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Oxford is famous for its spires, and like all great cliches it's strikingly apt - looking across the meadows or rooftops to Oxford's golden spires is certainly an experience to inspire purple prose.
These days, however, Oxford battles against a flood of tourists and some typical Midlands social problems. It is not just a university city, but the home of Morris cars with a bustling centre and some sprawling industrial suburbs.
Oxford University is the oldest university in Britain. The colleges began to appear from the mid-13th century onwards. There are now about 14,500 undergraduates and 36 colleges.
Orientation
The train station is west of the centre, with frequent buses to Carfax Tower, a central landmark at the intersection of Queen St and Cornmarket St / St Aldate's. Alternatively, turn left off the station concourse into Park End St and it's a 15-minute walk. The bus station is nearer the centre, on Gloucester Green.
The hectic TIC (726871) on Gloucester Green charges a hefty £2.75 (plus 10% deposit) for local B&B bookings. It's imperative to pick up a few brochures at the TIC -you need more information than this guide can give. The Welcome to Oxford brochure (£1) has a walking tour with college opening times. The TIC has daily two-hour walking tours of the colleges for £4/2.5.
THINGS TO SEE AND DO
You need more than a day to 'do' Oxford, but, at a bare minimum, make sure you visit Christ Church (with the Oxford Cathedral), Merton and Magdalen (pronounced ‘maudlen’) colleges and the Ashmolean Museum. The colleges remain open throughout the year (unlike Cambridge) but their hours vary.
Colleges
Starting at the Carfax Tower, which you can climb for £1.20, cross Corn-market St and walk down the hill, along St Aldate's, to Christ Church, perhaps the most famous college in Oxford. The main entrance is beneath Tom Tower, which was built by Wren in 1680, but the usual visitors' entrance is farther down the hill via the wrought-iron gates facing out over Christ Church Meadow. Entry is £3.
Return to the Broad Walk, follow the stone wall, then turn left up Merton Grove, through wrought-iron gates, then right into Merton St. Merton College was founded in 1264 and its buildings are among the oldest in Oxford. The present buildings mostly date from the 15th to the 17th centuries.
Turn left into Merton St, then take the first right into Magpie Lane, which will take you through to High St with its fascinating mix of architectural styles. Turn right down the hill until you come to Magdalen just before the river on your left. Magdalen is one of the richest Oxford colleges and has the most extensive and beautiful grounds.
Walk back up High St until you come to the University Church of St Mary the Virgin on your right (there's a good view from the tower), turn right up Cattle St to the distinctive, circular Radcliffe Camera, a reading room for the Bodleian Library. Continue up Cattle St passing the Bridge of Sighs on your right, then turn left into Broad St. On your left you pass Wren's Sheldonian Theatre, and on your right Trinity and Bal-liol colleges. Turn left at Cornmarket St and you'll be back where you started.
Museums
Established in 1683, the free Ashmolean in Beaumont St is the country's oldest museum and houses extensive displays of European art and Middle Eastern antiquities (closed Monday and Sunday morning).
Housed in a superb Victorian Gothic building on Parks Rd, the University Museum is devoted to natural science. You reach the Pitt Rivers Museum through the University Museum. The glass cases here are crammed with everything from a sailing boat to a gory collection of shrunken South American heads. Both museums are free and closed Sunday.
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