Visit Oxford

Walk along the Castle Mill stream for a littke whike, It's a branch of the Thames and more exactly a backwater. This part of the river has little to no current. We're only using it between the two bridges, so you can get a feel for the place Read more

If you're lucky enough to be in Oxford between a Wednesday and a Saturday, then St. George's Square must be bustling with activity. Sorry for those who came on a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, but you'll have to come back later if you want to see the Gloucester Green Market. Read more

Here's another of Oxford's iconic towers, and you can guess that it's much older than anything you've seen before. It was built around 1050. It is part of a Romanesque church called St. Michael at the North Gate, it takes its name from the fact that it stands on the site of Oxford's North Gate when the city was surrounded by a wall. Read more

The imposing neoclassical monument in front of you, with its 4 large columns supporting the pediment, is the famous Ashmolean Museum. It was Britain's very first public museum! The first building was built in the late 17th century to house the cabinet of curiosities Read more

Look up, towards the bell tower of Exeter College on your right. It looks as if a naked man, is standing on the roof. It's a strange feeling, and an original statue to say the least. It's the work of English sculptor Antony Gormley, now considered one of the leading artists on the contemporary scene. Read more

On your left here, you will find Trinity College. Unlike many colleges in Oxford, this one isn't entirely hidden, and you can admire its gardens and the external architecture of its buildings from where you are. The college was founded in the 16th century, during the English Reformation Read more

On your right, behind the grinning statues resembling Roman emperors, you’ll find the famous Sheldonian Theatre, one of Oxford's most emblematic historical monuments. Built in the 1660s, it was commissioned by Oxford University and named after the Dean in office at the time: Gilbert Sheldon. Read more

The neoclassical building next to the theater is the Clarendon Building. As a matter of fact, the theater originally had two functions. It was used for graduation ceremonies, but it also housed the printing press of the Oxford University Press. Read more

This elegant stone monument, which could easily be part of a religious building, commemorates the 3 Oxford martyrs: the bishops of London and Worcester, and the Archbishop of Canterbury. The monument was built 300 years after the events of the English Reformation. Read more

Yes, I know what you're thinking, it's like all of a sudden you feel like you are in Italy. Venice, to be more precise. The bridge you see in front of you, even though it looks exactly like the Rialto, is known as the Bridge of Sighs. Read more

You're now in the heart of the Bodleian library. A highlight of your visit to Oxford. You immediately feel the presence of the place and the strength of its past. It's one of Europe's oldest bookshops, and with over 13 million printed articles, it's England's second-largest library. Read more

The imposing facade you see here belongs to Brasenose College, formerly known as Brazen Nose College. It is one of the 38 colleges that make up the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1509 by a lawyer and a bishop and built on the site of Brasenose Hall, a medieval Oxford university hall. Read more

Oxford's cobbled streets reveal heritage treasures at every turn. Earlier you passed the magnificent Oriol College, founded in 1324 by King Edward II of England, making it the city's first college with a royal foundation. You may also have seen the entrance to the Corpus Christi College Read more

Oxford's historical center is a melting pot of history in which you can't take two steps without coming face to face with an important new monument. Here, it's the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. It really is the city's focal point, for it was around this university chapel that Oxford University developed. Read more

Another emblem of Oxford is the Radcliffe Camera. Or Rad Cam, from the Latin camera, meaning chamber. It's a neo-Gothic building constructed in the 18th century by James Gibbs to house the Radcliffe Science library, Oxford University's main scientific library. It's one of the city's most photographed buildings Read more

The narrow lane you're now walking down is called Logic Lane. It was previously known as Horseman Lane because it led to an old mill powered by horses. But Logic Lane primarily runs alongside University College, known to be the oldest in Oxford and for having educated, among others, Bill Clinton and Stephen Hawking! Read more

You are now joining High Street, which is the busiest street in the city, lined with beautiful monuments. The magnificent facade of Queen's College, was built in honor of a queen, but which one? It is Queen Philippa of Hainault, the wife of King Henry III. Read more

You've finally arrived in front of Oxford's undisputed star, its largest and most famous college, from which no fewer than 13 English Prime Ministers have graduated, the famous Christchurch College. If you have to visit only one, this is the one. Read more

This is Oxford Town Hall. The beautiful stone façade you are now looking at reveals the third building designed to house Oxford's town council. The very first, already on this site, dates back as far as 1290, and was later replaced by a new building, designed by Isaac Ware in the Italian style in 1752. Read more

You're now standing in front of the Carfax Tower. It is sadly everything that remains of the church of Saint-Martin, which was the town's main parish church since 1122. Seven centuries later, as you can imagine, the town has evolved. Read more

You'll now reach Saint Aldate's, formerly Fish Street and renamed after the saintly bishop of Gloucester. Look for the store with the red door at number 83. It's called Alice's Shop and is much more interesting than just a souvenir store. Read more

You are now walking alongside a portion of the 13th-century defensive wall that once surrounded the medieval city. As you walk up on your left, you'll see what's known as a bastion. It was built protruding from the wall so that those inside could shoot at attackers coming from all directions. Read more