Your summer in Oxford

Favourite sights, tips and resources

Whether you're here for a week or a longer stay, make sure to explore the city of Oxford. We've drawn together some of our favourite sights, tips and resources, to help you get to know – or re-acquaint yourself – with our wonderful city.

Interactive map

The University's online interactive map that lets you choose what locations you'd like to see – including university colleges, departments, museums, libraries - plus a 'lifestyle' tab that includes pubs, ATMs and public transport.

Things to see and do

GLAM

Oxford's gardens, libraries and museums – collectively named 'GLAM' – should be among your first ports of call during your stay in Oxford.  GLAM have created a handy landing page to guide you to their locations and events.

Individual members of GLAM are:

  • The Ashmolean Musuem – the UK's oldest university museum, and nearest neighbour to Rewley House. Their collections are vast and varied. 
  • Botanic Garden and Harcourt Arboretum – founded in 1621, the Botanic Garden collections have been used in teaching, research and conservation for almost 400 years. 
  • Museum of Natural History – established in 1860 to draw together scientific studies from across the University of Oxford, the award-winning Museum continues to be a place of scientific research, collecting and fieldwork, and plays host to a programme of events, exhibitions and activities for the public and school students of all ages. 
  • Pitt Rivers Museum – adjoining the Museum of Natural History, it is one of the world’s great collections of anthropology and world archaeology. It includes tens of thousands of everyday objects which illustrate the diversity of cultural solutions to the same basic problems that we all face as humans beings.
  • Museum of the History of Science – an unrivalled collection of early scientific instruments in the world’s oldest surviving purpose-built museum building. The museum’s collections of astrolabes and sundials are the largest in the world and include instruments once owned by Queen Elizabeth I, Cardinal Wolsey, and Nostradamus. The Islamic world is particularly strongly represented, from the 9th to the 19th century.
  • The Bodleian Libraries – the largest university library system in the United Kingdom. It includes the principal University library - the Bodleian Library - which has been a library of legal deposit for 400 years; as well as 30 libraries across Oxford including major research libraries and faculty, departmental and institutional libraries. 

Colleges

A page of college visiting information, hosted by the University, should help you to start exploring a few of Oxford's most notable colleges. There are quite a few of them – 44 colleges and private halls – so be prepared to save some for your next trip!

Punting and river cruising

Oxford's two rivers are the Thames (known as the Isis where it passes through Oxford) and the Cherwell. Getting out on either or both rivers is arguably the most 'Oxford' thing you can do - particuarly punting. 

There are two main places to rent punts in Oxford:

For a river cruise, or to rent a small river boat, visit Salter's just off Folly Bridge. Salter's Oxford's longest-established boatyard, founded 1858. 

And more...

The University's events listing has talks, concerts, exhibitions, plays and more, all open to the public.

Daily Info offers one of the city's most comprehensive 'what's on' calendars.

Experience Oxfordshire's 'Things to do' listing looks beyond the city and into the surrounding area.

Oxford at a Glance tells you the short (and longer) facts and figures of the University of Oxford.