90 Minute Classic Walking Tour of Oxford
Description
THA Walking Tour Company of the Year in the South East 2025. Escape to Oxord has an enviable reputation for providing small, personable tours. Tours are restricted to around 10 people, allowing clients to relax, take in their surroundings, ask questions and take photographs. Daily tours commence at 11 am, 12 am and 2 pm. Oxford boasts the finest collection of historical buildings in the United Kingdom and our Classic Oxford Walking tour takes visitors on a 90 - 120 minute meander through 1000 years of architectural and social history. We visit a number of iconic university and college buildings, discuss their origins, architects and purpose, while providing a rich vein of social history of the town and university. Among the sights you will see are Christ Church, the 11th century University Church of St Mary, the famous Radcliffe Camera, Bridge of Sighs, and much more. Where possible we will take clients inside university and college buildings. Group and private tours by arrangment.
Tour Options
Itinerary
The meeting point. Tours commence from here at 11 am and 2 pm daily. This memorial celebrates the lives of three Anglican clerics burned at the stake for Heresy in the 16th century.
We move into the Scholastic Quadrangle and discover how Oxford University's world-famous research library grew from the ashes of the reformation.
See the ground-breaking architecture of renowned English architect Christopher Wren's first major project, built in 1669
Highly significant in the cultural history of the Western world, the very first purpose-built public museum.
Built in 1913 the iconic Bridge of Sighs adds a romantic touch to our walk.
Oxford's famous High Street is a history lesson in itself, not only in terms of the colleges we see where the likes of CS Lewis, Shelly, Bob Hawke and Bill Clinton studied but its fascinating architecture stretching back hundreds of years.
Traverse the narrow winding and infamous Magpie Lane to the High Street.
Set in the Radcliffe Square the very heart of Oxford's world-renowned University precinct, visitors will find themselves surrounded by history on all sides. This is where it all began!
Enter through St Aldates gate, see the splendid views of Christ Church, the Meadow Building, Merton Field where James Sadler became the first English aeronaut, the Deans Garden, Dead Man's Walk, exit through the Kissing Gate.
Landmark 23m-high bell tower, once part of a 12th-century church, offering city views from the top.
Passing Queens College we enter Queens Lane, claimed to be the most haunted site in Oxford, we pass St Edmund's Hall the very last medieval hall in Oxford, the ancient St Peter's Church in the East, New College which is actually built on a plague pit. This is lovely walk through the winding back streets of the city.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(273)
Nick such a great guide! Showed me all around Oxford and answered all my questions and took pictures for me. He was very patient and sweet and I loved my tour with him! He is passionate about Oxford and you could tell. Thanks Nick!!
Thank you for such a lovely review and supporting Escape to Oxford. It's always a pleasure to show our visitors around this special City.
Cheers to our wonderful tour guide, Nick! Our tour maxxed out at I think 10 people (which is part of why we chose it) but it ended up being just my husband & me, so we essentially had a private tour. Nick's knowledge was extensive and he imparted it in such an interesting way. We were provided a wonderful lay of the land -- it was a perfect way to being our two-day stay in Oxford.
So pleased you enjoyed the tour and thank you for supporting Escape to Oxford.
I came to Oxford before but this is the first time I scheduled a guided tour. This was amazing. Everything can be done by foot and I learnt a lot during this tour (which went way beyond two hours). Nick truly loves this city and I could appreciate it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, I wish you all the best.
Thank you for your special review and supporting Escape to Oxford. It was a pleasure to show you around the City and hope you return again one of these days.
Our guide knew his stuff but was very hard to hear and understand. Often turned away from us to talk. Had nothing to help identify him other than a small badge on a lanyard. Very hard in such a busy meeting spot. Appreciated the access to places that we might not have otherwise known about.
I am sorry to hear that you were disappointed with your tour with Escape to Oxford - this is very unusual. Thank you for your comments and we will endeavour to improve our future tours accordingly.
Wealth of information shared by our guide, Andrew. Oxford has so many historical sights and we experienced so many in the 1.5 hour tour. Stunning city not to be missed!
I'm glad you enjoyed the tour. Thank you for your positive review.
My mother and I enjoyed this tour. Andrew was a great guide. I liked hearing about the history of Oxford. We even saw a few places where Harry Potter was filmed. Would definitely book this tour again!
Please come back. There is so much more to see!
This was the highlight of our stay! We were a group of 4 and no one else was on our tour. Andrew was delightful. He was friendly knowledgeable and took us on a tour of the sights and a selection of colleges. We were told many historical facts and also shown Aslan from Narnia Highly recommend this tour.
Thank you for your positive review. I hope you all enjoyed the rest of your visit to Oxford.
What a treat! Andrew was entertaining and informative. He provided great insights into the City, colleges and other institutions we visited, had terrific anecdotes, and was so knowledgeable. Especially loved visiting the Divinity School, Bodleian Library and Blackwell's Bookshop.
Thank you for supporting Escape to Oxford. I pleased you enjoyed the tour.
Andrew was a delightful guide who took my wife and me on on a tour of several colleges and libraries. He has genuine insight into the history of the area and is well versed in the workings of the University system and its colleges. I never got the feeling he was simply going from a rehearsed script. Time well spent.
Thank you for your kind words. I am pleased you enjoyed your Oxford experience.
We really enjoyed the tour with this excellent very knowledgeable guide. Glad we got to see the beautiful divinity school and loved the little tidbits about the famous Oxford grads.
Thank you for joining Escape to Oxford. Come again, there's lots more.
