As a continuation of my time in London, I took another day trip, this time to Oxford! I was really excited to see this city because of the filming sites in movies (Harry Potter, mainly). It was quite beautiful, but if I’m being honest, if I had known how annoying it was to get there, I don’t know that I would have gone.

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The Journey to and From

To get to Oxford from Clapham Junction, where I was living, it took a train, the tube, and a bus. Not ideal, and although the bus (called the Oxford Tube) was nicer than the ones typically in the city, it was a long ride. On the way back, it started raining and the bus was really crowded and loud. If you have a way to get there by car, I would recommend going. When taking public transportation, unless Oxford is somewhere you are dying to go, I would go elsewhere coming from London.

If you do go to Oxford from London, I would recommend making it more worthwhile and staying a night or two. There are some great options, from Marriott to local lodgings, click here to find something in your budget.

The Alice

When I finally arrived in Oxford, I decided to grab a snack before walking around the town. I found a little cafe inside The Randolph Hotel called The Alice. It was a cute atmosphere with pink booths, green chairs, and a blue floral covered ceiling. The walls were decorated with different paintings of scenes from Alice in Wonderland. I later found out that Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice in Wonderland, went to Oxford.

I got a cream tea and relaxed for a bit. The clotted cream was so pretty I almost didn’t want to ruin it. But it tasted even better than it looked. I would recommend a stop here if you are in Oxford. They also had a yummy looking lunch menu.

Ashmolean Museum

The Ashmolean is the museum of art for the University of Oxford. The museum started in 1682, and was the first British museum according to their website. It is open every day, and has rotating installations. I wished I’d had more time to explore here! There are 5 floors of exhibits, so I didn’t even scratch the surface.

Since I didn’t get enough time here due to my walking tour time, I chose what I wanted to see most. I did get to see some of the mummy displays, which are right when you first walk in. I also saw the “Coins at the Crossroads of Asia” along with some of the oldest relics in the museum from 8000 BC Cyprus. The coin display was incredible, although I didn’t talk photos, and goes all the way back to when money first started being used, to the most recent print of the British one pound note.

A Walking Tour

I decided to do a walking tour with a guide while in Oxford. This way I could get more of a history lesson. If you don’t book in advance, don’t worry. They allow walk-ups in front of the Trinity College front gate. I’m hesitant to do tours because I like to wander around on my own, but I have zero regrets doing this one. I learned a lot about the different colleges that make up Oxford (39 of them). Plus, we went to some locations that I don’t think I would have seen otherwise.

Of course, Oxford is known for its filming locations for some of the Harry Potter movies. I was excited to see the courtyard from Goblet of Fire, along with some other spots used as inspiration for the movies. Besides Harry Potter, there were other movie scene sites. Chariots of Fire, for example, and inspirations for books, like The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. All tucked away in Oxford’s many pathways in between the colleges.

If you look at the last photo above (bottom right), this is the front gate of Merton College. Said to be one of the oldest- if not the oldest- college in Oxford. It was also the college where JR Tolkien attended- writer of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings books. Much history to be learned in the city of Oxford.

Conclusion

Overall, a day in Oxford is probably all you need, but doing an overnight stay wouldn’t be the worst thing. There are many museums and libraries you can visit. Though, since they all close at 5 pm, it limits your time to see it all in one day. Especially if you’re commuting to and from London.

This was my third and final week in London, and I think I really made the most of it!

Have you been to Oxford? What did you like or not like about it? Do you have recommendations for things I may have missed? Let me know in the comments!