A Day In Oxford, England – Day Trip From London – Things To Do

Today, I’m taking you on a day trip from London to Oxford, the famous university city. I went to Oxford in August, for just the second time ever! It’s a beautiful city, and I’m already planning the next trip. I visited a few museums and a college with lovely gardens, walked around the city centre, and relaxed in a park. I ended my visit in a botanic garden, the perfect place to wind down. Here’s how I spent a cosy day in Oxford, England.

Getting to Oxford from London by train

I took a direct train from London Marylebone to Oxford. The journey time was around 1 hour 15 minutes.

Grounds of an Oxford University college seen from the entrance — A Day In Oxford – College Grounds

Visiting Oxford Castle and Prison

I didn’t have a concrete plan for the day. There were a few places I had pinned on Google Maps, but other than that, I just wanted to stroll around the city.

Soon after I left Oxford train station, I walked past Oxford Castle and Prison. You can tour the underground prison, but the ticket prices weren’t particularly appealing, so I decided to pass. I did, however, pay £2 to climb the mound next to the Castle, hoping for a nice view. Well, the view was rather underwhelming. Save your money and skip it! You can get a similar (if not better) view from the roof terrace of the nearby Westgate shopping centre, for free.

The shopping centre was actually my next stop. I did waste a little bit of time there before I continued exploring Oxford.

Oxford Castle seen from the outside — A Day In Oxford – Oxford Castle

Ashmolean Museum

Next, I headed to Ashmolean Museum. It’s a pretty large museum with a wide variety of exhibits: from Egyptian mummies to fine bone china and lots of paintings. There’s a gift shop, a cafe, and toilets in Ashmolean Museum. It’s free to visit.

Pottery and china displays in Ashmolean Museum, Oxford — A Day In Oxford – Ashmolean Museum

Natural History Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum

From Ashmolean Museum I headed to the Natural History Museum. I remembered it quite well from my previous visit in Oxford.

The Natural History Museum is essentially one huge hall with lots of animal skeletons and fossils. Upstairs, you’ll find more exhibits, a cafe, and a view of the main hall.

But there’s more!

Inside the Oxford Natural History Museum… there’s a whole second museum: Pitt Rivers. Highlighting craftsmanship through the centuries with archaeological and anthropological collections, the museum is absolutely huge. It has a few levels, each filled with exhibits floor to ceiling. Imagine thinking that you’ve seen everything in the Natural History Museum, just to discover that there’s a whole second museum to tour!

I’m pretty sure you’d need a couple of days to see every single item and read all the labels. I walked through all of the floors, but didn’t have time to properly explore the whole Pitt Rivers Museum.

View of the main hall of Oxford Natural History Museum, seen from the top floor — A Day In Oxford – Natural History Museum

Animal skeletons in Oxford Natural History Museum — A Day In Oxford – Natural History Museum

Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, seen from the top floor — A Day In Oxford – Pitt Rivers Museum

Nature walk and Tolkien’s bench

Once I left the museums, I headed to the nearby park for some much needed fresh air. I had seen on Google Maps that there’s a bench dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien, and I wanted to find it.

I followed Google Maps and walked through the park until I saw the bench. Sadly, the bench was occupied. I decided to sit down on a different bench and enjoyed my lunch brought from home – a delicious leczo with rice. I kept an eye on Tolkien’s bench, though, and as soon as the people left, I went to check it out. There was a commemorative plate indeed!

Since I was already in the park, I decided to have a quick nature walk along a signposted trail. It took me about 30 minutes.

A commemorative plate on a bench in memory of J.R.R. Tolkien in Oxford — A Day In Oxford – Tolkien Bench

A bridge over a pond in Oxford — A Day In Oxford – Nature Walk

Bodleian and Weston libraries

Next, I headed back to the city centre. I didn’t get to visit Bodleian Library, but it’s definitely on my list for a future visit. There were many people in that area – it’s one of the most touristy parts of Oxford.

I did quickly visit Weston Library, just across the street from Bodleian. In all honesty, I mainly visited it for the free toilets. But by the entrance, I saw an old press machine, and a sign saying that you can get a free bookmark printed on that machine! I love a free keepsake, so obviously asked to make one.

Bodleian Library, Oxford. The sky is largely blue, with some heavy clouds on the right side of the photo. The grass around the round building has dried up and turned to hay — A Day In Oxford – Day Trip From London – Bodleian Library

Oxford History of Science Museum

I also visited the History of Science Museum. It’s pretty small, but there were two interesting exhibitions. The first of them included props from a TV show based on His Dark Materials book trilogy, which is one of my favourite book series. I’ve actually never seen the show – I’m scarred by the Golden Compass film based on the books, which was absolutely awful. Apparently, the TV show is a bit better.

The books are set in Oxford, and it was nice to see the Oxford Science Museum acknowledge it.

Also in Oxford History of Science Museum, I saw an original blackboard from Albert Einstein’s lecture. How cool!

Einstein's Blackboard with his equation in Oxford Science Museum — A Day In Oxford – Science Museum – Einstein’s Blackboard

Old building in Oxford city centre — A Day In Oxford – City Centre

Stalls in the covered market in Oxford city centre — A Day In Oxford – Covered Market

Magdalen College

Next, I quickly popped to a few shops and walked around the Covered Market. I was also in a desperate need of a coffee, so I grabbed a cup of my favourite beverage too.

I also walked past an antique store – I’ve really enjoyed them this year. I ended up buying a vintage set of silver plated cake forks to replace the super cheap and ugly ones I bought a few years ago.

Then, I headed to Magdalen College. I couldn’t leave Oxford without visiting one of the colleges!

It’s always a pleasure to walk around the old yet well maintained colleges. The dining halls never fail to amaze me. They look like a set for a Harry Potter film! When I read the Harry Potter books as a child, I thought Hogwarts was entirely made up. Now, having lived in the UK for 7 years, I know that a lot of it was actually based on real aspects of British education system. How odd!

Apart from the dining hall, I also visited the chapel and the cloisters. Magdalen College also has a large garden, which includes a deer enclosure. I saw quite a few of them, but they were all relaxing under the trees, far from the fence.

The cloisters of Magdalen College, Oxford — A Day In Oxford – Magdalen College

Dining hall inside Magdalen College, Oxford — A Day In Oxford – Magdalen College

A herd of deer resting on a dried up meadow — A Day In Oxford – Magdalen College

Oxford University Botanic Garden

Across the street from Magdalen College, there’s Oxford University Botanic Garden. I love botanic gardens, so decided to check it out.

My visit started with a small disappointment. I saw that there was a combined ticket for the Botanic Garden and Magdalen College which I had just left. Nobody told me about that ticket when I paid to enter the College! The discount wasn’t huge, but a discount is a discount. If you plan to visit both places, start with the Botanic Garden and get the combined ticket!

Once I put the ticket disappointment behind me, I was able to enjoy the Garden. It was pretty lovely, actually!

I visited Oxford in August and the summer had been extremely hot, so most green spaces in the country had dried up. In that context, the Oxford Botanic Garden looked pretty good.

There were colourful flower beds and green trees. I bought an iced coffee and sat down to enjoy it in the sun. Before I left the Garden, I made sure to check out the glasshouses, which are usually my favourite part of botanic gardens. The giant lily pads always amaze me!

Large lily pads on a pond in Oxford Botanic Garden — A Day In Oxford – Botanic Garden

Punting on River Cherwell in Oxford — A Day In Oxford – Botanic Garden

A close up of a brown butterfly sitting on an orange flower — A Day In Oxford – Botanic Garden – Butterfly

Colourful flowers along a path in Oxford Botanic Garden — A Day In Oxford – Botanic Garden

Trimmed hedges, red roses and blue skies in the Oxford Botanic Garden — A Day In Oxford – Botanic Garden

Other things to do in Oxford

I already mentioned Bodleian Library – it’s one of the most popular landmarks in Oxford, and I definitely want to visit it one day.

I also wanted to visit Christ Church College and its famous cathedral. Christ Church College was a filming location of Harry Potter, and as a huge Harry Potter fan, I’d love to see it. Sadly, because my trip to Oxford was planned last minute, tickets to Christ Church College were already sold out. If you want to visit it, you need to plan ahead!