Overview
Grown around a university founded over nine centuries ago, Oxford is a compact city where the colleges, chapels and libraries of that university still fill the centre. Their stone quadrangles and towers give the skyline its famous spires, and the rivers around them are made for punting on a summer afternoon. A working city as well as a museum piece, it pairs its academic heart with good museums, markets and easy access to the Cotswolds.
Highlights
The domed Radcliffe Camera and the Bodleian Library sit at the heart of the university, near colleges like Christ Church, whose hall inspired scenes on film. A climb up the University Church tower gives the classic view over the spires, and the Ashmolean holds art and antiquities. Punting on the Cherwell and a day in the nearby Cotswolds villages round out a visit.