Oxford
Known as the city of dreaming spires, Oxford’s main attractions are the historic university colleges that form part of the University of Oxford, one of the world’s most prestigious institutions of education. This picturesque town, only about an hours drive from London, has a meandering river, grassy knolls and historic buildings and is more bustling than one would expect, especially on the weekends. If you drive, as we did on our visit, it is probably best to use the park and ride facility (where you park outside the city and catch a bus in) than to try and find a parking spot, because they are limited and expensive.
The town centre, with all the usual High St shops, is close to the university colleges and you can easily get around the main sights on foot. There is a sightseeing bus tour though of Oxford, which is kind of funny because it’s not really big enough to warrant it. You can also pay and go on a walking tour organized by the tourist information centre.
We walked around… without a map, which probably wasn’t the best option. But we did get to see a lot of the colleges, which are marvelous- some of the university buildings date back to the 1200’s. The tight cobbled streets are fun to walk around, and seeing what you discover down these well traveled paths is part of the joy of walking around Oxford.
One of our discoveries was the covered market, an indoor shopping area made up of delightful old shops, selling a huge range of different items. One of the stores that we found most charming included a store which sold beautifully decorated cakes and had a large range of marzipan creations in the window. You could watch as the women inside worked.
Also, the university has some museums which are free for the public to enter and view.
It’s probably best to go to Oxford with a map in hand, because I saw a lot of great things but am unsure of what the names of them are. But it is a really lovely place, definitely worth a day trip from London. Buses depart to Oxford regularly from the main stations in London.
The town centre, with all the usual High St shops, is close to the university colleges and you can easily get around the main sights on foot. There is a sightseeing bus tour though of Oxford, which is kind of funny because it’s not really big enough to warrant it. You can also pay and go on a walking tour organized by the tourist information centre.
We walked around… without a map, which probably wasn’t the best option. But we did get to see a lot of the colleges, which are marvelous- some of the university buildings date back to the 1200’s. The tight cobbled streets are fun to walk around, and seeing what you discover down these well traveled paths is part of the joy of walking around Oxford.
One of our discoveries was the covered market, an indoor shopping area made up of delightful old shops, selling a huge range of different items. One of the stores that we found most charming included a store which sold beautifully decorated cakes and had a large range of marzipan creations in the window. You could watch as the women inside worked.
Also, the university has some museums which are free for the public to enter and view.
It’s probably best to go to Oxford with a map in hand, because I saw a lot of great things but am unsure of what the names of them are. But it is a really lovely place, definitely worth a day trip from London. Buses depart to Oxford regularly from the main stations in London.
posted by Ashlee at 9:00 pm
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