Discover Oxford

Oxford is a famous university city in Oxfordshire, England. It is the home of the world-famous University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world. The city has a population of 165,000 people. The rivers Cherwell and Thames flow through the city to converge south of the city centre.

Established in the 8th century, Oxford was originally known as Oxenaforda, or "ford of the ox", and began with the founding of St Frideswide's nunnery during that time. The first mention of the city appeared in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle from AD 912. The city was destroyed during the Norman Invasion of 1066, and after the invasion, Oxford Castle was built as a symbol of Norman power over the city.

The University of Oxford first appeared in the records of the 12th century. Initially the students resided in approved halls, the precursor of colleges. The oldest college in Oxford is the University College, dating from 1249.

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, the college chapel, began as the Priory Church of St Frideswide. It took on the functioin of the cathedral of the Diocese of Oxford since 1546.

Radcliffe Camera, the most prominent landmark of Oxford
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Radcliffe_Camera,_Oxford.jpg
Author: Mike Peel


Today Oxford has a cosmopolitan character, thanks to an influx of South Asian immigrants, residing in places such as Headington and Cowley Road. As much as 27% of the population of Oxford today comprises ethnic minority groups, including 16% non-white minorities.

Oxford is known as the "city of dreaming spires", a term coined by Matthew Arnold because of the harmonious architecture of the university buildings. The River Thames runs through Oxford, where for a distance of some 10 miles it is known as the Isis. The Oxford suburb of Cowley is renowned for carmaking and now produces the BMW MINI.

All Souls College, Oxford
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:All_souls_college_from_above_and_to_the_west.jpg
Author: Ozeye

How to go to Oxford

By Plane: If you are coming from outside Britain, the nearest airport would be London Heathrow Airport. (Oxford does have a small airport but it is used mostly for private and charter flights.) From Heathrow Airport, you can take a bus operated by the Oxford Bus Company that takes you to the Oxford Gloucester Green Bus Station. The fare is £18 one way or £20 return.

If you arrive at London Gatwick Airport, there's also a bus service from there for £22 one way and £29 return.

Cornmarket Street, Oxford
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cornmarket_St,_Oxford.jpg
Author: Grue


By Train: There are trains from London Paddington Railway Station to Oxford one in every half an hour. The journey takes a hour. Tickets cost £20 off peak without a railcard and £40 during peak times without a railcard. Tickets are also available online at a very low price - as low as £4 if you book way in advance of your travel.

By Road: Oxford is approximate 90km (55 mi) to the north west of London and 110km (70 mi) south east of Birmingham. The M40 motorway between London and Birmingham passes within seven miles of Oxford. The A34 road forms the western part of Oxford's bypass. Other trunk roads serving Oxford are the A40 road and the A420 road.

Trinity College, Oxford
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trinity_College_Oxford.jpg
Author: Richard Peat

Exploring Oxford

Oxford is compact and walkable. Most of the sights are in the city centre and can be reached on foot. Most of the tourist attractions are well signposted. The only nuisance are the inconsiderate cyclists who often ride the bikes on the pavements posing a hazard to pedestrians.

Places of Interest in Oxford

Sights at Oxford University

Oxford is on the Map of cities in England

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About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.