10 places, 5 of them free and 3 tours and activities. A city of dreaming spires, historic colleges and riverside punting.
Radcliffe Square
The domed library at the centre of the university, one of Oxford’s most photographed sights.
Open-air square; library tours by booking
St Aldates
A grand college with a cathedral, the Great Hall used in Harry Potter, and a meadow.
Daily; closes at set times
Beaumont Street
Britain’s oldest public museum, with antiquities and art from around the world.
Tuesday–Sunday, roughly 10:00–17:00
High Street
A Victorian market of butchers, cafés and bakeries in the heart of town.
Daily, roughly 8:00–17:30
Magdalen Bridge
A leisurely punt along the river, past college gardens and willows.
Daily in season, roughly 9:30–dusk
Rose Lane
Britain’s oldest botanic garden, with glasshouses and a river view.
Daily, roughly 9:00–17:00
Parks Road
A gloriously cluttered museum of world cultures, with cases full of curiosities.
Daily, roughly 10:00–17:00
Woodstock (13 km)
A baroque palace, birthplace of Churchill, in vast parkland.
Daily; check hours
Planning Oxford? 4 places to eat are one tap away.