I will be in London for 7 days. Please help me to plan side trip to Oxford. Transportation , cost, time, what to see.
Thanks a lot.

My husband was in the UK last week-end and his train fare to Oxford was about 23 pounds each way (first class). Expensive, but he said second class was very crowded; there may be a lower price for a same day return (he came back the following day). The trip from Paddington station in London to Oxford took about one hour (you don't say when you'll be there, but plan on longer if it's during this heat wave that has trains slowed).
Things to see: tops on his list is the Ashmolean. Superb collection. Two excellent novels by Philippa Gregory give great background info on how the collection was born and evolved: Earthly Joys and Virgin Earth.

Hi becky,

The Dreaming Spires of Oxford are a sight unto themselves.

For some pure Oxford pleasure, go punting on the Cherwell river. You'll probably need a change of clothes in case you fall in though! If you saw Amazing Race 3, they went punting in Cambridge. In Oxford, you punt from the other end of the "boat."

Unfortunately many of the 23 colleges are closed to the public, but just walking the streets past buildings from the tenth century or so is very humbling!

Probably the easiest thing is to get a guide book/map from the tourist bureau in the center of town and do a walking tour of the sights.

A day return train ticket would run less than £20 - it would be more if you stayed over night.

As mentioned - many of the colleges are closed to the public most of the time. But Christ Church is open every day (charges admission) and the EXCELLENT walking tours from the Tourist Information Center will get you into 2 or 3 others plus the Bodlean, etc.

The TIC walking tours cost £4 and are a great bargain.

BTW - I have punted on the Cherwell/Isis many times and have never fallen in or needed a change of clothes.

janis, you have given us the biggest belly-laugh of the evening. My husband (the Oxford man in our family) typed that under my name because I told him becky27 needed some info.

I just read your reply, yelled down the stairwell to DH and asked him if he ever fell in. (I thought he just put the "falling in/change of clothes" info in his answer just to warn amateurs.) His reply "well if she never fell in she didn't drink enough beer beforehand!"

That, from the Captain of his eight.

My ex husband used to do the heavy drinking while I did the poling - so I guess I was always too sober to take a header.

I would usually have my Pimms after finishing the trip - and after seeing the naked Dons ;-)

(This is dln's DH) I'd forgotten about that turn in the river - but normally the view of old Dons' physiques did not excite the young females in the punt! Here's a for you for reminding me of old times!