I love to travel but because of my work I can’t do that as much as I want but that doesn’t stop me to have short weekend travels. London is great place for weekend travels.
Few weeks ago we decided to visit Oxford as I never been there before. Luckily my boyfriend was my tour guide. City of academic gowns,bikes and punts on the river is perfect for weekend gateway. It’s small enough so you can walk across it in a hour but still big enough to keep you busy. There are hundreds of years of academic history with museums and collages but there is also modern part of the city where you can explore great bars and restaurants.
So now here is my guide on how to spend a weekend in Oxford
Universities
Oxford university has 38 different collages around the city. Probably the best known is Christ Church- it had a role of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and its famous students-Lewis Caroll,Albert Einstein and 13 Prime Ministers .Other good collages are Merton, Magdalen,Corpus Christi, Hertford, All Souls and Oriel.
You can get 90 min walking tour around colleges with former student( 11am-4pm, £9,95 adults)
Outside Christ Church College
The Bridge Of Sights at Hertford College
Castle Quarter
Not just you can have a tour of Oxford Castle Unlocked ,you can also stay in Oxford’s castle-turned-prison-turned-hotel, the Malmaison and spend the night in cells or student room,depends how much money you have 🙂
Either way pop into the Malmaison for a cocktail in the old prison’s visitors room then take the a short walk around the corner for French bistro-style food at Côte Brasserie.
Museums
Oxford has a huge range of different museums to choose from. The city’s biggest is the Ashmolean with a mix of art and archaeological exhibits.
For something unusual, check out Pitt Rivers Museum. This anthropological museum was founded 125 years ago with 20,000 items donated by archaeologist Augustus Pitt Rivers.
Pitt Rivers Museum
Punting
Punting is something you can’t miss if you are visiting Oxford.There are two rivers in the city, the Cherwell and the Thames (which is called the Isis when it’s in Oxford).
Underneath Magdalen Bridge by the Botanic Gardens is where you’ll find the most punts. You can hire one that fits up to five people for £20 an hour , or get a boatman to do the work for you for £25 per 30 minutes.
Eating and Drinking
When you get hungry you can visit Covered Market with the range of different stalls from local farms and also cafes and sandwich bars . You can eat there or have a picnic by the river at Botanical Gardens. Also there is The Jam Factory – the birthplace of Frank Cooper’s famous marmalade and now home to local artwork.
Some of the best places to eat and drink in Oxford are riverside pub The Trout , historical pub Eagle and Child where writers like CS Lewis and JR Tolkien used to meet or vintage glasshouse Gees and many more.
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