Everything to do With a Few Hours in Oxford, England

If you’re traveling to London, chances are you’ll be spending some time visiting other parts of England to make the most of your time across the pond. For some, that might mean traveling north towards York or going east to see the famous Cliffs of Dover.

Still others will head west to see the idyllic Cotswolds and the Georgian city of Bath. If that sounds like you, you should definitely plan to add at least a few hours in Oxford along the way. That might not seem like much, but it’ll be enough to at least get a taste of the city’s architectural delights and fantastic museums.

Updated June 2023

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Arriving in Oxford

Unless you are staying a night in Oxford, your first stop should be the Oxford Visitor Information Centre. It’s a handy tourist office that will help you to make the most of may be a short time in town.

For a nominal fee, they’ll store your luggage so you can wander around Oxford without having to worry about your bags. They can also answer any questions you might have about the city or any of its attractions before you head out to see the sights.

Oxford Covered Market

Especially if you are coming in the morning, your first stop should be the Covered Market. The covered market is a great way to either pass the time before some of the museums open or to just get some breakfast before you start your tour of Oxford.

The Covered Market has been a mainstay of Oxford since the late 18th Century. It’s a collection of various local vendors selling their fare all assembled under one rooftop.

Michelle and I mostly just walked aimlessly around. There are so many amazing smells and sights to see that you really should plan to spend at least 30 minutes to just roam the market.

The big highlight as a tourist has to be Ben’s Cookies. At this point, there are many Ben’s Cookies locations throughout the U.K. and the rest of the world, but the location in the Covered Market is the original.

Even if you are there first thing in the morning, it’s worth treating yourself to some of their cookies. They’re cooked fresh and are simply incredible. I recommend triple chocolate chunk and white chocolate chunk!

In addition to getting some fantastic cookies, there are several places to get a quick breakfast or to pick up some food to go for a picnic lunch.

Museum of Natural History

Of my Oxford recommendations, the Museum of Natural History is the only one that is out of the city center. That said, it’s still only a 0.5 mile away from the Covered Market. Since it is the farthest walk, I suggest doing it first after the market to get the walk out of the way.

Entry to the museum is free, but donations are encouraged (a common theme for Oxford’s museums). Depending on how long you like to take on each exhibit, you should plan for around an hour to tour this museum. I stopped to read only the signs of the exhibits that I am interested in. With that, I was able to go through the museum and see everything that I wanted to see in around an hour without feeling rushed. If you stop to look at everything in detail it will take at least twice that long.

Some highlights of this museum include various skeletons of prehistoric animals, a skeleton of a dodo bird and the beehive on the second floor.

Pitt Rivers Museum

Found within the Museum of Natural History, the Pitt Rivers Museum is a fascinating hodgepodge of cultural and archaeological artifacts. Like the Natural History Museum, entry is free.

There is a loose organization in the collections, but it does almost feel like things are placed wherever there is space. It can be confusing and even daunting when you first enter this museum. In spite of that, somehow the curators make it work. In a way, the labyrinthine setup adds to the overall ambience of the museum.

I ended up liking this museum more than the Natural History Museum, which surprised me. It’s just so different from what you expect from a museum. There are many interesting collections from around the world: some weird, some creepy, but all equally fascinating.

You should try to spend at least another 45 minutes in this museum. Unlike the Museum of Natural History, I do wish I had had more time to spend here because of the large amount and variety of artifacts on display.

Update: Since this was first written, the Pitt Rivers Museum has removed many of its more controversial displays, such as shrunken heads, because of the racist stereotypes associated with them. Instead, you will find displays providing education on how Western values have caused us to negatively portray other cultures in the past.

History of Science Museum

The History of Science Museum is a much-needed stop on your tour of Oxford if you enjoy the sciences. If science is not your thing, then you could skip this museum as you likely will not appreciate the various collections.

Now that all of the non-science fans have stopped reading, this museum is a really cool experience. It was awe-inspiring seeing some of the objects that I learned about in school and that have meant so much to the evolution of humanity.

The whole museum is not particularly large, but the different exhibits are crammed with artifacts. If you really took your time to look at every single item, it could take nearly two hours. If you focus on the highlights and skim through everything else, you can tour the museum in about an hour.

The highlights are the astrolabes, the pastel illustration of the moon from 1795 and Albert Einstein’s blackboard. As a healthcare professional, the collection of medical artifacts was also interesting.

The Eagle and Child

If you’re not aware of the literary significance of the Eagle and Child pub, then you will think this is just your typical pub when you lay eyes on it. However, it is much, much more than that.

J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, among other members of the literary group The Inklings, used this pub as their meeting spot to read and discuss each other’s works. If you are a fan of fantasy literature, then this is an absolute must-see while you are in Oxford.

It actually gave me chills walking in and seeing where Tolkien and Lewis would sit for their meetings. Sitting with an ale in roughly that same spot while imagining what their conversations must have been like was an amazing experience!

Besides the cultural significance of this pub, we did enjoy a very good lunch here, as well. I can’t remember exactly what I had; it was some type of Indian curry. Frankly, it could have been fast food quality and I would have been happy. The fact that my meal was good was just icing on the cake!

Update: Sadly, the Eagle and Child has been closed since March 2020. Initial plans to rebrand it as a hotel with a pub still intact seem to have fallen through. You can still visit the outside. Afterwards, you can head across the road to the Lamb and Flag, another pub that was frequented by Tolkien and his peers.

Other Sights to See

Many of these sights are things you’ll pass by while walking through town, making them easy and convenient to check out. Among these are the various colleges of Oxford University with their medieval designs and courtyards. Some of these you can tour, but if you are only in Oxford for a short stay, it is enough to just admire the buildings from afar.

Another piece of architecture that you’ll definitely want to see is the Bridge of Sighs (see the image at the top of this post). If you visit the History of Science Museum, just walk a few steps farther up Broad Street to see the bridge. The bridge was completed in 1914 but has the appearance of something designed centuries ago. It is relatively simple, yet beautiful to see. It’s worth stopping to admire for a few moments and taking pictures in front of the bridge.

Near the Bridge of Sighs is the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. It’s by no means the grandest church you’ll see in England; this is actually what I liked about it, though. The inside is relatively simple with the exception of its gorgeous stained-glass windows. There is a tower you can climb for a small fee. Otherwise, visiting the church is free. Just remember to be respectful if there is a service occurring during your visit.

With More Time in Oxford

There are so many museums and colleges to visit in Oxford. Unless you are staying for at least two days, it’s just not feasible to see everything there is to see.

Here are some other highlights that I would have liked to see had I had more time:

• Ashmolean Museum
• Bodleian Library
• Museum of Oxford
• Oxford Castle and Prison
• A tour of any of Oxford’s colleges

By Car

I personally would not recommend this option unless you are comfortable driving on the left side of the road and driving in big cities. The drive can take about 90 minutes despite it only being about 56 miles due to London traffic.

If you are visiting western England, my advice would be to take the train to Oxford, and then, pick up a car in Oxford to drive to your various destinations.

By Bus

The third option is to take a bus via the Oxford Tube. These buses run every 10 to 20 minutes depending on the day, and the trip takes around 90 minutes.

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