s most photographed landmark, the sandy-gold Radcliffe Camera is a beautiful, light-filled, circular, columned library. Built between 1737…
- Merton College
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…
- New College
New College isn’t really that new. Established in 1379 as Oxford’s first undergraduate college, it’s a glorious Perpendicular Gothic ensemble. Treasures…
- Oxford Castle and Prison
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
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…
- Brasenose College
Small, select and elegant, Brasenose College was founded in 1509. A Brasenose Hall, belonging to Oxford University, already stood here by 1262, however,…
- University Church of St Mary the Virgin
The ornate 14th-century spire of Oxford’s university church is arguably the dreamiest of the city’s legendary ‘dreaming spires’. Otherwise, this is famous…
- Museum of the History of Science
Students of science will swoon at this fascinating museum, stuffed to the ceilings with awesome astrolabes, astonishing orreries and early electrical…
- Trinity College
Founded in 1555, this small college boasts a lovely 17th-century garden quad, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. Its exquisite chapel, a masterpiece of…
- Exeter College
Founded in 1314, Exeter is known for its elaborate 17th-century dining hall, which celebrated its 400th birthday in 2018, and ornate Victorian Gothic…
- Queen's College
Known for its musical excellence, this college is steeped in esteem and heritage. Although founded in 1341, its main claims to architectural fame are the…
- Modern Art Oxford
Showcasing stimulating temporary exhibitions in its bright white airy galleries, and graced with a spacious cafe and a good shop, this excellent museum is…
- Bridge of Sighs
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…
- CChrist Church Cathedral
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…