Oxford

Oxford: Only an hour away from London, Oxford is certainly one of the most accessible trips on this list. A true college town, Oxford revolves around its prestigious university, established in the 12th century. The college of Christ Church has also become an attraction for avid Harry Potter fans since its extensive use as a set piece in the film franchise.

• Traveling to Oxford:

  • Trains leave for Oxford Station every 5 to 10 minutes from Paddington Station. The journey takes about an hour. In 2018, standard round trip, off-peak tickets were about £25, but much cheaper round trip fares are available when purchased as two, one-way tickets, well in advance.

  • The cheapest option is to take the x90 bus. Tickets only cost around £8. Another option is the Oxford Tube; the company runs buses 24 hours a day. They leave London Victoria Coach Station every ten to 15 minutes daily and have frequently scheduled departures throughout the night. Fare costs £15 one way or £18 for same-day round-trip. National Express also runs coach trips to Oxford Bus Station from London Victoria Coach Station virtually round the clock. Buses leave every 15 minutes during peak times. Round trip tickets for specific, booked trips cost £19.

• Activities 

  • The Bodleian Libraries: make sure to visit Duke Humfrey Library where the library scenes in Harry Potter were filmed. Furthermore, the Bodleian library houses an original copy of the Magna Carta and a Gutenberg Bible. They have a number of treasures including original copies of Shakespeare’s plays and an early manuscript by Jane Austen.

  • Divinity School and Christ Church college at Oxford: many scenes of Harry Potter were filmed in the college. A must visit for any Harry Potter fan. 

  • Ashmolean Museum: This museum houses the lantern that Gunpowder Plot conspirator Guy Fawkes carried during his 1605 attempt to blow up the House of Lords. It also possesses a jewel made for Alfred the Great and the Abingdon Sword, an Anglo-Saxon artifact dating back to the 9th or early 10th Century.

  • Touring College Gardens and attending College Evensongs: Oxford is a conglomerate of roughly 30 ‘colleges’, where students live and study. Each has its own, distinctive architecture and landscaping. Many college chapels offer free ‘evensongs’: short performances of traditional English choral music and fairly secular ‘church services’.

  • The Pitt Rivers Museum: Natural History, Anthropology, and stunning architecture.