Oxford City and University Walking Small Group PUBLIC Tour
This is a small group tour with typically under 5 persons and limited to max 14 persons. Minimum numbers to book may apply to book- currently minimum 3 or 4 adults applies to book. Our competitors run tours with much larger numbers than we do, so one advantage of booking our tour, is a more personalised service.
This tour will include entry into at least one or more colleges- which college/s will vary from day to day.
See Oxford and England's history will be brought alive on this unique small-group guided walking tour of the city and university traditions. See inside colleges with any chargeable entrance fees included in your tour. The 90 to 120-minute long tour will feature storytelling about student life, college traditions, Henry VIII, Bloody Mary, CS Lewis, J.R.R Tolkien and even Harry Potter!
Notice: please see What's not included section for details of university graduation dates as most colleges are closed on such dates.
Options
Public tour
Daily shared public tour: Daily shared PUBLIC Individual tickets lasting 90-120 minutes
What's included in Oxford City and University Walking Small Group PUBLIC Tour
(Subject to Option Inclusions)Itinerary
Wadham CollegePass-by Only
Which colleges we visit inside will vary from one tour to the next, depending on what is open from day to day. This college is free entry to visit yourselves.
Exeter College
We briefly introduce a range of colleges or sightseeing spots such as this one, on our route. This college is where Tolkien was a student! It's also connected to JK Rowling.
Balliol CollegePass-by Only
Which colleges we will visit will vary from day to day, depending on what is open from day to day. This college is worth £3 in entry fee and we often visit here during the tour.
Inclusions
- Entry fee worth £3 max per person is included.
- PLEASE SEE EXCLUSIONS SECTION FOR DETAILS OF ANY CLOSURES TO VENUES.
- The tour typically visits inside either Balliol or Exeter or St Johns college worth max £3 person
- Your guide will give you a complementary ILoveOxford map, showing you of all the main sights.
- Tour does NOT visit Bodleian, Christ church, Magdalen or New colleges ( which cost £8-£18)
- Christmas notice: colleges are usually all closed from approx Dec 21 to Jan 2nd
- On graduation dates, we may not always be able to enter a college so see graduation dates below:
- 2025 Graduation dates includes....
- May 31, July 19 + 29, Aug 1 + 2 + 9, Sep 26 + 27, Nov 7+ 8+9+14 +15 of 2025
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We cannot always guarantee entry inside any colleges during Covid19 and on graduation dates or Xmas period from approx. Dec 22nd to Jan 2nd
- Please take note of any advertised university graduation dates mentioned below, as those dates can have less options of colleges to visit.
- Graduation dates- please see 'EXCLUSIONS' section.
Meet
Pickup and Dropoff
You will make your own way to the meeting points
Meeting Points
- Meet your guide wearing red lanyard. Meeting next to our black sign, OUTSIDE Oxford Tourist info centre, 15 Broad street, OX1 3AS. This is also next to the Oxfam shop which has a green sign above its shop.
End Points
- The tour either ends outside New college or next door outside the Bodleian library.
Redeem
Ticket Redemption
Please note that as the university colleges are private institutions, we can't always guarantee entry to colleges but it is very rare that we cannot get entry into at least 1 or 2 colleges on the tour. This may however be the case on any graduation dates- see dates below- or over Xmas period from approximately Dec 21 to Jan 2nd. NOTICE: The Divinity School closes approx. 30 days per year and it sometimes closes without any advance notice given, so we cannot promise entry to this venue- it is a bonus to the tour. INFO FOR DRIVERS AND PARKING: If you are driving, then please allow extra 30-60 minutes over whatever time you think it will take you to get here. Oxford is NOT car friendly and it is congested roads and hard to find parking spaces....unless you park at the sign posted 'park and rides' on edge of town on any major road into the city and hop on their buses into city centre. The park and ride buses leave every 15 or every 30 minutes and take anything from 10 min to 30 min (depending on traffic) to reach city centre. So if you are going to drive, then please assume you should be aiming to park your car about one hour before your tour starts. PUBLIC TRANSPORT: We actually recommend instead using the much faster and reliable train services but again please aim to arrive about an hour or earlier before your tour starts as trains can be delayed and the train and coach station are about 15 minutes walk from our meeting point. There is also the coach service from London called the Oxford Tube which leaves every half hour or more but it can take much longer than its advertised 105 minute journey time. It drops you off either at High street Oxford or Gloucester Green coach station. It's quicker to ask to get off on High street near Carfax tower, then it's a 10 minutes walk to Broad street.
