Oxford
38 colleges, 900 years, the Hogwarts dining hall, punting on the Cherwell, and the pub where Tolkien read to Lewis

About Oxford
Oxford is the city where 38 colleges have been accumulating buildings, libraries, gardens, and traditions for 900 years, and the result is a concentration of architecture that makes you feel like you wandered into a film set, which you literally did because Harry Potter, Downton Abbey, His Dark Materials, Inspector Morse, and Brideshead Revisited were all filmed here. Christ Church College (GBP 18) has the dining hall that inspired Hogwarts' Great Hall, the cathedral that doubles as the college chapel, and the meadow where Alice in Wonderland's author walked with the real Alice. The Bodleian Library (GBP 10-18 for tours) has been lending books since 1602 and the Divinity School's vaulted ceiling was used as Hogwarts' infirmary.
The city is the university and the university is the city, which means the best things to do are the colleges themselves. Most are open to visitors (GBP 0-18 per college, hours vary by term), and walking through the quads, chapels, dining halls, and gardens that produced 28 British prime ministers, 72 Nobel laureates, and Tolkien, Lewis, Wilde, and Shelley is the point of visiting. The Ashmolean Museum (free, the oldest public museum in the world, opened 1683, the Egyptian rooms and the Alfred Jewel are highlights) and the Pitt Rivers Museum (free, the Victorian ethnographic collection in a building that looks like a natural history cathedral) are world-class and cost nothing.
The covered market (open since 1774, the oldest continuously operating market in Oxford) has the best lunch options: Ben's Cookies (the chocolate chip cookie that launched a chain but the original is still the best), the Covered Market pie shop, and the traditional butchers and cheesemongers. Punting on the Cherwell (GBP 24 per hour for the boat, you steer with a pole, you will get wet, it is a rite of passage) is the quintessential Oxford experience between May and September. The Eagle and Child pub on St Giles' is where Tolkien and Lewis met weekly to read each other their work. A pint there costs GBP 5-6 and the literary history is free.
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Practical bits, answered
Most colleges charge an entry fee (GBP 5-18) and have restricted hours, particularly during term time when they close for exams in May-June. Christ Church (GBP 18) is the most famous and the busiest: book online in advance and avoid meal times when the Great Hall closes. Magdalen (GBP 7), Merton (GBP 5), and New College (GBP 7 term, free vacation) are the best value after Christ Church. The Bodleian Library is separate from the colleges and requires its own booking. Check each college's website the week before you visit as opening hours change by term.
If you or anyone in your group cares about the films, yes. The tour covers Christ Church (Great Hall, cloisters, staircase), the Bodleian's Divinity School (hospital wing), Duke Humfrey's Library (the library), and New College cloisters (Forbidden Forest). The guide explains specifically which shots were filmed on location versus on the studio set at Leavesden. Budget GBP 15-20 for the tour plus GBP 18 for Christ Church entry if you want to go inside. The morning tour (9:30 AM start) gets into Christ Church before the independent visitor queue grows.
Punting runs May to September, conditions permitting. Self-drive punt hire at Magdalen Bridge Boathouse costs approximately GBP 24-30 per hour for a boat holding 4-6 people. Book online in advance for sunny June-August weekends: punts sell out by mid-morning. The chauffeur option (someone punts for you, GBP 20-25 per person for a 45-minute shared tour) is worth it if you want to look at the scenery rather than concentrate on not falling in. Cherwell Boathouse on Bardwell Road is quieter than Magdalen Bridge and has the same price.
The Oxford Tube coach from Victoria Coach Station or Marble Arch runs 24 hours and takes 90-100 minutes (GBP 15-20 return online). The Chiltern Railways train from London Marylebone to Oxford takes 55-65 minutes (GBP 20-35 return, book in advance for the best price). The coach is slower but runs more frequently and terminates in central Oxford on Gloucester Green. Driving is not recommended: Oxford has a traffic congestion zone in the centre and very limited central parking. Park and Ride services operate from multiple sites around the city (GBP 3-5 return).
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