Hello folks! I will have one day to visit Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon in july and was planning to do it by train. My idea is to take the train from London to Oxford in time to catch one of those free walking trips and then take the train to Stratford and get on one of those hop-on hop-off tours, spending the night in Srratford. The problem here is the timing , since walking tours in Oxford start at 11 am and to be able to safely take the train to Stratford, I wouldn't be able to get there aroun 15:45, which might be too late to get on the hop-on hop-off, which last run is at 17:30. Problem about taking day tours is that they start by Straford where I will be spendin the night. So, would anybody have any suggestions as to the best way to go? Thank you so much.

Skip Stratford? I spent several days in Oxford, and wish I'd had more time there....
Good luck!

I suggest choosing one or the other if you aren't able to schedule 2 days. For me it would be Oxford, a place I never tire of visiting. Stratford is nowhere near a favorite of mine but then I'm not a Shakespeare fan and that might make a difference for you. But if not, Oxford is a far more interesting place.

You are actually doing London, Oxford and Stratford in one day which is just impossible. More to the point Oxford is best done in the afternoon or evening so you are also doing it the wrong way around. Finally you are visiting a place with one world class museum, a good British museum, two massive free parks, a fine flower garden, some historically important colleges and a world famous library and trying to stuff it into a 6 hour slot. While Stratford has relatively little and you even aim to fill in an evening there.

So my options in prefence would be
1) catch the first bus to Oxford (called the Oxford tube) do the museums in the morning, do the colleges in the afternoon and go to a college chapel event around 6 before going to a concert in the evening and then stay over before traveling onto Stratford
2) Do as above but travel to Stratford in the evening
3) just drop Stratford
4) Go to Stratford first thing, drop by the cottage then high tail it to Oxford

good luck, I recommend the Globe theatre as a better way to enjoy Shakespeare than visiting a place he kept his wife.

Follow Bilboburgler's advice. Either his #1 or #3. Do JUST Oxford, or Oxford and then the next morning/early afternoon in Stratford.

If you do Stratford, I would not do the H-o-H-o. I'd visit the birthplace, Holy Trinity church, and walk or take a taxi the short distance to Anne Hathaway's cottage. (it is about a 20-25 min walk). But in July Stratford will be heaving with tourists.