Insight Guides - Insight Guides Great Breaks Oxford (Travel Guide eBook)

How To Use This E-Book

This Great Break has been produced by the editors of Insight Guides, whose books have set the standard for visual travel guides since 1970. With top-quality photography and authoritative recommendations, these guidebooks bring you the very best routes and itineraries in the worlds most exciting destinations.

Walks and Tours

The clearly laid-out walks and tours in this book feature options for walking or using public transport wherever possible. The emphasis is on family fun, wholesome outdoorsey activities, local festivals, and food and drink. There are loads of great holiday ideas: kids stuff, best beaches, historic pubs, literary connections, unique shops, and crucially with our Great British weather what to do on a rainy day.

We recommend reading the whole of a route before setting out. This should help you to familiarise yourself with it and enable you to plan where to stop for refreshments options are shown in the Eating Out box at the end of each tour.

Introduction

The routes are set in context by this introductory section, giving an overview of the destination to set the scene, plus background information on food and drink.

Directory

Also supporting the walks and tours is a Travel Tips section, with a clearly organised AZ of practical information. There is a comprehensive round up of sports and activities in the destination, recommendations for themed holidays, plus our pick of the best places to stay.

Getting around the e-book

In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.

Maps

All key attractions and sights mentioned in the text are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.

Images

Youll find lots of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of the destination. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.

About Insight Guides

Insight Guides have more than 40 years experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.

Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.

2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd

Table of Contents

Oxfords Top 10

From punting on the River Thames to grandiose historical colleges and the oldest botanic garden in Britain, here are at a glance the top sights, museums and activities of this fascinating city.

Magdalen College. Dominating the eastern end of the High Street, Magdalen has a tower, cloisters, quads galore and even a deer park. For more information, .

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Punting on the Thames. View the spires of Oxford from a punt on the river while sipping Champagne and tucking into a picnic. For more information, .

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Ashmolean Museum. The oldest museum in the country has a superb collection of art and antiquities. For more information, .

Jerome Bump

Bodleian Library. The library complex holds the circular Radcliffe Camera and the Divinity School. For more information, .

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Sheldonian Theatre. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren, the Sheldonian which seats up to 750 people is used for university ceremonies, lectures and concerts. For more information, .

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Port Meadow. Adjacent to the River Thames, this extensive flood plain is a great place to take time out from city sightseeing. The nearby Perch Inn is a popular stopping point. For more information, .

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University Museum of Natural History. A fine natural history museum, with dinosaur skeletons, is set in a Gothic pile next to Keble College. For more information, .

VisitEngland/Experience Oxfordshire

Botanic Garden. The oldest botanic garden in Britain, featured in Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials trilogy, contains a wealth of floral treasures and a steamy hothouse. For more information, .

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Covered Market. This indoor market shelters traditional butchers, unique shops and cafs. For more information, .

Frank Noon/Apa Publications

Christ Church. Oxfords largest college is home to the citys cathedral. Its dining hall was used as a location for scenes in the Harry Potter films. For more information, .

Frank Noon/Apa Publications

Overview: A Tale of Two Cities

Although Oxford owes its world-wide fame to its string of colleges, the city of dreaming spires is really a tale of two cities of town and gown