Visiting Oxford City Centre

The Main Non University Attractions In The City of Oxford

Bridge of Sighs Oxford
Bridge of Sighs Oxford

The City of Oxford is renowned for its University and is the main attraction for most visitors. Its hard to get away from some aspect of the University as you wander around the streets admiring the Oxford environment.


Oxford itself is a reasonable sized city of around 150,000. It has manufacturing, notably the Mini factory, but in the centre where the visitors go the University dominates. However Oxford is also a regional shopping centre. Visitors, University life and locals share the same compact area in the centre.


On this page we focus on attractions to the visitor not directly part of the University.

Oxford Overview
Oxford University
Christ Church Oxford
Oxford City Centre
Blenheim Palace
 
Oxford Walking Tours
Hop On Hop Off Bus
Getting To Oxford
Public Transport
Day Tours From London
Within An Hour
Stratford Upon Avon
Cotswolds
Windsor
Stonehenge

We would recommend that independent visitors to Oxford take a walking tour of Oxford as a great way to get orientated, understand the city, the University and what else Oxford has to offer.


There is an Oxford City Centre street map at the foot of this page with all the places mentioned here marked.

Oxford Covered Market

Today Oxford is a regional shopping centre meeting the every day needs of the local population. Its little different to other similar sized cities with the usual chains and mix of retail outlets.


Oxford Covered Market

The Covered Market takes you back in time and is worthwhile even if shops isn't your scene. The Covered Market was opened in 1774 and is very atmospheric with a thriving community of stall holders covering a wide range of subjects.

Blackwells Book Shop

Blackwell’s main bookshop is comprised of four old shops in Broad Street: Nos. 48, 49, 50, and 51. All four are Grade II listed buildings. The resulting retail shop is a maze to negotiate.

Stocking more than 200,000 titles this is Oxford's largest bookshop. It includes as part of its basement the Norrington room which gained a place in the Guinness Books of Records with the largest single display of books for sale in the world.

Oxfam at Oxford

The original Oxford Committee for Famine Relief, from which Oxfam takes its name clearly started in Oxford. Oxfam's first ever shop was in Broad Street, by the Tourist Office.

Radcliffe Camera




Bodleian Library

One of the great library's of the world since the 17th Century with every new book published in the UK here. A total of nearly 6 million books clearly needs a great storage area, much of it spreading underground.

Radcliffe Camera

Camera is the medieval name for a room. The earliest example of a round reading room and still in use today as the reading room of the Bodleian Library. Over 600,000 books are stored alone in its underground store.

Can be visited by prior arrangement.

University Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Historically this is at the heart of the start of the University. Built in the 14th Century, the early colleges started up within and all around this church. The earliest library for example was within the church.

Today the most popular attraction is climbing to the Tower for panoramic views of the City Of Oxford.

Museum of History Of Science

Home to an unrivalled collection of scientific instruments from medieval times to the 17th century. Its collection of 18th and 19th-century instruments is also substantial. It is the world's oldest surviving purpose-built museum building.

Notable exhibits include Einstein's blackboard.

Sheldonian Theatre

The Theatre, built in 1664–9, was the very first work of Sir Christopher Wren. The Theatre is much used today for University occasions, including degree ceremonies.


Oxford City Map Showing Main Places of Interest
Main Attractions Colleges
1- Tourist Office A- Christ Church N- Exeter
2- History of Science Museum B- Pembroke O- Lincoln
3- Blackwells Bookshop C- Corpus Christi
4- Sheldonian Theatre D- Oriel
5- Bodleian Library E- Merton
6- Bridge Of Sighs F- Magdalen
7- Radliffe Camera G- The Queen's
8- St Mary The Virgin H- New Collegen
9- Covered Market I- All Souls
10- Carfax Tower J- Hertford
11- Christ Church Cathedral K- Trinity
12- Examination Schools L- Balliol
13- Botanic Gardens M- Jesus