LOADING
Click on the slideshow's tiles to jump straight to that part of the guide or use these navigation links if you're reading this on a mobile:
See | Stay | Eat | Drink | Buy | Unwind
See
Oxford's museums are world-class, none more so than the titanic Ashmolean (Beaumont Street, 01865 278002, ashmolean.org, admission free), Britain's oldest public museum. The kernel of this extraordinary collection was donated to the university by Elias Ashmole in 1677. Since then it has grown rapaciously and, after a recent £61m refurbishment, it's an experience not to be missed. Escher-like staircases usher you back and forth across an airy atrium as you curate your own way through the beautifully arranged exhibits. Highlights include the Alfred Jewel, the Messiah Stradivarius, Guy Fawkes' lantern and an incredible collection of artwork. Finish in its rooftop restaurant.
Oxford rings with music: choirs raise the roofs of college chapels, chamber ensembles swell the Holywell Music Room and thumping gigs pound the O2 Academy, but the most memorable venue is the Sheldonian Theatre (Broad Street, ox.ac.uk/sheldonian). This beautiful building – Sir Christopher Wren's second major architectural design – hosts an unparalleled concert schedule throughout the year. Sit in the gallery and let the music transport you. During the day, don't miss a visit to the cupola: climb through the dome rafters for an extraordinary rooftop view.
Stay
Soak up the sound of the Thames above a real ale pub. Ask for a room with a view at the Head of the River (Folly Bridge, St Aldates, 01865 721600, headoftheriveroxford.co.uk, doubles from £120) and you'll overlook the Thames and the steamboats leaving from the historic Folly Bridge nearby (salterssteamers.co.uk). These clean, stylish bedrooms offer a refreshing escape from the bustle of central Oxford. The pub has a riverside terrace and excellent food: the slap-up breakfast makes this one of the best value options in the city.
If you'd rather slumber somewhere ancient, wend your way down a narrow, cobbled alley to the flagstone courtyard of the Bath Place Hotel (4-5 Bath Place, Holywell Street, 01865 791812,
bathplace.co.uk/, doubles from £115). This family-run warren of 17th-century cottages is a charming and quirky venue, seconds from the centre, with great views of New College bell tower, which has been in continual use since the 13th century. Allegedly, Jane Burden, the pre-Raphaelites' angular muse, was born here.
Eat
The best place for breakfast is the Covered Market (Market Street,
oxford-coveredmarket.co.uk), Oxford's jumbled labyrinth of independent cheesemongers, butchers, gift shops and flowersellers. The top spots are Brown's, a Portuguese cafe that serves fry-ups on laminate tables, as well as several dishes with an Iberian twist; and crowded Georgina's, up a narrow painted staircase, where you squeeze among murals and the bright Bohemian clientele for huge bacon baguettes and excellent coffee.
If you need lunch on the hoof, Oxford is thickly spread with gastronomic sandwicheries. One of the best is the Alternative Tuck Shop on Holywell Street, where you can sample an exotic ciabatta with a staggering array of fillings. If you have time to sit down, however, try the Vaults And Garden Cafe (thevaultsandgarden.com beneath the University Church on Radcliffe Square. Its five seasonal and responsibly sourced dishes of the day are easily enjoyed amid the elegant arches of the university's oldest building.
A classy dinner option is Gee's on the Banbury Road (01865 553 540, gees-restaurant.co.uk, serving first-rate British cuisine.
Drink
Oxford flows with coffee. The best coffee in Oxford is Zappi's Bike Cafe latte (28-32 St Michael's Street,
zappisbikecafe.com/. Flavio Zappi, a former Italian cyclist, runs a cycling club with its own lycra and extensive membership. The cafe in his clubhouse is a revelation. The baristas wax lyrical over depth and body and silky steamed milk, and the artistic cupful certainly delivers.
You're spoilt for choice once the sun is over the yardarm. For atmosphere, don't miss The Eagle and Child on St Giles (49 St Giles,
nicholsonspubs.co.uk/theeagleandchildoxford/. There are guest ales on draught and plenty of low-ceilinged character. Take a seat in the Rabbit Room, where the Inklings, a literary group including JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, met every week until 1962.
Buy
Completed in 1966, the underground Norrington Room in Blackwell's, Oxford's academic bookseller, broke the world record for the largest single room selling books: it has three miles of shelving. The rest of the shop is similarly expansive, well worth exploring and if you get confused between the mezzanines, there's a helpfully located base camp cafe to break the journey.
The choice of books is almost limitless, but we recommend Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm, a fantastical love story set in Oxford. The stone Emperors' Heads opposite Blackwell's feature memorably.
• Blackwell's, 48-51 Broad Street, 01865 792792, bookshop.blackwell.co.uk
Unwind
The best way to unwind in Oxford is by messing about in boats. Rent a punt from Magdalen bridge and head up the river Cherwell (Magdalen Bridge Boathouse, The Old Horse Ford,
oxfordpunting.co.uk). You get away from Oxford surprisingly quickly. Go early, before 10am, to be first on the river and you'll see bright kingfishers darting ahead of you along the banks. If you go in mid-April you'll also get a stunning eye-level view of the famous Magdalen Meadow fritillaries. With good company, a generous hamper and a glass of river-chilled rosé, things don't get much better.
A stroll in Port Meadow is another delightful way to relax. This expanse of common land is mentioned in the Domesday Book and affords unexpected vistas of Oxford, grazing cattle and vast spans of open sky. Lewis Carroll first told the Alice in Wonderland stories to Alice Liddell and her sisters while boating along this stretch of the Thames. If you stop off for a tea party in the excellent Perch pub (Binsey Lane, 01865 728891the-perch.co.uk/), walk on to Binsey Church and visit the Dormouse's treacle well: a medicinal spring dedicated to St Frideswide, patron saint of Oxford.
