Arguably the best location in Oxford, you have the famous colleges, museums and theatres just a short walk over Magdalen Bridge and down the High Street. For dining out, choose from over 20 restaurants, bars and pubs in the local area, within a couple of minutes walk, such as Coco's, Kazbar, Tarifa, Fishers and La Cucina.
Enjoy the best of Oxford by foot - almost everything is in walking distance. No need for a car, though parking can be arranged if required.
Famous sights
- Botanic Gardens - the oldest botanical garden in the UK, with large glass greenhouses and more than 1,000 plant species from around the world.
- Magdalen Bridge - the quintessential Oxford experience: hire a punt and coast down the river.
- Magdalen College - with its magnificent spire, church bells and a deer park, this Oxford University college is well worth a visit.
- Christchurch Meadow - the beautiful grounds of Christchurch with pretty walks to the river and picturesque views of the famous Christchurch College.
- Christchurch College - the most magnificent of all the Colleges, educator of 14 British Prime Ministers and film location for Harry Potter. A tour of Christchurch, the largest of the 42 Oxford Colleges, is recommended.
- Bodleian Library - the circular gothic library with over 11 million items, built in 1602 is one of Europe's oldest libraries.
- Natural History Museum - the impressive collections of zoology, geology and entomology exhibits including complete dinosaur skeletons, stuffed aligators and bears makes for a fascinating tour and with free entry.
- Pitt Rivers Museum - attached to the Natural History Museum is this large collection of archaeological and anthropological items gathered by the University of Oxford.
- The Ashmolean - the world's first university museum, built in 1678, is a treasure trove of art and archaeology. Set over 5 floors with regular exhibitions and free entry.
- Oxford Castle - opened in 1071, this partly ruined Norman medieval castle offers daily dungeon tours, a weekly farmers market and other events.
Dining
- Coco's - long established, classy place for coffee, lunch or dinner and an excellent full English breakfast from 10am.
- Kazbar - great tapas and cocktails in this trendy Moroccan bar.
- Tarifa - a cool Mediterranean bar often featuring live music and garden.
- La Cucina - the best pizza and Italian cuisine in Oxford. Book in advance.
- Fishers - popular fish and seafood restaurant with good value lunch and early dinner offers.
- Thai Orchid - authentic Thai restaurant with recommended buffet from 12pm on Sundays.
- Door 74 - contemporary British cuisine, well-reviewed.
- The Grand Cafe - the oldest coffee house in England - an ideal spot for coffee or afternoon tea.
- Atomic Burger - retro American burger joint with a choice of beef/veggie/chicken and an unusual choice of toppings. Recommended.
- A further 20 cafes and restaurants within 10 minutes walk.
Transport
- Local bus: 1 minute walk to the bus stop for local buses.
- Hop-on-hop-off bus: 4 minutes walk to nearest stop. Goes all over Oxford.
- Train: 10 minutes bus ride to Oxford train station (or 20 minutes walk).
- London coach: 3 minutes walk to the Oxford-London coach. Departs every 20 minutes, journey time 90 minutes.
- Airports: 4 minutes walk to the airport coaches (Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted).