Oxford In One Day: 10 Best Things To Do

Oxford is an amazing city full of history and culture and an amazing day trip! I did a day trip to Oxford on my last trip to the U.K. I’ve seen the city’s most beautiful colleges, libraries, and prominent landmarks of Oxford. It’s a delight to visit.

In this travel guide, you’ll know what to do in Oxford in one day to make the most of your day trip to this beautiful city.

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Is Oxford Worth Visiting?

Absolutely! Oxford is an amazing city, even if you only have one day to spend there.

Oxford is one of those enchanting cities where centuries of academic brilliance meet captivating architecture. You explore its iconic colleges, wander along cobblestone streets, and absorb the scholarly atmosphere that permeates this cultural gem – a day in Oxford is full of rich history and timeless charm – and also perfect for all the Potterheads out there!

What To Do In Oxford In One Day

While I was back in Bristol for a few days with a friend, we decided to take a day trip to Oxford. Oxford, which is with Cambridge, is one of the most collegial cities. 

I visited Oxford in February with a friend while we were based in Bristol, so it was a day trip to Oxford!

If, like us, you only have one day to explore Oxford, you’ll be happy to know that there’s plenty you can see and everything is within a walkable distance.

Pretty great if you ask me.

The whole city’s architecture and vibe make the trip worth it; it’s plenty of fun to explore without an actual plan, so there’s no need to worry much about this. Even if your day isn’t thoroughly planned, you will quickly find activities in the city centre.

However, if you’re here, it’s because you’d like to know what’s possible to do during one day, so let me walk you through what you can do during one day in Oxford.

Colleges of Oxford

If you’re wondering what to do in Oxford in one day, colleges must be on your bucket list.

Oxford is famous for its colleges, as it is the home of the oldest university in the world. Is it possible to explore the city and not visit at least one?! Those independent colleges are the highlight of any trip to Oxford.

The city counts no less than 38 colleges, so seeing them all in one day is impossible.

It is all full of history and traditions, and I must admit, gorgeous architecture. Exploring the inside and outside is an absolute pleasure to admire their architecture. Visiting a few of them probably took up to 50% of our time.

• Wadham College was the first college we visited on that day, it is vast with its garden and buildings. You can also find some references to Alice in Wonderland there.
• Magdalen College We saw the Magdalen College by the end of our day, so we didn’t visit inside, only strolled outside, which is too bad as this was also one of the sets for Harry Potter! It was still beautiful and gave the city an eerie vibe, with the sun slowly setting.
• Oriel College is located near Christ Church and Radcliff Camera and offers a somewhat Gothic architectural style.

We probably visited/saw a few more colleges, but those are the ones that caught my attention; those colleges are all stunning with many details, but after seeing a few, they start to blend in your mind, to be honest.
Also, keep in mind that visiting colleges isn’t free. You need to pay a small fee, also, not every part is accessible to the public.

University Church of St Mary the Virgin

Christ Church was my favourite part of that day; when you reach the location, you can see why it is such a famous spot.  The inside of the church is gorgeous, and the view you get from its top is worth climbing the super narrow steps! It’s also the best way to get a beautiful shot of the Radcliff Camera from above!

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Radcliff Camera

Radcliff Camera is a beautiful library, which, as I wrote above, you can have a great view from one of the sides at the top of Christ Church.

It is possible to visit the inside library by booking a Bodleian Library tour; however, we did not feel like doing it, so we skipped that.

Explore The Bodleian Library 

The Bodleian Library is composed of different buildings, including the Divinity School. It is home to one of the world’s oldest libraries; it used to be a working library belonging to Oxford University. The most famous one is Duke Humfrey’s library.

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Hertford Bridge or The Bridge Of Sighs

Located near the premise of the Bodleian Library and Hertford College, this little bridge is often called the Bridge Of Sighs as it resembles the bridge you can find in Venice.

Oxford Divinity School

Oxford Divinity School is where some Harry Potter scene was shot!

It’s the nursery. You can visit it without getting the entire tour. You can spend 10 min there for one pound, which is more than enough as it’s relatively quick to see as it’s just one room and there’s not much to read either. You can snap your shot stroll, and voila.
The Divinity School is the oldest teaching hall in the university.

Oxford Castle/Prison

Oxford’s Castle was partly destroyed during the English Civil War, turned into a prison, and is home to 1,000 years of history.

Plenty of restaurants and pubs are next to the castle in Oxford Castle Quarter if you fancy a pint. You can also spend the night in the jail in one of the cells at the Malmaison Hotel if you want to.

Oxford City Centre

The city centre is the first thing we visited that day as it’s the closest to the train station when you arrive in Oxford. The architecture is a mix of ancient and modern houses.

Naturally, the streets there are busy as you can find many souvenirs, shops, fast food restaurants, and pubs.

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Just wander around Oxford – Soak In The City.

Maybe it’s just me, but I love to explore the city without a particular itinerary, soak in the atmosphere and discover charming streets.

Oxford has so many beautiful architectural styles, from the English Gothic to Neoclassical; it’s a pleasure to see them all.

Climb a Tower

An excellent activity in Oxford is climbing a tower to enjoy the gorgeous view of the city. There are three towers you can climb to do that;

• Carfax Tower
• University Church of St Mary the Virgin
• St George’s Tower at Oxford Castle

Close by, you can easily find the Carfax Tower, a tower that used to be part of a church and is all that remains from this 13th-century church. It’s open to the public, and you can get a bird’s view of the city from the top.

Take a punt 

Punting is a prevalent activity in Oxford. While it’d have been to take a punt since we had some spare time, it’s an activity that’s more suited for spring or summer. It was freezing when we visited Oxford (mid-February). Neither of us fancied sitting in a boat with the cold winter wind beating up our faces.

That’s why we decided to skip it. If you’re visiting during a warmer season, you should consider seeing the city from a different point of view.

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How To Get To Oxford

How To Get To Oxford From Bristol

We took the 9:30 at Bristol Temple Meads, as I wanted to hop on an off-peak train since it’s slightly cheaper than a regular ticket—£ 24,90 return ticket for a 1-hour and a-half train ride.

If you’re staying in London and would like to make a day trip to Oxford, you can also; it’s pretty easy to travel from London to Oxford. A day trip to Oxford from London costs around £64 and takes up to 1h.

Check here for trains.

We had one train change at Didcot Parkway before taking another train there for two stops when we finally reached Oxford.
By the way, we got a snack at the Pumpkin Cafe while waiting for our next train, and I do not recommend their cheese and tomato toastie; it was just gross and tasteless.

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Oxford is truly a gem of Britain, perfect for architecture and history lovers, Harry Potter fans, Alice in Wonderland lovers, and more!

I’m considering returning for more than a day trip to explore the city more in-depth. If you have more time, consider visiting the Blenheim Palace; it’s on my list next time! It’s a vibrant city with a lot to offer.

Overall, on a day trip to Oxford, you can manage to visit enough without feeling rushed as long as you stay in the city centre; however, if you would like to explore more in-depth and see the surrounding area, you need at least a weekend or a few days. And that’s a wrap on my what to do in Oxford in one one-day guide!

But if you’re okay with only the main bits, then a day trip to Oxford will be great!

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What To Do In Oxford In One Day

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✈ Best Travel Ressources To Plan Your Next Trip

✈ How To Find Flights?

– Skyscanner; it is a good comparator for finding the cheapest flights.
– Google Flights is also a good help when comparing flights.

✈ Where To Book Accommodations?

– Booking.com: plenty of options and ways to get discounts the more you book.

✈ Best Sites To Book Activities

– GetYourGuide when I can’t get a ticket directly on the website or if it’s easier to go through them.
– Klook if you need to book more than just activities and would like to get everything from the same website or different day trips—(i.e. transport cards, car rental, hotel…).

✈ Other helpful travel resources

– Radical Storage: If you need a place to keep your luggage for an extended period when you travel, I recommend using them.
– TheTrainline: If you love to travel by train like me, then TheTrainline needs to be your go-to website for train travel in Europe.

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