Is it really cheaper to buy a ticket in advance? Can I purchase a ticket in advance from the station? I will be travelling off peak, after 9.30am on a Friday. Is it cheaper to buy single tickets or a return? I will be returning to London a week later.

It's easiest to just buy an Off-Peak return (usually only a little more than an Off-Peak single, so buy a return if you're coming back) at the station on the day, no reservation necessary.

You can save a pound or two with a pre-booked Advance ticket, but as the saving is so small on a short hop like this, and it ties you to a specific train, no refunds, no changes, it may not be worth it unless you're on a very tight budget.

www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk

www.nationalrail.co.uk will give you all the fares and discounts with restrictions.

Not much savings I think on these short type runs - if money is a factor the bus is probably cheaper and as it leaves from various points in London maybe as quick.

Cheaper yet is a bus from London to Oxford. Check out Oxford Express: www.oxfordbus.co.uk and Oxford Tube: www.oxfordtube.com.

Buses also I think take you right to the city center - by the outdoor market - the train station ain't that far away but maybe half-mile or so.

Oxford has open-top double-decker buses that circulate a la London and these do stop at the train station or did as far as I know.

Depending on where you are staying in London - the coach could actually be faster that the train, and will definitely be cheaper.

And it also depends on where in Oxford you want to go . . . The coaches stop in several convenient places in central Oxford . . . NOT just at the bus station.