Things to do in Oxfordshire

Searching for things to do in Oxfordshire? Whether you are looking for Bicester Village – the world’s most popular luxury shopping outlet, the UK’s only crocodile zoo, the world’s oldest public museum – Ashmolean Museum and the oldest Botanic Garden in the world, the oldest University in the English-speaking world, Britain’s oldest chalk figure or picture-perfect villages – don’t look any further, as we’ve got them all!

Explore the city of Oxford and the wider county to discover world-class arts and culture in stunning venues, the University of Oxford, museums, country houses and gardens such as Blenheim Palace and beautiful landscapes full of walking, cycling and boating opportunities.

Oxford and Oxfordshire have also provided backdrops for countless international films including Harry Potter filmed at Christ Church and James Bond’s Spectre filmed at Blenheim Palace, to name just a few. Many places across the county may look familiar to fans of shows like Downton Abbey, Midsomer Murders and Inspector Morse.

Oxfordshire is famous for its excellent local produce and delicious food. From Michelin-starred restaurants such as Belmond Le Manoir, cosy rural pubs, farmers’ markets, social enterprise cafés and international cuisine, you will not be short of places to eat and drink.

If you are travelling with family, Oxfordshire is the perfect place to enjoy a big day out. With fantastic farms, wildlife parks such as Cotswold Wildlife Park with over 260 different species of animal. Magical museums and amazing mazes, the county’s got activities for children of all ages. You can enjoy real-life escape games at City Mazes, explore and climb the historical Oxford Castle and Prison, or visit Cogges Manor Farm, a Scheduled Ancient Monument with over 1000 years of history, for something special.

There are also many tours you can take, by foot, bike or even boat, to explore the county and discover its hidden secrets.

If Oxford is your first stop, the Oxford Visitor Information Centre offers somewhere to gather friendly local information and help, as well as a place for you to store your luggage while you explore Oxford and Oxfordshire.

Click Here to Explore the Bodleian Libraries with the new Augmented Reality App.

Great things to do

Didcot Railway Centre

Didcot Railway Centre is a living museum of the Great Western Railway in Didcot, Oxfordshire. See the unique collection of Great Western Railway steam engines, coaches, wagons, buildings and small relics; and a recreation of Brunel's broad gauge railway. Visit the Didcot Railway Centre and enjoy the rural setting based around the original 1930s engine shed. Opening...

MINI Plant Oxford Tours

Take a journey through more than 100 years of Oxford’s car building history and discover how BMW creates over 1,000 one-of-a-kind, made-to-order MINIs every day. - Visit MINI’s production halls where human skill and state-of-the-art technology combine to build a new MINI every 67 seconds. - See MINI’s Visitor Centre where 58 years of rich MINI heritage...

Bletchley Park Trust

Bletchley Park is a place of exceptional historical importance. It remains highly relevant to our lives today and for the future. It is the home of British code breaking and a birthplace of modern information technology. It played a major role in World War Two, producing secret intelligence which had a direct and profound influence on the...

The Oxford Artisan Distillery

Welcome to The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD, to those in the know), this ancient city’s first distillery – and one of the world’s very few true craft distilleries. We cultivate, craft, create and curate the very finest spirits using sustainably grown populations of ancient heritage grain. In fact, the rare and distinctive subtleties in our spirits are...

Oxford Tour Guides

A great way to discover Oxford is to take a walking tour with Oxford Tour Guides. We specialise in private or group tours that are tailored to your interests. The tour can be any length whether you just have an hour or two to spare or it can be up to a whole day. Just...

City Mazes

Can you escape their rooms? Get locked up and find out! Bring a team and get code cracking! City Mazes is an interactive and instinctive real life escape game experience, in which players are given 60 minutes to solve a series of puzzles using hints & strategy to escape! The games are cleverly designed with intricate and...

Blenheim Palace

Home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough and his family and the birth place of Sir Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site boasting a long and diverse history. A masterpiece of Baroque architecture, landscaped Parkland and stunning Formal Gardens, Blenheim Palace provides an awe-inspiring experience for visitors. Explore over 2000 acres of...

Faringdon Folly Tower

Faringdon Folly Tower

Faringdon Folly Tower was built in 1935 by Lord Berners, owner of Faringdon House. It is the last major Folly to be built in England. The Tower is 100 feet high and affords panoramic views over five counties. It sits on Folly Hill, within a charming 4 acre, circular woodland of splendid Scots Pine and...

Cogges Manor Farm

Discover the beautiful Oxfordshire Cotswolds and enjoy a morning or afternoon visiting the historic grounds at Cogges. Cogges is a Scheduled Ancient Monument with over 1000 years of history, with Grade II* Listed 13th century manor house and 17th century farm buildings. Discover the fascinating story of past owners ranging from Norman knights, English Kings,...

Choral Evensong

Every day during term-time, starting between 5.15 and 6.45 pm, many Oxford college chapel choirs and some parish churches sing beautiful music in Choral Evensong- a service which is free-of-charge and open to all. The service is 45 minutes long, and its words and music can inspire people of all faiths and none. The chapel...

Museum of the History of Science

The Museum of the History and Science is situated in the old Ashmolean building on Broad Street, which is the world’s oldest surviving purpose-built museum. This public museum offers visitors permanent displays, a selection of events and exhibitions as well as public lectures, gallery tours and table talks. One of the most famous displays is...

Fairytale Farm

Mixing classic fairy tales, animals, and adventure play, children will love Fairytale Farm. With our exciting adventure playground, an enchanted walk with a surprise around every corner and a chance to meet our amazing animals, there is so much to see and do. It is a sensory and learning wonderland for all the family. Race...

New Theatre Oxford

Playing host to some of the biggest shows and names, New Theatre Oxford is situated right in the centre of the historic city. There is always plenty on at the New Theatre, from comedy shows to operas, there is something for everyone. Getting to the New Theatre Car Parking in central Oxford can sometimes be difficult...

Alice’s Shop

A fundamental part of the tales of Alice in Wonderland, Alice’s Shop features in the original story written by Lewis Carroll. Situated across the road from Alice’s childhood home, the Oxford University college of Christ Church, Alice’s Shop was Alice’s sweet shop 150 years ago, and was written into Alice’s adventures. Illustrator of Through the Looking-Glass,...

Kelmscott Manor

Kelmscott Manor was the inspirational country home of William Morris; poet, designer, craftsman, socialist and founding father of the Arts and Crafts movement. This Grade I listed house was loved by Morris as a survival of traditional craftsmanship in harmony with the nearby village and surrounding landscape, which lies towards the very upper reaches of...

secret cottage tours

Cotswolds Secret Cottage Tour

An invitation into Becky’s private thatched Cotswold home Secret Cottage Tour. During your 6-hour tour of hidden villages, you’re invited inside my 500-year-old cottage for coffee and pastries, a buffet lunch and in the afternoon a traditional English cream tea. With their invaluable knowledge, you are treated ‘as if you’re a local’ during your guided...