Oxford City Guide
Oxford has an impressive mix of ancient and modern and is worth seeing, amongst other things, for its place in history and its university – the oldest in the English-speaking world. Referring to it’s well preserved buildings from the arrival of the Saxons including the iconic, mid-18th century Radcliffe Camera and the harmonious architecture of Oxford’s university buildings, poet Matthew Arnold called Oxford ”the city of dreaming spires”.
Explore this impressive student-city that many directors choose as filming locations for for their scenes for it’s charm and atmosphere, and spend your unforgettable stag weekend in one (or more) of the numerous bars and clubs.
During the Day
First of all you will need an overview over the city so start your day with climbing up the Carfax Tower in the city centre or one of the other two towers in the city and enjoy an astonishing view over the whole of the area.
There are, of course, the usual touristy sightseeing spots such as the Oxford Castle, the Blenheim Palace, the Christ Church college or the Ashmolean Museum which you could visit when you’re in the city. But you could also start your day by booking one of the many tours through Oxford like the University and City Tour, the C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien Tour, the Civil War Tour, the Oxford Film Sites Tour or the Tudor Oxford Tour.
There are also various possibilities to play some sport, no matter whether you prefer football, golf, racing, rugby, tennis, cricket or watersports, there’s something for everyone. And if you enjoy watching the races you can choose between horse racing, dog racing, Formula 1 and speedway!
You could also time your visit in a way that you are able to attend one of the many festivals taking place in Oxford regularly during the year like the Oxford Jazz Festival in April, the Cornbury Park Music Festival in July or the Oxford Chamber Music Festival from September through October.
Eating Out
Good restaurants in Oxford? Well, there’s a long list to choose from. Oxford has so many choices when it comes to dining out that you could eat your way around the world without having to walk further than a few streets! Let’s have a look at just a few of the best restaurants.
Right on top of the long list we have Jamie’s Italian, a restaurant where you can have some authentic, affordable and great quality Italian food in a warm and friendly atmosphere. The famous cook Jamie Oliver opened this and a few other “Jamie’s Italian” restaurants as a homage to his passion: Italy. The idea of his restaurants is to keep it simple, there is, therefore, no need for a booking as he wants you to just pop in whenever you feel like it. Just like in Italy.
Then there’s The Magdalen Arms, a lovely pub situated in East Oxford with the special honour of having received the Michelin seal of approval in 2011 for serving “good food at reasonable prices”. They have a select variety of daily changing menus with British focus and great stick-it-in-the-middle-and-share-dishes. Definitely a restaurant to short-list.
Shanghai, in the 30′s called “Paris of the Orient”, was back then a melting pot of the gourmet world with people from all over coming to the city and influencing the traditional food into a mix of east meets west. The restaurant Shanghai 30′s, located in a 15th century building, aims to carry you away into the old Shanghai and serves both classic and contemporary dishes of Shanghai and the surrounding areas.The seasonally changing menu includes only the freshest ingedients to provide healthy and good quality food.
If you would like to watch how your pizza is being made go to the Mamma Mia, a family-friendly Italian restaurant in Summertown which has a large kitchen window.
Nightlife
Where better to party than in a student city? You will find many bars and clubs in central Oxford, all brightly lit and busy fulfilling the wishes of their customers by playing diverse styles of music for all age groups. You could either go to a jazz club with live music, a cocktail bar with mainstream music or a stylish electronic music club. There is something for everyone in Oxford.
The pubs around central Oxford are very popular for students looking to start their nights out. Later, they’ll usually take off to the main street, Cowley Road, where not only the two principal music venues for gigs in Oxford are situated – the Regal and O2 Academy – but where you can also find many other bars and clubs. This road has a very unique atmosphere, and is a good point to start from when you can’t decide when to start the night.
You could try Roppongi, a stylish, classy bar situated in the heart of the city with an impressive interior – mosaic mirrors on the walls and glass, chrome and leather furniture. The friendly staff serve classic cocktails, non-alcoholic cocktails, wine, bottled beer and champagne as well as bar snacks at reasonable prices while you party to classic dance, pop and house music played by first-class DJs.
The Baby Bars are three bars – Baby Love, Baby Simple and Sugar Brown - scattered across Oxford with Baby Love being the most central; Baby Simple is further east; and you’ll find Sugar Brown up in the north-west of the city. They claim to be “Three of the most historic, atmospheric and funkiest establishments in Oxford” so you probably shouldn’t miss out on this experience and visit at least one of their venues.
Oxford’s leading cocktail bar for 30 years – Duke of Cambridge, situated in the bohemian district of Jericho – is known to offer delicious cocktails, made with only the freshest ingredients and finest spirits. This snazzy bar with it’s crystal chandeliers, the arched glass ceiling and the comfortable leather lounges can get pretty crowded around happy hour so make sure you arrive in time to secure a good spot. Cocktails go down to £3.95 and house beers and wines to £2.75 during the happy hours (from 5pm to 9pm Sunday to Thursday and 5pm to 7.30pm Friday and Saturday).
If you would like to combine the great quality and atmosphere of the Duke of Cambridge with sports you should go and play some pool or watch live sports in the upstairs games room of The House, a new cocktail bar from the same owners as the Duke. Same quality drinks, same happy hours and same prices with a much younger but still classy appearance and a terrace overlooking the city. The games room with it’s armchairs and the glossy black pool table is very inviting and promises a relaxed time with your friends over a beer or two (or a few cocktails, of course).
