Full Day in Oxford (Sunny Day in Summer)

9.00
Visit Christ Church, whose Great Hall was the inspiration for Hogwarts Hall and
whose chapel is the cathedral of Oxford where Alice in Wonderlands father was
Dean.
10.00 Buy goodies in the Covered Market cheeses, cakes, freshly made biscuits, fresh
bread and cooked meats. Walk down the High Street , past Oddbins to stock up
on something to drink..Dont forget a bit of string
10.45 Take a punt from Magdalen Bridge boathouse and glide gently amid the trees in the
morning calm before the hoi polloi come along manoeuvre your way skilfully
between fallen trees (deliberately left) in the river..cool your bottled drinks by
dangling them in the water.. (Thats why you need the string!) and imagine
yourself back in elegant Victorian Oxford..Picnic in the boat or tie up alongside
the river bank (dont forget to park your punt correctly with the pole or you may
find it drifts gently away downstream.)
13.30 Walk back into town to the Tourist Information Centre to take a
14.00 Guided walking tour of the City and colleges (Places are limited so you need to
book beforehand). Oxfords Official guides will take you to nooks and crannies you
would never have found by yourself, while regaling you with amusing, incredible and
sometimes gruesome stories tales of bygone times. This is really the best way to
explore Oxford.
16.00 Time for tea maybe in the Vault & Gardens (at St Mary the Virgin Church the
birthplace of the University of Oxford) , or at The Rose in the High Street, or in the
basement of Modern Art Oxford, or Georginas in the Covered Market or if you
would like more elegant surroundings, in Quod, the Old Parsonage or the Randolph
Hotel. Given time you could go to all of them, of course.
17.00 Oxford Botanic Garden is well worth a visit... the first in Britain and one of the first
in the world. Look out for Tolkiens favourite tree (perhaps the inspiration for the
Ents?) and the border devoted to the medicinal plants which formed the nucleus of
the first garden. And over 80% of our own medicines are originally derived from
plants so no change there.
18.00 Time to wander up the Cowley Road (go over Magdalen Bridge, past the drinking
fountain on The Plain and take the middle road) and you encounter another world
of eateries from around the world, funky bars and the Regal and O2 Academy,
venues for Oxfords thriving local indie bands.
Or, take in a play at the Playhouse, a big name at the New Theatre, an outdoor
Shakespeare play in a college garden, or a studio production at the Burton Taylor
Theatre. The Jacqueline du Pre Music Room, the Holywell Music Room (the first
purpose-built music room in the world) and the Sheldonian Theatre are some of the
fascinating locations for Oxfords flourishing classical music scene. Search our online
events diary.
Oxford Tourist Information Centre
15-16 Broad Street
Oxford OX1 3AS
T: +44 (0)1865 252200
E: tic@oxford.gov.uk
W: www.visitoxfordandoxfordshire.com
Picnic
Drinking fountain, The Plain