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Oxford Walking tours

Our most recommended Oxford Walking tours

Oxford: University and City Walking Tour with Alumni Guide

1. Oxford: University and City Walking Tour with Alumni Guide

Step inside Oxford University and explore the grounds on a guided walking tour. Admire the iconic architecture and learn about university life from your student guide. Visit one of the university’s oldest colleges and the Bodleian Library. Learn about the history of the university colleges, including All Souls College, Trinity College, Oriel College, Hertford College, and Merton College, the Radcliffe Camera, and the University Church of St. Mary. Get an equally in-depth history of the town. Hear about ceremonies at Oxford, famous graduates, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and also how the most powerful Archbishop of Canterbury was burned at the stake in Oxford.

Oxford: University and City Walking Tour

2. Oxford: University and City Walking Tour

Join a university-educated guide, with years of experience and local knowledge of Oxford City and colleges. See the dreamy spires of one of the oldest universities in the world on a guided walking tour. Go inside some of the city’s most historic colleges, such as New College, founded in 1379 and more recently seen in the Harry Potter films and television productions of Inspector Morse and Lewis. Visit Exeter College, founded in 1314, and another favorite on most tours. Stop by Hertford College, with its romantic façade and Bridge of Sighs, instantly recognizable from Brideshead Revisited. See the University Library and learn about the collegiate system unique to Oxford and Cambridge. Discover famous alumni who studied and taught at the university, including the infamous Dr Spooner, whose portraits hang in New College Dining Hall and whose name is given to the playful linguistic phenomenon of spoonerisms.

Oxford: Christ Church Harry Potter Film Locations Tour

3. Oxford: Christ Church Harry Potter Film Locations Tour

Enjoy a walking tour introducing the making of Harry Potter in Oxford and an audio-guided tour inside Christ Church College. See and hear about both Harry Potter and Lewis Carroll’s legendary characters, such as Alice and the Mad Hatter.  First, admire the views of Christ Church Meadows. Take in the borders of the rivers of Cherwell and Isis. Next, see longhorn cattle graze and the dreamy spires of Merton College and Corpus Christi. Then, see the Bodleian Library, one of the oldest libraries in Europe. See Christ Church's cloisters and staircase that were used as inspiration for the Great Hall, or visit New College. Also enjoy entry to either the Divinity School or the New College film site.

Oxford: Harry Potter Walking Tour Including New College

4. Oxford: Harry Potter Walking Tour Including New College

Meet your Oxford University student guide in central Oxford and head for the Hogwarts' Infirmary, set in one of the halls of the famous Bodleian Library. Imagine the infirmary’s beds in place here, and admire the richly sculpted beasts and biblical carvings that appeared in many of the Harry Potter movies. Next, explore one or two of Oxford’s oldest colleges, delving into the rooms and cloisters that featured as Hogwarts’ gloomy interior. See other filming locations and hear trivia about the characters and movie productions. Test your knowledge of all things Harry Potter with our custom quiz. Along the way, hear about Oxford’s influence in famous children’s literature, from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland to The Hobbit. Finish with a tour of the exterior of Christ Church, whose hall was an inspiration and not the actual Dining Hall at Hogwarts.

Oxford: Official University and City Walking Tour

5. Oxford: Official University and City Walking Tour

Explore Oxford, the city of Dreaming Spires, on a walking tour with an expert guide from the city’s tourism board. Be shown the city’s most famous sights, uncover its hidden history, and enjoy all the astonishing stories about Oxford's key characters- real and fictional. Meet your guide at the grand and very old Broad Street (once the city's ditch) let them know where you come from and any special Oxford interests you may have and they will do their best to incorporate those.  Go to Martyrs' Memorial, the scene of terrible religious retributions in medieval times, and on to the oldest tower at St Michael of the Northgate built in Saxon times. Then, make your way to the very heart of the University and the inspiration behind Harry Potter's Hogwarts School. Pass by the pubs where the Inklings used to meet to discuss their writing as well as the pubs where Inspector Morse was filmed and the most popular student drinking holes in days of old. Discover the city that is home to several of Britain's most famous literary characters - both fictional and real - such as JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis, Philip Pullman, and Colin Dexter as well as some of their most famous creations like Lyra and Will, and Inspector Morse. Admire Oxford's stupendous architecture, gargoyles and grotesques, so wonderfully preserved from every historical period and style, and take a stroll through the breathtaking Radcliffe Square. Cross the whimsical Bridge of Sighs as it's fondly known, just like the ones in Venice and Cambridge. See the Bodleian Libraries from the outside in the splendid Old Schools Quadrangle. Learn about the city’s famous museums including the Museum of the History of Science, containing Einstein's blackboard, The Pitt Rivers, once home to shrunken heads, and the fabulous Ashmolean, which was one of the very first ever museums in the world. If time allows, walk as far as to the beautiful Christ Church Meadows, where punting happens and cattle graze; a truly pastoral and quintessential English scene.

Oxford: Private C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien Walking Tour

6. Oxford: Private C.S. Lewis & J.R.R. Tolkien Walking Tour

Find out more about the Inklings, an informal literary discussion group associated with the University of Oxford, while getting an introduction to the city's history and university life. See inspiring sights related to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien on a 2-2.5-hour tour of the sights where they worked and relaxed, including the pubs they enjoyed. At Magdalen, discover a beautiful medieval hall, chapel, and quadrangle as well as lovely gardens and a deer park. Walk in the footsteps of C.S. Lewis and his friends along the famous Addison's path where they strolled on many midsummer evenings to discuss their ideas. When open, peek inside Tolkien's Exeter College which hosts pre Raphaelite art and an exquisite garden too. As well as the colleges, your knowledgeable guide will take you on a route through the city of Oxford to take in many famous sights. Visit inside St. Mary's University Church where C.S. Lewis developed his ideas through sermons. Hear about the likes of Cardinal Newman who preached there too, and learn about the Oxford Martyrs — Latimer, Ridley, and Cranmer — from the time of 'Bloody Mary'. A pub/refereshment stop is optional on the tour. Many people who book this tour happen to be theology alumni but the guides are not necessarily themselves religious people.

Oxford: Inspector Morse Lewis Endeavour Small Group Tour

7. Oxford: Inspector Morse Lewis Endeavour Small Group Tour

Join a guided tour around Oxford to discover the sights visited by Inspectors Morse, Lewis, and Endeavour on the hit TV show, Inspector Morse, filmed at approximately 100 locations in Oxford. Visit colleges at the University of Oxford. This tour is aimed at fans of Inspector Morse, Lewis, and Endeavour, but even if you are not a big fan, this tour is still a good opportunity to get insights into the University of Oxford and the history and traditions of each college you visit. Get to know Oxford city and the university's heritage as you take an in-depth look at John Dexter's characters. Dive into his vision for his characters as you explore places visited in the series.

Oxford: Harry Potter Film Locations Tour with Oxford Alumni

8. Oxford: Harry Potter Film Locations Tour with Oxford Alumni

Explore the world's the oldest-English-speaking university on a guided tour. See the filming locations for the Harry Potter movies and other blockbusters. Learn about Oxford University and its relationship to the world of entertainment. Find out about Oxford's connection to J.K. Rowling and other celebrities. Visit the spots where major Marvel movies were filmed. Explore the New College and Divinity School and see some of the influences on the Harry Potter universe.

Morse, Lewis and Endeavour Walking Tour of Oxford

9. Morse, Lewis and Endeavour Walking Tour of Oxford

Go beyond the dreaming spires of Oxford and explore the university city from a different perspective. Follow in the footsteps of the TV series "Inspector Morse" and its spin-off shows "Lewis" and "Endeavour." Enter the fictional world of the author Colin Dexter and his famous detectives as you visit sites where scenes were filmed in the old city center. Start at the stone monument of the Martyrs' Memorial outside Balliol College, and continue to venues such as the luxury Randolph Hotel and the traditional White Horse pub. Venture down Broad Street, learn about the streets and other places familiar to fans of Morse, and get behind-the-scenes information about how the characters were developed.

Oxford Uni: Walking Tour Led By Alumni w/ opt Christ Church

10. Oxford Uni: Walking Tour Led By Alumni w/ opt Christ Church

Walk through pivotal moments of in Oxford history in this tour of Oxford University. Follow your Alumni guide and hear stories about the campus and admire architectural masterpieces.  See the lamp-post which inspired the world of Narnia and the architecture which inspired the book His Dark Materials. Marvel at some of the world’s greatest examples of Gothic and Baroque architecture. Enter Bodleian Library, which is one of the oldest in Europe and go into Jesus College.  Discover Oxford from a graduate that has first-hand experience with going to and getting into this prestigious institution. Enjoy hearing about what students really get up to on this classic 90 minute tour.

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Frequently asked questions about Oxford Walking tours

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What people are saying about Oxford

Overall rating

4.6 / 5

based on 3,490 reviews

The tour was excellent, we enjoyed finding out the history of the places we have seen and the guide, Rob, was amazing and he answered all the questions.

Charismatic and very knowledgeable! Superb! It was full of fun facts and a great overview of the famous sites.

Tom was wonderful. Vast knowledge of Morse, Endeavor and Oxford colleges. I would highly recommend him.

Amazing well done. Guide‘s knowledge of the area and advice was superb.

Guide was extremely well informed and very articulate.