Oxford Official University & City Tour
Recommended by 95% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Oxford, England
- 2 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Follow in the footsteps of famous former residents like J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis—and discover many of Oxford’s top landmarks in just a couple hours—on this introductory walking tour. Meet your group in central Oxford, and set off on foot. You’ll see key attractions like the Bodleian Library and Sheldonian Theatre, will explore the university area, and you will see many of the elegant colleges from the outside. Note: book an afternoon tour to tour inside the colleges (subject to availability).
- See the best of Oxford in the space of just a couple hours
- Explore one of Oxford University’s historical colleges
- Learn all about the city’s history and former residents from your guide
- A walking tour lets you soak up the city’s evocative ambiance
What's Included
- Guided walking tour
- College visit for afternoon tours (subject to availability)
- No College visit for morning tours
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Cool Britannia23-25 Broad St, Oxford OX1 3AX, UK
Outside Cool Britannia Gift Shop on the corner of Broad St and Turl St, What3Words ///visit.blues.text
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
1
Trinity College
2 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Balliol College
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Martyrs' Memorial
3 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Sheldonian Theatre
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
5
Bodleian Library
5 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
6
Radcliffe Camera
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
University Church of St. Mary the Virgin (Pass By)
Carfax Tower (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Infant seats available
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Please contact the Walking Tours office if you have any mobility issues and we will do our best to adapt the tour, as some of the ancient buildings are not wheelchair accessible. Please note, only Assistance Dogs are allowed on tours.
- In case of severe and dangerous (Yellow) weather warnings tours may be postponed, but normally tours go ahead whatever the weather. Please come comfortably dressed and prepared for the weather.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 1,206 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Sonal_N, Jul 2026
Tour was amazing. Got lot of insight about city & few collages. Harriet was very warm & had very good knowledge.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thanks for the review of your walking tour. We are pleased you enjoyed the tour and appreciate the kind words about your guide Harriet.
Kristen_S, Jun 2026
We stopped through Oxford on our travels and really enjoyed this city tour. Our guide was fantastic. He provided history of the monarchy and the colleges that was fun and informative. I especially appreciated the opportunity to tour All Souls College.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review of your walking tour. We are pleased you enjoyed the tour and appreciate your feedback.
Ruth_N, Jun 2026
The guide was very knowledgeable and we learned a ton about Oxford and its history. He included lots of facts and was humorous too.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thanks for the review of your walking tour. We are glad you enjoyed the tour and appreciate the feedback.
Deborah_S, Jun 2026
Great time to learn about Oxford University and the colleges. Our 16 year old grandson loved the information as he is beginning his college search.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review of your walking tour. We are pleased you enjoyed the tour and your Grandson found the information about the University helpful.
Karen_R, Jun 2026
The guide knew very little about Oxford and was hard to understand (not her fault). We spent the first 15 minutes of the tour inside a book store
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Dear Karen,
Thanks for taking the time to write a review. Very sorry to read you did not enjoy your tour, we take customer satisfaction very seriously and will do all we can to avoid this situation happening again.
If you are still in Oxford or have the chance to return please let us know as we would like to offer you the opportunity to attend another tour. Please feel free to contact us on officialtours@experienceoxfordshire.org
Thomas_S, Jun 2026
Lots of in depth information and history. We learned so much. Our guide answered every random question we had.
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Thomas,
Thank you for the lovely review, we really appreciate it. We're thrilled you enjoyed the University & City walking tour and your time in Oxford!
Rosemary_P, Jun 2026
Brilliant tour. Alan was an amazing guide - full of great stories about the city and university. We saw the inside of 2 stunning colleges and the outside of many others. Small group so lots of great interaction. Would highly recommend
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Hi Rosemary,
Thank you for the wonderful review, we really appreciate it. So glad you enjoyed the University & City tour with Alan, he is great! We will make sure to pass on the kind comments!
Amal_C, May 2026
We thoroughly enjoyed our tour around Oxford University. Our guide was extremely informative, particularly on the early history of Oxford, the religious conflicts that shaped its development, and the evolution and formation of the various colleges. The stories behind the historic buildings brought the university’s remarkable heritage to life.
Response from Host, May 2026
Hello Amal,
Thanks for the review of your walking tour. We are pleased you enjoyed the tour and appreciate the kind words about your guide.
Lesley_M, May 2026
Lots of historical information about the formation of the colleges etc. Quite a log of standing around which I found tiring.
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Lesley,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we really appreciate it! We're glad you enjoyed the University & City tour, we will pass on the kind comments to our guide!
Rick_S, May 2026
Fun informative tour. Our guide , James, was great. He was knowledgeable, funny and very interesting. I’d recommend the tour to anyone visiting the Oxford area.
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Rick,
A lovely review, thank you! We're so glad you enjoyed the University & City walking tour with James, he's a great guide. We'll pass on the kind comments.
Janyce_L, May 2026
Great tour! Our guide was very knowledgable, and set a reasonable pace. The tour went to many places so I have a good idea about finding my way around the city. Strongly recommend.
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Janyce,
A lovely review, thank you! We're so glad you enjoyed the walking tour of the city. We will pass on the kind comments!
Amy_B, May 2026
Guides are superior.
Very knowledgeable and our guide had a great sense of humor.
Pricing was very reasonable.
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Amy,
Thank you for the wonderful review, we really appreciate it! We're so glad you enjoyed the University & City walking tour and your time in Oxford. We will pass on the kind comments to our guide.
Matt_P, May 2026
It was a good overview of Oxford. However, the tour guide focused on academic history, more than what the audience was looking for. He didn’t read the audience well and was going way too much into historical context And not into laymen’s explanation.
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Matt,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we really appreciate it. We're sorry the tour focus wasn't quite what you expected. If you would like to chat more, please feel free to contact us on
officialtours@experienceoxfordshire.org
Joan_N, May 2026
Jason was a great guide, he was informative and engaging! We were provided a lot of the local history and relevant world history as well. We saw the highlights of Oxford and were comfortable navigating the city after the tour. Highly recommend this experience!
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Joan,
A wonderful review, thank you for taking the time to leave it! We're glad you enjoyed the University & City tour with Jason and your time in Oxford. We will pass on the kind comments.
Alison_H, Apr 2026
We had a wonderful tour of Oxford and would highly recommend it! Our guide, Jeremy, was incredibly knowledgeable and made the experience truly enjoyable. As we walked through the city, he shared fascinating information along with engaging stories that really brought Oxford’s history and charm to life. It was a perfect way to explore and learn more about such a beautiful and historic place. Definitely recommend this tour!
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Hi Alison,
An amazing review, thank you so much! We're so glad you enjoyed the University & City walking tour with Jeremy, he is a great guide. We will make sure to pass on the kind comments.
Ryan_L, Mar 2026
Friendly and knowledgeable tour guide, whom I also found to be adaptable and conscientious. Great starting location and thorough exploration, covering the most important parts of both the university and the city both geographically and historically.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hello Ryan,
Thanks for your review and kind words about your guide. We are pleased you enjoyed the tour and appreciate you taking the time to write the review.
Rory_N, Jan 2026
The tour is 100% worth it. Alan, my tour guide, knew an incredible amount about Oxford and gave a completely unique, personalized tour. He was friendly and enthusiastic, and I would say that you cannot view Oxford in a deserving way if you do not take this tour.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hi Rory,
Thank you for the amazing review, we're so glad you enjoyed the walking tour through our beautiful city! We'll pass on the kind comments to Alan!
John_B, Jan 2026
Our guide Jeremy was very knowledgeable and conducted the tour at an easy pace making adjustments to his planned itinerary to additional places we wished to experience. Altogether a very pleasant and informational packed 2 hour tour. One thing to note is you get to enter one of the University College grounds that you cannot do if you are not with an authorized tour guide.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
HI John,
A lovely review, thank you for taking the time to write it! We're glad you enjoy the tour with Jeremy and the visit to a college. We'll pass on the kind words to our guide!
Brian_K, Dec 2025
Well done and knowledgeable. Time well spent and enjoyable. Would do it again. Host was great. Fun group.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hi Brian,
Thank you for the review, we're glad you enjoyed your walking tour! Well pass on the kind comments to our guide!
Judy_W, Dec 2025
If during December colleges are closed and you t is very cold but still worth the tour! We got a good view of campus and town.
Response from Host, Jan 2026
Hi Judy,
A lovely review, thank you for taking the time to write it! We're sorry a college wasn't available during your visit but glad you enjoyed the tour anyway! We'll pass on the kind comments to our guide.
regina_c, Dec 2025
Worthwhile experience with Becca. Her institutional and historical knowledge of all things Oxford enthralled us throughout the 2 hour tour. Enjoyed ever minute of it.
Response from Host, Dec 2025
Hi Regina,
Enthralled throughout, what a comment! We're so glad you enjoyed the tour with Becca, she is a great guide. We will make sure to pass on the kind comments!
LESLIE_L, Nov 2025
The guide was clearly very knowledgable about all aspects of Oxford University and had graduated from there a while back. We went during the off season so my husband and I were treated to a personalized tour and had very nice conversations with our guide. We learned quite a bit of the history including some amusing stories and wish that we could have stayed longer to enjoy more of what the town had to offer but had to rush off to the next destination. Some buildings were closed at our scheduled time but were going to be open in the afternoon. Perhaps scheduling in the afternoon would have been a little better? I would recommend giving yourself the whole day to explore this historic town.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Hi Leslie,
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review, we really appreciate it. We're glad you enjoyed your time in Oxford and our guided walking tour. We'll make sure to pass the kind comments to our guide!
Randy_C, Oct 2025
Awesome experience! The tour guide was so knowledgeable and fun. We would have never seen the wonderful sights without our guide.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi Randy,
Thanks for the great review, we're so glad you enjoyed your walking tour of Oxford! We'll make sure to pass the kind comments to your guide.
Beth_B, Oct 2025
Harvey was an excellent tour guide: knowledgeable and friendly. We very much enjoyed this tour and would happily recommend it to others
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi Beth,
Thank you for taking the time to write a review, it's really appreciated! We're glad you enjoyed the walking tour and thought Harvey was an excellent guide. We'll pass on the kind comments.
Mark_D, Oct 2025
Excellent tour. Exceptional tour guide with great knowledge of Oxford and the university. Really enjoyable even in the rain.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi Mark,
Thank you for the review, we really appreciate it! We're glad you enjoyed your walking tour (in spite of the rain) and loved our guide. We'll pass on the kind comments!
KATHLEEN_G, Oct 2025
Richard, our guide was so knowledgeable and a great tour guide. We loved it! We especially liked all the stories about the scholars and writers.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi Kathleen,
Thank you for the lovely review! We're so glad you enjoyed your time in Oxford and tour with Richard. We'll make sure to pass on the kind comments.
Brandon_C, Oct 2025
Very informational. You could visit Oxford without a tour, but you learn so much more with one. Cat was great. Highly recommend.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi Brandon,
Thank you for the lovely review, we really appreciate it!
We're glad you enjoyed your time in Oxford and hope you visit again soon.
Harini_M, Sep 2025
Overall good tour by a resident of Oxford! I believe our tour guide also used to work at Oxford. We felt the tour was informative but there were times the information shared was a bit boring (at least for me) and we walked along the same streets twice which felt a bit redundant. We enjoyed the tour otherwise and felt we received good quality for the price we paid.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi Harini,
Thank you for taking the time to write a review! We're glad you enjoyed your tour and time in Oxford. Visit again soon!
Lea_Y, Sep 2025
Helene was a lovely and very knowledgeable tour guide. We learned so much about the area. All of her suggestions for additional exploration were spot on. A wonderful way to get acquainted with the area.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Hi Lea,
Helena is a great guide, we're so glad you enjoyed your time in Oxford! Hope you enjoyed exploring the hidden spots!
Stephanie_F, Sep 2025
This tour was honestly awful. The tour guide was very low energy and spoke very softly the entire tour. I tried asking him questions and he got very flustered as it seemed to disrupt the script of his tour. It felt very impersonal and was really quite boring. I have taken multiple tours of Oxford with another company where a former student was a guide and it was full of fun stories and gave an insight into student life. Only take this tour if you are into the names of statues and history of the founding of each college-I majored in history at university and even I was bored. Just awful. Also a heads up-make sure you book a tour that takes you into one of the colleges and/or into the Bodleian library. This one does neither, which is understandable because it is a cheaper tour.
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Thanks for your review. Sorry to hear you did not enjoy the tour, we take customer satisfaction very seriously. Your feedback is important and we will use it to work with our guides to improve our product.
You mentioned entrances into attractions. Just to clarify our morning tours do not include a college visit but our afternoon tours do which is why there is a difference in price.
Sorry again you did not enjoy the experience but if you are ever back in Oxford please let us know as we would love to offer you the chance to attend a tour to show this was an isolated incident.
From $40.89
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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