Oxford or Cambridge for a day trip
 

My husband and I are going to London for 6 days and want to take a day trip to get out of the city one day.

We've narrowed it down to Oxford or Cambridge. Were looking for a relaxing day in a picturesque setting. Something w/ a different feel than London.

Punting on the Cam

Evensong at King's

RAF Duxford

Google these phrases and convince yourself.

Hi
I haven't been to Cambridge. Oxford is very picturesque, especially the Colleges, but it is also a bustling small city. I love it there, but if you really want a complete change from London, perhaps Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, Kew Gardens, or even the city of Bath, might be better alternatives.

Hi,

Oxford is a lot closer to London and you'd have more time to spend in the town than if you went to Cambridge. The trip through the English countryside is beautiful, but I like to spend most of my time in my destination. Oxford has so much literary history, with JRR Tolkien and C.S. Lewis both having taught and lived there. It might even be fun to spend the night in a bed and breakfast and then, go out to the Cotswolds, too.

Best Regards,
Julia

For a daytrip, I'd vote for Cambridge. Take the train out -- about an hour -- grab the hop-on/hop-off bus at the Cambridge station and get off at the American Cemetery for a while, have lunch at a pub beside the Cam, shop in the market square, visit a couple of the colleges, hit the bookstores -- they're wonderful -- spend some time in the Fitzwilliam Museum, you'll not run out of things to do and you can cover the important parts of the city easily on foot.

Cambridge or Oxford ?---Apples or Oranges?
Either one makes an excellent day trip. London Walks have just initiated a day tour to Cambridge. I was lucky to be on the first venture and would highly recommend it. You meet Simon (excellent guide) at Kings Cross station on Friday morning. They have a coach waiting for you at Cambridge station which really makes it easy to get to city center. Unless you've spent some time studying the history, architecture etc, these guided tours (London Walks also goes to Oxford ) are the best way to learn about the town and university.

6 of 1 / half dozen of the other, really. Just pick. The colleges are VERY similar - in architecture/layout/age/etc. Both have rivers running through. In both you can rent punts on the river. Bith have really interesting shops/bldgs/pubs.

this question comes up pretty often - and just like the "Ireland or Scotland?" questions - anyone will only be giving you their personal preference (BTW mine is Oxford - but that is based partly because I've been there so many more times and know it like the back of my hand)

You will totally enjoy either one - just pick . . . . .

You did not mention when you will be in London. We visited Cambridge last year in late May only to find ALL colleges were closed to visitors due to the exam period for students. The town was charming and we ate at a popular pub but had we known we would not be able to walk through the colleges we would have gone to Hampton Court Palace.

Cambridge if for no other reason than King's College Chapel of which Wren was supposed to have offered to make one himself if only someone would tell him where to lay the first stone. It is magnificent.

Both are about one hour by train.

The train to Cambridge is actually slightly quicker, though Oxford has a great bus connection to London at tube-style frequencies which is rather cheaper than either set of trains.

There's more truly glorious architecture in Cambridge, though Oxford is built from much lovelier stone and feels less artificial.

But the real difference is that Cambridge is - and always has been - tucked away almost in the middle of nowhere. Oxford's slap in the middle of England, on the junction of many roads, half an hour's drive from the world' busiest international airport and is the centre of Europe's richest region. So it's a great deal busier, and is rather stricter about restricting tourist access to some colleges.

If all you're planning to see is the town, Cambridge wins. But there's a lot more in Oxford's hinterland than in Cambridge's.

I was interested in Historytraveler's response. I will be in London in July and plan on taking the London Walks Cambridge Explorer Day. I would like more details about the trip. What was the schedule like? Was there independant time? Any lunch recommendations? What time did you return to London?

Thanks,
Laura

In 2000 I took a London Walks tour to Oxford. When we arrived in Oxford we took a bus to one of the surrounding villages, Lovell Minster I believe, then had lunch in Burford (everyone went their own way for their meals). We spent the afternoon in Oxford touring the college and a little bit of time on our own. I really enjoyed the tour - in my experience London Walks has always done a fantastic job. I've never been to Cambridge, so I can't compare the two places. Enjoy your trip - I bet you can't go wrong with either choice.

It depends on what your preference is. Oxford is much more of a bustling little city while Cambridge has a slow town feel. I personally love Cambridge because it is a bit more relaxed and easier to get around.

went to both last year. and apportioned more time for oxford than cam...now i wish i would have skipped oxford outright. oxford is really nice, but cam is just awesome. punting on the cam is a must.

i also did hampton court palace last year as well. personally i'd rank them as: 1. cam 2. hampton court 3. oxford

Hi Laura1787,

For London Walks www.walks.com or email [email protected] The Cambridge walk takes place on Friday. The meeting place is Kings Cross Station about 9:00 a.m. We returned to London about 6:00 p.m. Lunch is not included, but there are a plethora of eating places in Cambridge. Your guide,who is well acquainted with the town,can recommend a restaurant/pub. We had about an hour for lunch and free time at the end of the tour to explore on our own. You'll learn far more about Cambridge by going on this 'walk' than if you proceed on your own. Enjoy!

Thanks Historytraveler for the response. I will be going to Oxford in August for a medieval history course. I thought it would be interesting to take a day trip to Cambridge (I will be in London for a few days before the course). That way I can compare and contrast the two.

Thanks again for the helpful info.
Laura

I'm surprised anyone would be neutral about this choice or even favor Oxford - at least the latter often admit a bias from personal history that has no relevance to tourists. You have gotten good information here, but a few negatives have been politely withheld because frankness is so often bashed. Let's see if truth can be taken like adults:

Cambridge negatives - the train station is intentionally an exasperatingly inconvenient walk to town center. The town is small, with less diverse offerings than Oxford. Yes, these minor points have a positive side and there are a lot of positives - restrain that knee jerk denial and brace yourself...

Oxford negatives - there are the usual aspects with city congestion that can break the touristic spell, but I think it takes uncivility to an unusual level. There still seems to be a town vs gown or some such class divide, with a somewhat brash hooliganism unlike anyplace I've seen. I'm guessing the town vs gown war (about a hundred killed, with the gowns judged the instigators) a few centuries ago has left local enforcement too politically correct to act seriously. I'm NOT saying this is noticable enough to be afraid, just that to a perceptive person the touristic spell is somewhat broken. For instance at atm's you may see intoxicated vagrants loudly harrasing folks using the machines, something I'd never expect to in Cambridge, London, or elsewhere. And subtler looking down upon from both the scruffy layabouts and the elite university gatekeepers trying to maintain standards amonst tawdry tourist hordes.

Laura1787,

A medieval history course at Oxford this summer? I'd be interested in the details. I'd appreciate it if you would contact me at [email protected]

Suggestion:

For anyone interested in the medieval history of Cambridge, Susanna Gregory(pseudonym) has written a number of excellent books of the medieval mystery genre(14th century Cambridge). Ms.Gregory is a research fellow at Cambridge so although her characters are fictonal, her historical facts are accurate.

The intoxicated beggars at the ATM are certainly a negative on Oxford's part. However the drunks, tramps and gypsies begging on the streets are as much part of the scene in London, Bath and Canterbury, but perhaps not as yet in Cambridge.
On a separate note I would consider the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford a far more rewarding place to visit than the Fitzwilliam at Cambridge. Larger and more diverse than its Fenland counterpart it also features displays from Oxford's very own school of artists, the Pre-Raphaelites.