Browse All Places

Syrian falafel wraps and halloumi from the Cowley Road cafe's market stall — halal, vegetarian-friendly, under the 'Taste the East' banners.

Family-run Shaanxi/Xi'an noodle bar in the Covered Market — the bilingual sign reads 三秦百味 ('Three Qin Hundred Flavours'), the kitchen runs hand-cut biang biang noodles and rou jia mo.

One of England's oldest schools — strong academics and sport in a less intense setting than the Oxford schools.

The real shop that inspired Tenniel's illustration in Through the Looking-Glass — now selling all things Alice.

No students, the hardest exam in the world, and Hawksmoor's twin towers

The world's first university museum — free, with major collections of art and archaeology.

Vegan-leaning Indian street food at Gloucester Green Market — samosas, thalis, all curries gluten-free.

One of Oxford's oldest colleges — plain outside, historically significant inside

North Oxford's main artery — Victorian villas of the Norham Manor estate, Summertown shops, schools, and college institutions.

Eynsham's secondary — a well-regarded rural comprehensive west of Oxford.

A specialist collection of historical musical instruments, from medieval to modern.

The original Ben's Cookies — baked fresh in the Covered Market since 1984, famous far beyond Oxford.

An Oxford institution since 1879 — Broad Street bookshop with the cavernous Norrington Room below.

One of the oldest libraries in Europe — the Divinity School, Duke Humfrey's Library, and the Radcliffe Camera.

Right behind the Radcliffe Camera — an intimate college with a painted chapel ceiling

Hertford College's 1914 covered skyway over New College Lane — Oxford's most photographed bridge, despite resembling neither of the actual Bridges of Sighs.

Known as 'The Broad' — bookshops, the Sheldonian, and the Oxford Martyrs memorial.

Independent café-deli on Avenue 3 of the Covered Market — Greek and Mediterranean home cooking alongside English breakfasts, sandwiches and cakes.

The 23-metre Saxon-medieval tower at the centre of Oxford — climb 99 steps for a four-way panorama.

The short street linking Broad Street and the High — past the Bodleian, the Bridge of Sighs and All Souls.

A highly oversubscribed state school on Marston Ferry Road — strong results within a comprehensive framework.

Oxford's grandest college — part cathedral, part palace, all spectacle

Old Master paintings and one of the finest collections of Italian drawings in Britain.

Oxford-based specialty single-origin roaster with a cafe in the Covered Market — espresso, brunch, and bagged beans to take home.

Oxford's pedestrianised retail spine, running north from Carfax to St Mary Magdalen church.

One of Oxford's smallest colleges, with a famous pelican sundial

Jacket potato counter at stall 16A in the Covered Market — gluten-free and halal labelled, eight fillings on the warmer.

Tolkien's college, a miniature Sainte-Chapelle, and a hidden view over Radcliffe Square

Oxford's own ice cream since 1992 — handmade, inventive, and open past midnight.

Greek and Mediterranean café tucked upstairs in the Covered Market, with vintage cinema posters covering the walls and ceiling.

Oxford's outdoor market on Gloucester Green — street food, fresh produce, crafts, and vintage, Wednesday to Saturday.

Greek street food at Gloucester Green Market — souvlaki, gyros, vegan falafel and vegetarian halloumi wraps.

A modern graduate college wrapped around a Georgian observatory tower

Café-and-cocktail bar in the Covered Market with a Tarantino-tinged name, a chequerboard floor and a rainbow flag at the door.

Stoneground-sourdough bakery in the Covered Market — Kate and Hugo Hamblin's second site, after the original on Iffley Road.

Oxford's mature-student college with Burne-Jones and William Morris stained glass

Headington Rye Oxford — co-ed prep (3–11) and girls' senior (11–18), boarding and day.

Home of the Bridge of Sighs — Oxford’s most photographed architectural moment

Known locally as 'The High' — Oxford's grand sweep from Carfax to Magdalen Bridge.

Scientific instruments from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, in the world's oldest surviving purpose-built museum.

A quiet east-west street of Jacobean and Georgian cottages, the Holywell Music Room and the King's Arms.

Neapolitan panuozzo bar in the Covered Market, named for the southern Italian good-luck horn.

The Welsh college on Turl Street — quieter than its neighbours, full of character

Thai street food at Gloucester Green Market — busy stall trading as 'Just Thai — A Thai Service'.

Victorian polychrome brick — Oxford's most divisive building and a masterpiece painting

Oxford's part-time and continuing education hub — not a tourist destination

Korean street food at Gloucester Green Market — Korean-flag bunting, busy counter, regular Saturday queues.

Riverside gardens and pioneering history, away from the tourist crush

A proper Oxford local — ancient, unpretentious, and owned by St John's College.

An eco-focused graduate college — admirable but not a visitor attraction

A perfectly preserved medieval gem on Turl Street — John Wesley's college

Traditional Ethiopian dishes on injera, with a Thursday evening coffee ceremony.

The bench at the back of the Botanic Garden where, in the closing chapter of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, Lyra and Will promise to sit at noon on Midsummer's day every year.

Extensive grounds with a deer park, river walks, and a famous tower

The 144-foot perpendicular Gothic tower of Magdalen College (1509) — the centrepiece of the High Street and the gathering point for May Morning.

One of Oxford's narrowest lanes — a pedestrian shortcut from the High Street to Merton Street.

A Nonconformist college with a Gothic Revival chapel and progressive spirit

Sir Gilbert Scott's 1843 Gothic-Revival monument to Cranmer, Latimer and Ridley — the three Oxford Martyrs burned for heresy in 1555–1556.

Oxford's oldest quad, a medieval library, and Tolkien's second home

Oxford's contemporary art gallery — free, ambitious exhibitions in the heart of the city.

Medieval cloisters, a stretch of city wall, and a chapel with an El Greco

The narrow lane under the Bridge of Sighs — past Halley's house and into Queen's Lane.

Oxford's choir school — tiny, musical, and tucked behind New College's medieval walls.

A fortnightly farmers' and artisan market on North Parade Avenue — local producers, organic food, and a neighbourhood atmosphere.

Oxford's social science powerhouse — architecturally divisive, intellectually formidable

Oxford's oldest royal foundation — seven centuries on a beautiful square

Oxford's modern university — career-focused courses, strong in architecture, planning, and health sciences.

Norman castle (1071) and former Victorian prison — the medieval mound, St George's Tower, and 1,000 years of overlapping use.

Dinosaurs, dodos, and Darwin's legacy — all under a Gothic Revival iron-and-glass roof.

From Broad Street north to the University Parks — past Wadham, Keble and the Science Area.

Samuel Johnson's college — quietly handsome, just off St Aldate's

Proper pies in the Covered Market — the steak and ale is dependable, the specials rotate.

A Victorian cabinet of curiosities — shrunken heads, totem poles, and half a million objects from every culture on earth.

Pedestrianised retail running west from Carfax to Bonn Square.

James Gibbs's English Palladian rotunda (1749) — the first circular library in the country and the most photographed building in Oxford.

A tiny Baptist hall on St Giles' — small and friendly

Rye St Antony merged with Headington School in 2024 to form Headington Rye Oxford.

Wood-fired sourdough pizza in the Covered Market — a sister business of Church Hanbrewery, with a long communal counter and a separate 'Pizza in the market' takeaway hatch.

Sir Christopher Wren's first major building (1668) — the University's ceremonial assembly hall, with a painted ceiling and a viewing cupola.

A pioneering women's college — alumni include Thatcher, Sayers, and Indira Gandhi

South from Carfax to Folly Bridge — past Christ Church, the Town Hall and the river.

A modernist campus college with a strong access ethos — not a sightseeing stop

Oxford's international affairs college — impressive seminars, not impressive buildings

Designed by Arne Jacobsen — a complete modernist campus with sculpture gardens by the Cherwell

A small graduate college sharing the Grade II-listed Pusey House on St Giles'

The oldest academic hall in any university — 800 years in a tiny quad off Queen's Lane

Known as 'Teddies' — a proper boarding school with a surprisingly warm, unpretentious culture.

The wide boulevard north of the centre — the Eagle and Child, the Lamb and Flag, and the medieval church of St Giles'.

A day school for girls in Abingdon — strong academics, partnership with Abingdon School.

Oxford's last single-sex college (until 2008), with Cherwell riverside gardens

14 acres of gardens in North Oxford — one of the largest college grounds in the university

A country prep school with a loyal following — rural setting, strong boarding tradition.

Oxford's wealthiest college — Canterbury Quad, large gardens, and serious money

A young college on an ancient site — unassuming but well located near the castle

A traditional boys' prep school with a strong record of scholarships to Eton and Winchester.

Handmade-fresh sushi counter in the Covered Market — paper lanterns over the door, photo menus in the window, takeaway boxes from the cabinet.

Oxford's oldest pub — famous for its tie collection and recently expanded into a larger space.

Oxford's beating heart since 1774 — over 50 independent stalls under one historic roof.

A well-known co-ed prep school in North Oxford — large campus, broad curriculum, strong alumni network.

Where the Inklings met — Tolkien and Lewis's local on St Giles'.

The pub where Radiohead played their first gig — Oxford's main small live music venue.

C.S. Lewis's Oxford home from 1930, built 1922 on the site of a former brickworks. Now the C.S. Lewis Foundation Study Centre.

Oxford's quintessential student pub — Young's ales on Holywell Street, opposite the Bodleian.

Wine-focused bottle shop and tasting bar in the Covered Market — a joint venture between Eynsham Cellars and the adjacent Teardrop Bar, with around 250 bottles and six wines on tap.

Café, bar and bottleshop in the Covered Market's central courtyard, run by Oxfordshire social enterprise Tap Social Movement — fresh pastries and coffee, eight craft beers on draught, and a curated wine and cocktail list.

A thatched riverside pub reached via a walk across Port Meadow.

A baroque showpiece on the High Street — Oxford's only fully classical college

Inspector Morse's local, perched over a weir on the Thames at Wolvercote — come for the view, stay for the atmosphere.

A well-hidden pub, tucked down a medieval alleyway behind the Bodleian.

Tibetan and Bhutanese street food at Gloucester Green Market — momos, ema datshi, vegan curries.

A brass-plaqued bench in University Parks, dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien (1892–1973) by the Tolkien Centenary Conference in 1992 — accompanied by two trees said to represent Telperion and Laurelin, the Two Trees of Valinor.

The site, in the Oxford Botanic Garden, of the Pinus nigra under which J.R.R. Tolkien 'often spent his time reposing'.

Sir Christopher Wren's Gothic-revival gatehouse tower at Christ Church (1682) — home of Great Tom, the bell that still rings 101 times every night.

The Jacobean entrance tower of the Bodleian — a single building demonstrating all five classical orders, stacked vertically.

Spacious gardens and a Wren chapel on Broad Street — often overlooked

Known as 'The Turl' — three colleges and a row of independent shops between Broad and the High.

The University's church on the High Street, with one of the best tower views in Oxford and a 13th-century spire.

Possibly Oxford's oldest college — Shelley's memorial and a long High Street facade

A well-preserved Jacobean quad, large gardens, and a progressive reputation

The spine of Jericho — Oxford University Press, the Phoenix Picturehouse, and a strong run of independent restaurants and cafés.

Just east of Oxford — a village comprehensive with a strong community identity.

Isaiah Berlin's riverside graduate college — Powell & Moya's Grade II-listed modernist campus

City cemetery opened in 1889. The Roman Catholic section contains the grave of J.R.R. Tolkien and his wife Edith, headstone inscribed Beren and Lúthien.

The western artery north — Somerville, Green Templeton, St Edward's, and on towards Woodstock.

A lake, medieval cottages, and large gardens — one of central Oxford's hidden landscapes

Tiny, nurturing, and deliberately different — Oxford's smallest senior girls' school.

Oxford's FE college — vocational courses, apprenticeships, and practical skills training.

Oxford's longest-running Lebanese restaurant — three decades of mezze on a quiet Jericho crescent.

Authentic Italian gelato in the Covered Market.

The Covered Market's best-loved falafel stall — massive wraps, tiny prices.

Entirely plant-based street food — bold flavours drawn from global traditions.

Cocktails and pizza on the Cowley Road — a good-time bar that takes both seriously enough.

The Covered Market's greengrocer since 1952 — seasonal fruit and veg from local farms.

Jericho's Italian anchor — reliable pizza, proper cocktails, and a terrace that makes you forget you're in England.

Specialty coffee and pour-overs on Banbury Road — Oxford's serious coffee destination since 2013.

Broad Street's independent art supplies shop — paints, papers, and materials for working artists and students.

The market traders' cafe — full English breakfasts and builder's tea since the early hours.

Loose-leaf teas and freshly roasted coffees in the Covered Market — the smell alone is worth the detour.

Headington's comprehensive — inclusive, improving, and proudly comprehensive.

Specialty coffee in a medieval courtyard.

Social enterprise cafe and co-working space in Jericho.

Oxford's alternative independent — first names, no uniform, strong sixth form.

A proper traditional butcher in the Covered Market — locally sourced meat, hand-cut to order.

A monthly community farmers' market in East Oxford — local food producers and community stalls on the first Saturday.

Tiny, no-frills Japanese canteen on Holywell Street — ramen, donburi, gyoza, and bento boxes.

A civilised wine bar hidden down Friars Entry — the name is accurate, the escape from the crowds is real.

Seasonal British cooking in a Victorian glasshouse — an unusual and distinctive dining room.

Modern Punjabi street food in the Covered Market — from food van sensation to permanent stall.

Oxford's Catholic comprehensive — strong community ethos, faith-based admissions.

Independent coffee from a horsebox outside the Natural History Museum.

Ethically sourced, Oxford-roasted specialty coffee — direct-trade beans with full traceability.

Moorish-style tapas bar on the Cowley Road — lanterns, cocktails, and sharing plates.

Oxford's academic powerhouse — consistently one of the top-performing schools in the country.

West Oxford's secondary — a community comprehensive named after the Victorian poet.

Rooftop cocktails with a view of the Bodleian spires — Oxford's closest thing to a sky bar.

Mid-century furniture, vintage homeware, and salvaged curiosities on the Cowley Road.

Well-regarded Thai food in a tiny room with a BYOB policy — no corkage, no fuss.

Formerly the Angel & Greyhound — relaunched under Morgan Pub Collective with craft beer and a strong beer garden.

The GDST's Oxford flagship — academically rigorous, no-nonsense, and proudly day school.

Fine dining on the Banbury Road — tasting menus with ambition and precision.

East Oxford's academy — serving one of the city's most diverse communities.

The retail home of the world's largest university press — dictionaries, academic texts, and OUP's full catalogue on the High Street.

Independent clothing and gifts in the Covered Market — Oxford-made where possible.

Old-school French bistro on Little Clarendon Street — steak frites, carafes of wine, and no apologies.

Grand brasserie in the Old Bank Hotel — High Street people-watching with a menu that covers all bases.

Antique maps, prints, and engravings on the High Street — established 1967.

No-frills Thai cooking on the Cowley Road — big flavours, tiny prices, zero pretension.

Fine pens, handmade papers, and writing instruments on Turl Street.

Cantonese dim sum and Chinese cooking on St Aldates — popular with Oxford's Chinese students.

Specialty coffee done with warmth and precision — pour-over and filter in central Oxford.

Proper Caribbean food on the Cowley Road — jerk chicken with soul, plantain with crunch, and rice and peas done right.

Oxford's International Baccalaureate specialist — global student body, liberal ethos.

The Covered Market's organic grocer — wholefood staples, fresh produce, and zero-waste refills before it was fashionable.

A well-stocked museum shop — jewellery, prints, and design objects inspired by the Ashmolean's collection.

Every type of brush imaginable — a Covered Market institution.

An independent bakery in the Covered Market — honest cakes, pastries, and bakes without the artisan price tag.

A friendly local perched on The Plain roundabout — the gateway pub to east Oxford.

A proper pub hiding in plain sight on the High Street — the 15th-century beams are the real deal.

A warm-hearted backstreet local between Cowley and Iffley Roads — the garden alone is worth the detour.

Sri Lankan street food tapas — fiery, fragrant, and well priced.

A fully vegetarian pub on a Jericho backstreet — with a garden that lives up to the name.

A no-frills St Clement's local where the quiz is taken seriously and the prices aren't.

Bike-themed cafe-bar on St Michael's Street — good coffee by day, cocktails by night.

A big riverside pub at Folly Bridge — the terrace over the Thames is the whole point.

Reachable only on foot or by boat — a riverside pub at Iffley Lock that feels like a secret.

Cheap cocktails and a sticky floor — Cowley Road's unrepentant late-night favourite.

A serious kitchen in a proper pub — nose-to-tail cooking, popular Sunday roasts, and not a gastro cliche in sight.

A proper village pub in Headington Quarry — the kind of place C.S. Lewis would have walked to, because he did.

Oxford's original specialty coffee shop — own-roasted beans on Turl Street.

A tiny Jericho backstreet bistro serving French-inflected food in an intimate setting.

A serious cheese counter in the Covered Market — British and European artisan cheeses, cut to order.

A village green pub in Wolvercote — proper ale, proper food, properly relaxed.

Jericho's brunch-to-cocktails pub — a Cranham Street all-day spot with craft beer and a courtyard.

North Parade's anchor pub — a proper local where the landlord knows every regular by name.

A down-to-earth real ale pub just off the beaten track in St Ebbes.

A Cowley Road all-rounder — good burgers, craft beer, and a garden that earns its keep.

Indian street food and cocktails on Hythe Bridge Street — chaat, grills, thalis, and a full bar.

A fiercely loved backstreet local off Cowley Road — the kind of pub communities fight to save.

Oxford's newest state school — purpose-built, oversubscribed, and still finding its identity.

A solid Jericho local — unpretentious, reliable, and always good for a quiet pint.

A tiny Broad Street pub squeezed between Blackwell's and the Bodleian — smaller than some college rooms.

Oxford's board game cafe — over 2,500 games, a bar, and someone on hand to explain the rules.

Coffee and vinyl on the Cowley Road — browse records with a flat white in hand.

Vintage clothing on the Cowley Road — rammed rails at student-friendly prices.

A beloved Oxford cafe that relocated from its famous Radcliffe Square crypt to King Edward Street in late 2025.

Chinese-Malaysian cooking in Jericho — refined flavours, a proper wine list, and neighbourhood atmosphere.