Guyweis

Visiting England and want to make a trip to Oxford. How much time is enough to get a taste of the city. We only have 6 days total and want to see London, too. Is it better to take the train to Oxford on our own or to take a guided bus tour that includes it? Which tour companies are best for this sort of thing? If we stay overnight in Oxford, any hotel recommendations? For one night, budget is not really an issue. Thanks.

texasbookworm

A teeny bit more details might make responses better for you:
what do you want to see? Are you Lewis/Tolkien fans? Or Inspector Morse? Or Carroll? Or history? Or what? Do you want to walk or just ride by stuff? It's definitely a city begging to be walked in, though.

We rode the Oxford Espress bus from London (about $35 round trip--buy tickets when boarding the bus--we got on at Marble Arch--The Oxford Tube does same sort of thing--it's about a 90 minute ride.) We left early and spent the morning tracking down some CS Lewis sites, rode a local bus into the city, had a 1:30-3:30 Inspector Morse tour which showed us quickly a lot of the city, went to Magdalen College for a couple hours, and ate at a pub before catching the bus back about 7 pm.

So it really depends on what you want to see, how much you already know, etc.

One of the London-Oxford buses will drop you off nearer city center than a train. (We got off at a Park and Ride outside the city so we could walk to Lewis's house).

There are lots of walking tours offered by the Oxford Tourist Center--check out their website and make reservations in needed asap.

janisj

I definitely wouldn't take a guided bus tour from London. Expensive and buses can't go to most of the interesting bits so you end up walking anyway.

The inexpensive walking tours from the Tourist Information Centre are terrific and then you can see whole rest of the city easily on foot.

If you get to Oxford early - I'd aim to be in town by maybe 9:30 AM - you could see a LOT in one day and leave back for London in the early evening or after dinner.

Of course you won't see <u>everything</u> in one day - but you can see quite a bit.

yk

Yes, you can see a lot in one day, but expect it to be a long day.

If this is your first time to London, I certainly would limit Oxford to a daytrip and spend the rest of your time in London.

I was in Oxford as a daytrip from London last November. I was there from 8:30 am until 6pm, and still didn't get to see everything that I wanted, however, I was satisfied. The walking tour that Janis mentioned is fantastic, but it does take 2 hours out of your day, FYI.

Another thing to consider is what time of year you'll be visiting. When I went in early Nov, it gets dark by 5pm, which shortens the sightseeing day somewhat.

And definitely take the bus (Oxford Espress or Oxford tube) to get there from London.

Here's the link of my trip report, with Oxford day trip being on DAY 2. It might help you to plan your trip some. What I found important when I was planning my Oxford day trip, was to make note of opening hours of various sights, and times of tours (eg, the Bodleian Library tour was a MUST for me, as well as walking tour).
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=35165950

rogeruktm

It's been awhile, but we took the train from London and walked to the Tourist Information center. For 50 p we purchased a walking map and had a grand time poking around. Had a terrific lunch at the &quot;Grapes&quot; pub.

historytraveler

You mentioned the possibility of staying overnight in Oxford. If interested in concerts, Oxford usually has a number of excellent offerings. You might want to consider staying over and heading back to London the next morning.

I would also recommend the walking tours. The TIC has several and Blackwell's offer some unique tours with either a literary or historic theme. I would not take a tour from London, nor would I do the hop on hop off bus tours.

bachslunch

Both yk and janisj give good advice here. Will echo the idea that you can see a fair bit of Oxford in a day.

If you want to see the Old Bodleian Library, a tour is a good idea as you'll see a lot more with than without one. Also thought the Ashmolean Museum was well worth a visit even in its &quot;greatest hits while we're renovating&quot; state -- if it's still open as of now.

As for colleges, Magdalen (especially for its grounds) and Christ Church (especially for its chapel) are arguably the most interesting colleges to see, but be prepared for the possibility that any Oxford college may be closed with little or no notice.