Introduction and Overview
The Oxford Travel Guide highlights a range of visitor attractions, places of interest and offers useful tourist information and tips for visitors. Located in the county of Oxfordshire, the city is located approx one hour’s train journey from London, the city is world renowned for its university that is the oldest university city in the UK.
The world famous university has given Oxford an international reputation as a place of learning and scholarly excellence and its influence is all around the city. There is however more to Oxford than just the university, Oxford was founded back in the 9th century before the University was founded in 1167.
The city grew rapidly at the start of the 20th century becoming well known as a centre for the publishing and printing industries in addition to its academic and learning offshoot industries.
The Oxford area became a centre for car production, located in Cowley close to the city the subsequent scaling own of car production has resulted in the original car production site becoming the Oxford Business Park. Currently the key industries in the city include IT, publishing, car production and academia, education and learning.
The city is located on the River Thames with plenty of scenic riverside settings; the city has been referred to as the ‘city of dreaming spires’ in reference to its picturesque historic buildings, churches and colleges.
Oxford is known for its culture and heritage; visitors can find some of the finest architecture in the UK, examples include the Bodleian Library, viewed as a prime example of English Gothic design, the Sheldonian Theatre and the Radcliffe Camera with its English Palladian style.
The inspiring buildings and impressive architecture make Oxford a top heritage destination.
The city includes plenty of attractions for visitors to see and explore including visiting the famous colleges at Oxford University including Christ Church, seeing the inspiring views from the Carfax Tower; located in the city centre and enjoying a scenic walk through the Oxford Botanic Garden.
Christ Church is located at St. Aldates in Oxford, well known for being both the largest college in Oxford and currently the only college in the world with a cathedral within its walls.
The College has produced over a dozen prime ministers, a number of cabinet ministers, bishops and civil servants. Visitors can see the great hall and the cathedral, Christ Church was the setting for `Hogwarts’ in the Harry Potter films.
The Sheldonian Theatre is located on Broad Street, Oxford. The theatre dates back to the mid 17th century and is named after Gilbert Sheldon, who was Chancellor of the University at the time the construction was carried out.
Currently the building is used for a range of sues including conferences, music recitals, public lectures and a range of ceremonies held by Oxford University including graduation ceremonies. The theatre has a capacity of 1,000 people, visitors can climb to the top where there are some inspiring views of Oxford and the local area.
The geographical location of Oxford means it is popular among those in the London and south east of England area as a day trip and short break destination, its beautiful, tranquil surroundings are a contrast to the hustle and bustle Londoners are accustomed to.
Oxford offers a great mix of a compact city with traditional architecture, rich history with a vibrant modern city set in the scenic Oxfordshire countryside.
The main areas in Oxford city centre include, the High Street that runs in to the centre of Oxford and St Aldates and St Giles’s that are separated by the Cornmarket area, that is a pedestrianised shopping area.
The relatively compact nature of the city means visitors can walk around the city to see many of the sights.
Disclaimer: The information given in on this website is given in good faith and to the best of our knowledge. If there are any discrepancies in no way do we intend to mislead. Important travel details and arrangements should be confirmed and verified with the relevant authorities.
