​ Top 5 Places to Visit In Oxford | Oxford Travel Guide

Located in South Central England, with a population of over 150,000 people, Oxford is the 52nd largest city in the United Kingdom. It is known worldwide for being home to the iconic University of Oxford, which is the oldest university in the English Speaking World. With so much history, Oxford is a wonderful city to visit for the day so here are 5 places to visit in Oxford.

Oxford University

How could any list talking about Oxford not include the famous Oxford University? There is evidence of teaching here as early as 1096, which makes it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second oldest university in continuous operation after the University of Bologna.

There are plenty of amazing tours which take you around Oxford, where you can have the opportunity to learn more about the history and what the University is like today. You get the opportunity to visit the many college and university sites scattered across the city. These tours last about 2 hours. There are also more specialist tours available on a wide range of topics, including architecture, science, literature and art.

Book your Oxford walking tour here - https://oxfordwalkingtoursofoxford.com/

Oxford Castle

Image Credit - Instagram @oxfordcastle

Oxford Castle, located on the western side of the city is a partly ruined Norman medieval castle. With a lot of the original moated and wooden castle replaced with stone between the 12th and 13th century. There are plenty of guided tours throughout the day which reveal plenty of fascinating stories about the building’s 1000 year history.

This castle is open daily from 10 am to 4.20 pm. Admission to the castle is £12.95 for adults and £8.75 for children aged between 5 to 15 years old.

Find out more here - https://www.oxfordcastleandprison.co.uk/

Radcliffe Camera

The Radcliffe Camera built back in 1737 to 1749 by James Gibbs is a neo-classical building based in Oxford. Despite the name, the Radcliffe Camera actually a Library. The world camera was taken from the Latin Language which means ‘building’. So the only cameras that you will find here are the security ones!

This is certainly one of the most photographed and distinctive landmarks across the city. The function of this library today is the main reading room of the Bodleian. The building holds around 60,000 books in underground rooms beneath the Radcliffe Square.

With the only way to visit the Radcliffe Camera is by an extended guided tour. The tours currently run on the weekends and one weekday.

Find out more here -https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/bodley

Oxford University Museum of Natural History

Image Credit - https://www.oumnh.ox.ac.uk/

The Oxford Museum of Natural History began life as the University’s centre for scientific study. But it is now opened to the public, allowing visitors to have the change to see thousands of fossils, zoological specimens, rocks and minerals. It was founded in 1860 and hold an internationally significant collection of natural history specimens and archives.

With free entry, this is a great place to explore for a few hours. It is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm so this museum should be on your list of things to do in Oxford!

Find out more here - https://www.oumnh.ox.ac.uk/

Oxford Botanical Gardens

Image Credit - Instagram @oxfordbga

Not only does Oxford have the oldest University in the English-speaking world. It also has the first botanical garden in the UK which was founded back in 1621. It contains some of the best conifer collections in the UK and is set within 130 acres. The Oxford Botanical Gardens have nearly 6000 different types of plants as well as a number of Glasshouses.

A day ticket at the Oxford Botanical Gardens is £5.45 for adults and children under 16 can enter for free. If you wanted to make the most of your trip here and learn more about the gardens you can take a tour with trained volunteers which usually last around 60-90 minutes.

Find out more information about the botanical gardens here. https://www.obga.ox.ac.uk/

We hope this list has helped to inspire your travels to Oxford.

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