partyon

I have been to both cities in the past albeit on a fairly rushed tour. I currently have a free day in London and I am thinking of travelling to one of these cities, for a day trip. Which is the better choice? I have seen the Pump Rooms in Bath and Christchurch College in Oxford and remember both well. Also, is it necessary to reserve train tickets in advance for either city to get better prices? My plan is to take the information and if I fell up to a long day trip, then go for it, if not I plan on enjoying London. This will be my last visit to London for a while as I start a new job in summer and I won't have any time off initially. So, this is "my" trip to one of my favourite cities and I want to get it right.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thank you.

qwovadis

Bath is my fav with a Cotswolds stop very pretty.

Oxford university sprires are pretty but town not near

as pretty as Bath/Cotwolds

would do that only if short on time as it would be closer.

You can hop a train and DIY and pick up both

with careful research

eurocheapo.com London city guides day trips good info.

Have fun,

texasbookworm

Oxford is super-easy to get to on the spur of the moment--there are 2 buses that go, picking you up at several London spots, and you pay on board. The OxfordTube (NO not a "subway") and the OxfordEspress (their spelling, not mine). Doing a trip at the last minute MIGHT be expensive to either via train but this bus fare is always the same and cheaper than same-day train ticket.

I LOVE Oxford. There are great walking tours provided by their tourist bureau; check out their website. I've been 3 times and would go back in a snap (actually am with students on a tour in June and can't wait to show them a glimpse of a couple things on our free time!) I love C. S. Lewis and Tolkien so....

I loved Bath on my one trip (and excited to be returning in June). And I'm an Austen fan so that was a draw, too.

So--kinda depends on what you want to see? Lovely architecture and literature connections in both. You'd probably have more time in Oxford. Both are walkable. Both have DIY tours and guided tours. So...

My vote is Oxford, though.

flanneruk

The logistics for Oxford are a great deal easier, and the cost substantially lower.

Though advance booking brings fares down, the only practical way to get to Bath for a day is by train: an inflexible ticket booked in advance can be as low as £20 return: but you do have to book some time ahead (www.nationalrail.co.uk), or get a train arriving after midday for fares that low: buy a ticket on the spot for a weekday train arriving before midday and it'll cost you around £50.

To Oxford, buses - which are £16 return or £8 if you're 60 or over - go every few mins, and require no prebooking or time limitations, and train fares (either booked in advance or on the spot) are about half the equivalent ticket to Bath.

As to which is preferable (or whether the £20-£30 difference matters): only you can decide.

twk

One more thing about those Oxford buses--although they take a little longer than the train, to get the cheapest train fares, you cannot book one leaving London before 9:30 a.m., whereas the busses start running quite early in the morning. You can get a reasonably early start, catch a bus near Victoria Station or Marble Arch before 8:00 a.m, and perhaps be in Oxford before the train would even leave London.

We took the Oxford Tube bus to Oxford, then caught a local bus to go on to Blenheim, toured the palace, and had time to see Christchurch back in Oxford in the afternoon, before deciding to head back around 4:00 p.m. Could have gone back much later if we'd wished to.

twk

One more thing about those Oxford buses--although they take a little longer than the train, to get the cheapest train fares, you cannot book one leaving London before 9:30 a.m., whereas the busses start running quite early in the morning. You can get a reasonably early start, catch a bus near Victoria Station or Marble Arch before 8:00 a.m, and perhaps be in Oxford before the train would even leave London.

We took the Oxford Tube bus to Oxford, then caught a local bus to go on to Blenheim, toured the palace, and had time to see Christchurch back in Oxford in the afternoon, before deciding to head back around 4:00 p.m. Could have gone back much later if we'd wished to.