Oxford City - A city of dreams

Beautiful, historic and picturesque yet remarkably modern at the same time – Oxford has a story around every corner.

It’s most famous for its glorious university buildings, colleges and open spaces but its cosmopolitan feel offers a little bit of something for everyone.

The marriage of the old and the new comes more into focus this year as construction has begun on a new Westgate shopping centre, which will transform the west end of the city with more than 100 stores, a boutique cinema and rooftop terrace dining.

The city, founded in the ninth century by Alfred the Great, is world famous as a place of learning with students and visitors coming from across the globe to study and to see the university’s famous colleges and quads.

Its museums, art galleries, beautiful open spaces, trendy bars and delightful restaurants also offer myriad options for visitors.

EDUCATE YOURSELF

The city is perhaps most famous for its University – the oldest in the English-speaking world with
evidence of teaching starting as far back as 1096.

Oxford has 38 colleges, largely unchanged over the centuries, most of which are open to visitors to wander around, either for free or for a small fee.

The Bodleian Library is the largest university library in the UK holding over nine million printed items. Generations of famous scholars have studied in its reading rooms through the ages among them five kings, 40 Nobel Prize winners, 25 British Prime Ministers and writers including Oscar Wilde, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien.

FOOD AND DRINK

Nothing can beat an afternoon or evening spent in one of Oxford’s historic city pubs.

You can have a pint where Inspector Morse once sat in the White Horse in Broad Street, when the show was filmed there in the 1980s or sip on an ale where JRR Tolkien once did in the Eagle and Child in St Giles.

The hidden 13th Century treasure that is the Turf Tavern, off Holywell Street, is well worth a look, as is the more conspicuous King’s Arms.

Perhaps an afternoon at the magnificent Randolph Hotel for tea and sandwiches would suffice?

The Covered Market, a treasure trove of butchers, fishmongers and cafes, mustn’t be overlooked.

If you’re eating out in the city it is very much a global experience.

Raymond Blanc’s Brasserie Blanc restaurant in Jericho offers a master class in French food, while Branca opposite is its Italian equal.

The Cowley Road provides a variety of spice and exotic flavours with Indian restaurant Aziz, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, a stand-out option.

CITY AT NIGHT

If you would rather take in a good movie the city also has plenty to offer.

If the multiplex next to the Kassam Stadium or the two Odeon cinemas in the city centre don’t satisfy your tastes, the independent Phoenix Picture House in Walton Street definitely will.

A peek at the schedules for shows at The New Theatre and ThePlayhouse and you will undoubtedly find something to suit your needs. Sipping on a cocktail on the rooftop of the Varsity Club in High Street overlooking the city’s dreamy skyline is an opportunity not to be missed and there is also the Bridge nightclub in Hythe Bridge Street for those of you who fancy staying out a bit later.

FESTIVAL FUN

Oxford plays host to a number of great festivals throughout the year. Oxford Literary Festival in March celebrates the likes of Lewis Carroll and JRR Tolkien and the Jazz Festival in April always pulls in the crowds.

TV AND FILM

Every corner you turn in Oxford seems to bring a scene from some of Britain’s most iconic films and tv shows.

The dining hall of the city’s most imposing college, Christ Church, was used as the Great Hall in the Harry Potter films, and a number of other scenes were shot there. New College as doubled up as Hogwarts and the Bodleian Library was used for other locations in the wizarding world.

Oxford is also famous for Inspector Morse and its spin-off series Lewis and Endeavour, which returns for a third series this year.

It is tricky to find a street in the city centre which hasn’t been the scene of a heinous crime at some point, or a pub John Thaw or Kevin Whateley haven’t supped real ale in.

SPORT

Sporting heritage is in Oxford’s blood, whether in the form of the world’s most famous boat race or the heady days of Oxford United in the 1980s. Not far from the city centre you can take a trip to the track where Sir Roger Bannister smashed the four-minute mile in 1954 at the Iffley Road track.

United’s glory days may be in the past but a traditional game of English league football can be found at the Kassam Stadium, or at Oxford City’s Marsh Lane home.

A trip through Christ Church Meadow will take you past the sports grounds of a number of colleges and the university’s rowers training on the Thames.

SOAK UP THE CULTURE

Oxford is a museum lover’s dream, with enough to keep any visitor busy for at least a long weekend.

Perhaps the most famous is the Ashmolean Museum in Beaumont Street which is the most traditional of the historical treasure troves.

The Museum of Oxford gives visitors a glimpse into how the city’s residents have lived over the centuries and the Museum of Natural History is a big hit with kids thanks to its pre-historic skeletons.

Art lovers will also not struggle to find somewhere that floats their boats with galleries ranging from the Christ Church Picture Gallery to Modern Art Oxford.

Smaller galleries such as Art Jericho are sometimes overlooked by visitors, but are worth a trip just as much as their bigger cousins.