BootsnAll Travel Community

Greetings,

Visiting a friend in Oxford for 4 days. Been tough to find information on what's cool, places to go, things to see, etc.

Would love to hear some ideas.

Thanks

Mike

There's that house with the shark sticking out of the top of it...
Of course, I don't know what it is called or where exactly it is, but it's way cool!

Don't go to Reading.

It's where I live and it's only half an hour away.

It's also not very good. So don't go.

if your friend lives in Oxford, then surely they will be able to suggest some stuff......

and you don't mention what sort of stuff you are interested in....

but heres some ideas:

go for a walk and check out the Radcliffe Camera, Bodlian Library, Sheldonian Theatre (get more info on these from google!)

Go to a museum! The Ashmolean (http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/)is sooo big and is full of cool stuff like egyptian mummies. But i prefer the Pitt Rivers (http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/)

Go see the shark - its in Headington (15 mins bus from centre). Its at 2 New High Street. find it on www.multimap.com. Bus no 8 from the centre

go on a tour of one of the colleges - i like Christ Church on St Aldates best. At the very least go and walk in the meadows - the entrance is also on St Aldates

go punting - the cheapest is from Magdalene Bridge at the end of the High Street

drink in some of the fine pubs! The most famous is The Turf Tavern, and is one of my favourites, well worth a visit. Also try The Turl or the The Bear. PM me and I'll send you a map if you need it

go to a gig - live music is still live in oxford! Check out the Zodiac on Cowley Rd (30 mins walk or get the bus). They have club nights after gigs

hope that helped a bit! Feel free to PM if you want more info or ideas. I grew up in oxford, so i know it pretty well!

Ahh Oxford - I used to head up on my days off from school and go shopping.

We used to check out the italian deli in the covered market (lots of cool little shops here) and buy fresh bread and cookies before heading down along St Aldates (I think) and walking in the big grounds of the really old college - watching rowers on the river, etc.

The main streets are filled with generic chain shops but head to the covered market and down the little lanes to find little independent stores.

Also - there is a church (possibly at the north end of the Corn Market) where there used to be a flea market inthe cellar and you used to be able to climb the church to get a great view across the 'city of steeples).

KG

I didn't want to start a new discussion on Oxford but wanted to ask about getting around Oxford and out of Oxford train/bus wise.

What day trips can I take out of Oxford (after I've exhausted my sightseeing there )?

Will I be able to travel by bus to Bleinheim Palace? What about further on like Bath, Stratford?

I've got a friend who lives there so have visited a couple of times now.

-Do one of the walking tours (blue ribbon, blue letter..? Blue something anyway...)
[EDIT: Blue Badge Tours]
They leave from outside the visitor centre, they are free and your leader will be a very qualified local expert who can get you inside a lot of the colleges you would not be able to see or have to pay for otherwise.

- Visit the one of the oldest pubs in Oxford; the White Horse, where the TV character Inspector Morse frequented.

-Day trip to Blenheim Palace (ParisB; yes it is possible by bus)

-Unwind with some amazing and creative cocktails at Raoul's. (I highly recommend the Wrong Island Spiced Tree)

quote:

But i prefer the Pitt Rivers (http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/)

I spend way too much time in Oxford. The Pitt Rivers is one of my favorite museums anywhere. Well worth a visit or too.

For a daytrip out of Oxford, try the Dicoct Railway Yards, especially if they are having a steam day. you can take the train from Oxford for £3 return.

Take a long walk along the Thames to Abington and then take the train back. We did it last week and it took about 2.5 hrs. It is a nice walk,but not too hard, we were puching a double stroller.

And of course you can always enjoy Moo Moo's- excellent milkshakes.

If you're even a remote fan of C.S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien (Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of The Rings), then stop in at the "Eagle & Child" pub, where they and their "Inklings" thinkers gathered to swap ideas, share thoughts, write their works, etc. You can sit in what they say is the bench these sat in, just below their pictures.

(was kinda' interesting seeing the one of CS Lewis and his wife, while she was alive...think the "Shadowlands" movie...)

Punting--yes, def. a must!

Sadly, the Zodiac club has now been renamed the Carling Academy (what a terrible bland corporate name), so I suppose it will have lost much of its character.

Also, I went past the shark in Headington a few weeks ago, and it was covered in plastic sheeting. I don't think it is anything special, but I suppose it's a bit of an icon.