Day in Oxford.

Mr_Singleton

Some American friends want to go to Oxford for the day. They just want to wander around the town rather than go into colleges etc.

What's the best day of the week to go apart from a Sunday? Is a saturday going to be heaving with tourists? Are there any weekday markets worth seeing etc etc
Thanks

C_J

How are they getting to Oxford? By train is probably best, as the city centre is only a five minute walk from the train station. Failing that, if they are driving, I would strongly suggest the park and ride bus (£2 per day to park the car, £2.90 per person to get a return bus ticket). There are five park and ride car parks around the perimeter of Oxford, they are all pretty much full by 8am.

Oxford is full of tourists every day, it makes little difference which day they visit. There isn’t much to see just walking around the city centre if not interested in the Colleges - there’s a new shopping centre, Westgate, which is only of interest to those wanting retail therapy. There is the Covered Market (dating back to the 1700s) at the top of The High. Get into it between the shops such as Whittard’s or via The Golden Cross on Cornmarket.

Outdoor markets are held on Wednesdays and Thursdays in Gloucester Green (next to the coach station). Overpriced and uninspiring. I think the Thursday one might be “antiques”. The continental Christmas Markets run from 5th-21st December in Broad Street.

Museums are great in Oxford - the Ashmolean, of course, plus the Museum of Natural History, Pitt Rivers, and Museum of the History of Science. Also the Weston Gallery at the Bodleian has wonderful exhibitions and often free lunchtime talks too. Perhaps they’d also like to wander into the University church on the High- architecturally pleasing, and no tourists.

It’s a bit too chilly now to go punting, but there are some lovely walks through the Uni parks and alongside the river Cherwell, either starting from Magdalen Bridge at the bottom of the High (also worth visiting the Botanic Gardens which are situated here too), or via Uni parks cutting through South Parks Road. Magdalen College has a beautiful deer park, and the river walk takes you through Mesopotamia and Parsons Pleasure where there is nude bathing by eccentric dons (though probably not at this time of year).

There are excellent organised walking tours, run by students and full of fascinating facts. They leave regularly during the afternoons from outside the gates of Trinity College in Broad Street.

They will love the Turf Tavern, quaint old pub hidden down Bath Place. You find it by walking down New College Lane opposite the Bodleian library, go under the Bridge of Sighs and turn immediately left into St Helen’s Passage, keep walking, you’ll think you are lost, then suddenly the pub is there.

Afternoon tea is great at the Randolph Hotel (but pricey).

Open top tourist bus tours are actually okay, and probably worth the money.

Mr_Singleton

Wow.... thank you so much!

Due to scheduling issues they're going tomorrow.Have printed your post out for them.