Hello everyone!
We're thinking London again in February or March.. but this time we would love to visit either Oxford or Cambridge for 1 or 2 nights. Which of these two is the most picturesque with shops and some things to do for 1-2 days? (We've been to Bath already and although it was a beautiful town, it was somehow 'cold' for my taste)
Thanks!

Some on here will say Cambridge because Oxford is a larger city. However - the central bit that any visitor would see is not large at all.

Really when it comes to which one - I'd say 6 of 1/half dozen of the other. Cambridge has one totally iconic bldg in Kings College Chapel. But otherwise, both cities are VERY similar and have a lot to see/do. Both are made up of beautiful colleges, riverside gardens, etc. I personally prefer Oxford - but that is totally subjective. You could have a lovely time at either one.

If it were me - I'd wait and see what the weather was like on the day. If it is nicer in western England - go to Oxford. If Eastern England is having a clear spell - go to Cambridge.

Janis' advice is sound- go with the weather in Feb/March. My personal choice is Cambridge for picturesque although there's no doubt that Oxford has beautiful buildings also. Both have great museums- The Fitzwilliam in Cambridge and Kettle's Yard- a lovely smaller gallery. Oxford's Ashmolean and Pitt-Rivers Museums are great with a wealth of wonderful art and artefacts.

Thanks for your replies, although if we'll stay there for 1-2 nights i would like to book something in advance.. so we wouldn't be able to 'wait and see'
Do you think it's not a good idea to go there at that time of year?

&quot;<i>Do you think it's not a good idea to go there at that time of year?</i>&quot;

Not at all - nothing wrong w/ going in Feb. Just be sure to dress in layers and have gloves and scarves.

In Feb you will have no problem finding accomodations a day ahead or even on the day. Both cities have very good torurist information centers where they will find you a room and book it for you. Or if you don't want to wait until you arrive in Oxbridge - just go to one of the TIC's in London - like the one in Victoria Station or the one in Regent St.

If that idea doesn't appeal - you'll just have to decide which one and book ahead.

For Winnie the Pooh fans, Cambridge--the library has the original manuscripts.

For Lord Peter Wimsey and Inspector Morse fans, Oxford.

Oxford is very impressive, both in terms of architecture and in terms of academic significance.

Oxfprd is not like a modern university, it is organized in &quot;colleges&quot;. Each &quot;college&quot; has its own (gothic) church; it is like a monastery. Very peculiar. If you hav some relation to the academic world, you must see Oxford. It is unique.

Oxford is an easy daytrip from London by train. You can go in the morning, explore the town, and be back in the evening.

IMO, Oxford is a &quot;must-see&quot;.

&quot;you must see Oxford. It is unique.&quot;

Oh no it's not. And it most certainly isn't peculiar.

In practically every way you can imagine, Oxford and Cambridge are structured - organisationally, topgraphically and architecturally - identically.

True, Oxford's older, cleverer, better located and connected, infinitely more worldly and has better weather. You can even risk going punting there in March, which no-one in their right mind would dream of doing, except for a bet, in Cambridge - which though it never suffers from the climatic horrors that make Boston (Mass) or New Haven so unbearable, does rejoice in just about the most miserable weather England ever gets. And, as spring starts springing in March, the countryside round Oxford in inconceivably lovelier than the fens round Cambridge.

But that apart, the two are practically interchageable.

We went to Cambridge for a day trip in late October. Loved it,but don't know if it is worth an overnight vist. I think there are better options for an overnight visit...York, Salsbury, Scarborough for example...

Flanner:

I am a university man, and from this point of view, Oxford is special. Besides the other things.

Anyway, whether you go to Oxford or Cambridge, I strongly recommed to read Tom Sharpe's &quot;Porterhouse Blue&quot;.

Do you agree, Flanner?

I also found Bath to be cold. Also dull. So perhaps we have the same tastes...

I'd choose Oxford. Kings College Chapel and the &quot;backs&quot; along the River Cam notwithstanding, I thought that Oxford was the more impressive of the two cities. One of my favorite places anywhere.

We chose Oxford because I'm a big fan of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, and we had a wonderful time there.

Lee Ann

&quot;Cambridge...does rejoice in just about the most miserable weather England ever gets.&quot;

Really? East Anglia, where Cambridge is located, is the dryest part of England. The Anglia Water company used to say in its ads that East Anglia get less annual rainfall than Jerusulem (to justify its hosepipe bans during summer droughts).

At any rate, Oxford and Cambridge are only about 75 miles apart, so weather differences are minimal. Just to be sure of my facts, I checked historical records on Weather Underground Trip Planner. That time of year Oxford is likely to be a little warmer, Cambridge a little sunnier. Wind speeds are about the same.

Sorry for the spelling - should be &quot;Jerusalem&quot;

Can't resist chipping in here!

&quot;I am a university man, and from this point of view, Oxford is special.&quot; Why shouldn't &quot;university men&quot; find Cambridge equally special? Very peculiar! I echo flanneruk's comments about the similarity of the two, and the miserable weather in Cambridge, so I was interested in Heimdall's statistics. When I was teaching in London we used to take groups to Cambridge to see an ancient Greek play. (Performed triennially, in February – maybe this might be happening in 2008? Worth seeing, if so.) Invariably, the thing that the students remembered most was the piercing cold and wind. The last time I was there, in early March, it was snowing! But to be fair, the whole country was suffering – let's face it, Britain is CHILLY!! Now I live in Athens, Greece!

cristine27 - I think probably the best thing you can do is to toss a coin!

I will admit that sometimes when winds blow across the fens, it can feel very cold in Cambridge. My stats were for the period Mar 1-15, and include averages from 1997 to present. Interestingly, Trip Planner had every Oxford in the world except the original, so I used figures from nearby RAF Benson.

I agree, Nikoletta, cristine27 should just toss a coin.

&gt;&gt;&gt;Why shouldn't &quot;university men&quot; find Cambridge equally special? Very peculiar! &lt;&lt;&lt;

I am sorry to say that and Cambridge alumni might not like to hear it, but from an international point of view, the academic significance of Oxford is slightly higher. Oxford University Press is one the world's most important publishers for scientific literature.

I asked a similar question in 2006. Here's a link to the responses that I received:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34761331

We did visit Oxford on our March 2007 trip and really enjoyed it. We chose it because we were visiting a friend who was studying there. Here's a link to my trip report - the Oxford part is relatively early in the report:
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=35016109
I could have easily stayed another day in Oxford.

Thanks to all of you for the replies!
noe847 thanks for the links!
As i can understand both cities are 'similar' and both are lovely in their own way, so i don't think we can't go wrong with any of them!

Another vote for Oxford.
Easy to visit Blenheim from there( by bus_.