Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide
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Next to train station. Breakfast not included, full English breakfast £5. Self-catering kitchen. Internet £1 per 15min. Wi-Fi £5 per day. Library and TV lounge. All rooms have ensuite baths, plus extra bathrooms in hallyways. Dorms £16-22; singles £28; doubles/twins £45-55. £3 surcharge for non-YHA members. Reception 24hr.
University Accommodations
The University of Oxford’s conferencing website, www.conference-oxford.com lists some individual email contacts for B and B accommodations at the colleges. The process can be a hassle, but worth it if you’d like to stay in the medieval digs of one of Oxford’s prestigious colleges.
LINCOLN HALL BED AND BREAKFAST
Museum Rd.
DORMS, BED AND BREAKFAST
beckie@internal.linc.ox.ac.uk
Lincoln College offers up to 60 single ensuite rooms with shared kitchens in historic, brightly-colored Victorian townhouses. Centrally located to university sights like the Bodleian Library and Pitt Rivers Museum.
Near the University science area. Continental breakfast included. Must pay in full before stay. £10 key deposit. Internet access via ethernet port. Singles £40. Open July-Aug. Reception 24hr.
SIGHTS
Carfax
The Tourist Information Centre on Broad Street sells the Oxford What to See and Do Guide for £.60, which lists all of the colleges’ visiting hours and prices and has a handy map. Hours can also be accessed online at www.ox.ac.uk. Note that hours and the list of sights open to tourists can be changed at any given time without explanation or notice. Some colleges charge admission, while others are accessible only through the official blue badge tours, booked at the TIC, and a few are generally off-limits. Take this as warning that it’s not worth trying to sneak into Christ Church outside open hours. College bouncers in bowler hats, affectionately known as “bulldogs,” will squint their eyes and promptly kick you out.
One of the best ways to get into the colleges for free (and also to witness a beautiful, historic ritual) is to check out one of the church services in the college chapels during term-time, for Evensong in particular. Usually, this takes place at around 6pm. Show up 15min. before it starts and tell the people at the gate that you’d like to attend the service; they generally let you in for free.
Christ Church
CHRIST CHURCH
St. Aldates
COLLEGE
01865 276 492 www.chch.ox.ac.uk/college
Oxford’s most famous college has the university’s grandest quad and some of its most distinguished alumni, including 13 saints and past prime ministers. During the English Civil War, “The House” was also the home to Charles I and the royal family, who used the Royalist-friendly university as a retreat during Cromwell’s advance, and escaped Oxford dressed as servants when the city came under threat. The college is also notable as the place where Lewis Carroll first met Alice, the young daughter of the college dean, before she headed to Wonderland. In other cultural references, the dining hall and central quad serve as shooting locations for many Harry Potter films (tourists mob to see the site of Hogwarts’ dining hall).
Down St. Aldates from Carfax. £6.30, concessions £4.80, family ticket £12. Open M-Sa 9am-5:30pm, Su 1-5:30pm.
CHRIST CHURCH CHAPEL
St Aldates
CHAPEL
01865 276 492 www.chch.ox.ac.uk/cathedral
Christ Church Chapel is the only church in all of England to serve as both a cathedral (for the archdiocese of Oxford) and college chapel. The church was founded in CE 730 by Oxford’s patron saint, Saint Fridesweide, who built a nunnery here in honor of two miracles: the blinding of her persistent suitor and his subsequent recovery. A stained-glass window, c. 1320, depicts Thomas à Becket kneeling moments before his death in Canterbury Cathedral.
Down St. Aldates from Carfax. £6.30, concessions £4.80, family ticket £12. Hall and cathedral open M-F 10:15am-11:45am, 2:15pm-4:30pm, Sa-Su 2:30-4:30pm only. Last admission 4:30pm. Chapel services M-F 6pm; Su 8am, 10am, 11:15am, and 6pm.
Other Colleges
Oxford’s extensive college system (distributing its 20,000 students among 38 official colleges and 6 permanent private halls of the university—each with its own structure and rules—means that there are plenty of beautiful grounds to stroll year-round. We’ve picked out a few of the most frequented to save you the purchase of a guide—well, another guide. Full books, however, are published on just single colleges. For information on others, pick up one of the many guides found at the Tourist Information Center or the paperback books found in souvenir shops all over town.
ALL SOULS COLLEGE
Corner of High and Catte St.
COLLEGE
01865 279 379 www.all-souls.ox.ac.uk.
All Souls College (founded in 1438) is so exclusive that admission is solely offered on an invitation-only basis: the graduate fellows who live here are engaged in intense academic research, and are rumored to rarely leave their rooms because of it.
The next processions will happen on January 14th, 2011. Free. Open Sept-July M-F 2-4pm.
BALLIOL COLLEGE
Broad St.
COLLEGE
01865 277 777 www.balliol.ox.ac.uk
Along with Merton and University, Balliol has a legitimate claim to being the oldest college in Oxford, founded in approximately 1263. Matthew Arnold, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Aldous Huxley, Adam Smith, three British prime ministers, and six members of the Obama administration were products of Balliol’s mismatched spires.
£2, students £1, under 18 free. Open daily 10am-5pm or dusk.
MAGDALEN COLLEGE
High St.
COLLEGE
01865 276 000 www.magd.ox.ac.uk
Many consider Magdalen (MAUD-lin), with its winding riverbanks, flower-filled quads, and 100 acres of grounds, to be Oxford’s best-looking college. Magdalen boys have also been traditionally quite a catch: they’ve produced seven Nobel Prizes, Dudley Moore, and Oscar Wilde. The college has a deer park, where deer have grazed aimlessly for centuries.
£4.50, concessions £3.50. Open daily Oct-June 1-6pm or dusk; July-Sept noon-6pm.
MERTON COLLEGE
Merton St.
COLLEGE
01865 276 310 www.merton.ox.ac.uk
Though Balliol and University were endowed before it, Merton has the earliest formal college statutes (1274), so it can boast of being the oldest college in its own right. Merton’s library houses the first printed Welsh Bible. JRR Tolkien was the Merton Professor of English, inventing the Elven language and writing some minor trilogy in his spare time. The college’s 14th-century Mob Quad is Oxford’s oldest and one of its least impressive—the “little” quadrangle was where the junior members of the college were housed after the grander Fellows’ Quadrangle was built in 1610—but nearby St. Alban’s Quad has some of the university’s best gargoyles.
Grounds free. Library tours £2. Open M-F 2-4pm, Sa-Su 10am-4pm.
Museums
ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM
Beaumont St.
MUSEUM
01865 278 000 www.ashmolean.org
Oxford University’s Museum of Art and Archeology is newly reopened after a multi-million-dollar renovation that added 39 new galleries and doubled its display space. The Ashmolean collection (named for 17th-century English antiquary, politician, and wealthy collector Elias Ashmole) is the oldest public museum in Europe, with seriously world-class exhibits from every region of the world. In addition to beautiful exhibits that shed light on how world cultures developed through contact with one another, Oxford’s only rooftop restaurant lies upstairs. Though the restaurant is pricey, it has excellent views of the city.
Opposite the Randolph Hotel. Free lunchtime gallery talks for first 12 interested Tu-F 1:15-2pm. Pick up tokens from the information desk. Free. Open Tu-Su 10am-6pm.
BODLEIAN LIBRARY
Broad St.
LIBRARY
01865 277 178 www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk
As you enter through the Grea
t Gate into the Old Schools Quadrangle, you’ll be in good company—in spirit, anyway. Five kings, 40 Nobel Prize winners, 28 British prime ministers, and writers like Oscar Wilde, CS Lewis, and JRR Tolkien also entered this gate at some point.
Entrances on Broad St., Cattle St. and Radcliffe St. Extended tour includes visit to underground mechanical book conveyor, tunnel, and the Radcliffe Camera. Entrance to the courtyard free. 30min. tour of Library and Divinity Hall £4.50, standard 1hr. tour £6.50, extended tour £13.50. Audio tour £2.50. Entrance to Divinity Hall £1. Open M-F 9am-5pm, Sa 9am-4:30pm, Su 11am-5pm.
Other Sights
OXFORD CASTLE
44-46 Oxford Castle
CASTLE
01865 260 666 www.oxfordcastleunlocked.co.uk
As you wander around the serious students and mobs of tourists, it’s easy to forget that Oxford had a history that involved people and things a little more scandalous than philosophers, books, and elegant churches. Oxford Castle reminds one of Oxford’s darker past: stories of escapes, betrayal, and romance are told within the walls of the city’s 11th-century castle and prison. Tours include a climb up Saxon St. George’s tower and a trip down to a 900-year-old underground crypt.
Off New Rd. £7.75, concessions £6.50. Tours daily 10am-4:20pm.
CARFAX TOWER
Junction of St. Aldates/Cornmarket St. and High St./Queen St.
TOWER
01865 792 633
This was the site of the former City Church of Oxford (St. Martin’s Church). However, in 1896, university leaders decided that the church needed to be demolished to widen the roads and make room for more traffic in the downtown area. Still, the tower was left untouched. Look for the church clock on the east side of the facade: it is adorned by two “quarter boys,” who hit the bells every 15min.
Admission £2.20, under 16 £1.10. Open daily Apr-Sept 10am-5:30pm; Oct 10am-4:30pm; Nov-Mar 10am-3:30pm.
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD BOTANIC GARDEN
Rose Ln.
GARDEN
01865 286 690 www.botanic-garden.ox.ac.uk
Back in the day (meaning, of course, the 1600s), this garden, though created to enhance the glory of God and the learning of man, actually had a practical purpose as well: they sold fruit grown in the garden to pay for its upkeep. Today, the garden has another useful purpose: a peaceful haven to resort to if you get overwhelmed by the mobs of tourists on High St. The oldest botanic garden in the UK, it lies outside of the city walls, and it happens to be on top of an ancient Jewish cemetery.
Off High St. £3.50, concessions £3. Year-long season ticket £12, students £10. Open Nov-Feb 9am-4:30pm; Sept-Oct and Mar-Apr 9am-5pm; May-Aug 9am-6pm. Glasshouses open at 10am.
OXFORD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
Parks Rd.
MUSEUM
01865 272 950 www.oum.ox.ac.uk
Animal-bone lovers will rejoice at this 150-year-old museum: the collections of zoological, entomological, and geological specimens include dinosaur bones found in the Oxford area, Charles Darwin’s crustaceans, and the most complete remains of a dodo found in the world. A famous debate on evolution that took place inside the building in 1860 between Thomas Huxley and Bishop Sam Wilberforce. Attached is the Pitt-Rivers Museum (Archeology and Anthropology), also worth a visit for its collection of lifestyle objects from across the globe—and for its shrunken heads (01865 270 927 www.prm.ox.ac.uk).
Off Broad St. Free. Open daily 10am-5pm. Pitt-Rivers Museum open M noon-4:30pm, Tu-Su 10am-4:30pm.
FOOD
Here’s one major perk of living in a student town: kebab trucks line High St., Queen St., and Broad St. (we recommend Hassan’s, on Broad St.) and stay open until 3am during the week and 4 or 4:30am on weekends to fulfill late-night cravings. People think kids here have better things to do, like study? Please.
Cowley
KAZBAR
25-27 Cowley Rd.
TAPAS
01865 202 920 www.kazbar.co.uk
They say this is where southern Spain meets Northern Africa. Granted, Cowley Rd. is very ethnically diverse...but we think their geography might be a little off. Still, the authentic atmosphere almost makes us forget it. Meat, fish, cheese, and vegetable tapas are enjoyed on Moorish-style cushioned benches, with burning incense, colorful tiles, patterned rugs, and an open ceiling. On nice summer days, hip people sip glasses of wine (£3.25-4.50) outside in the sun.
Across from Magdalen Bridge. ½-price tapas M-F 4-7pm, Sa-Su noon-4pm. Tapas £3.10-4. 60. Open M-Th 4pm-midnight, F 4pm-12:30am, Sa noon-12:30am, Su noon-midnight.
ATOMIC BURGER
96 Cowley Rd.
BURGERS
01865 790 855 www.atomicburger.co.uk
A “far-out” selection of homemade beef, chicken, and veggie burgers (£6.50-8. 75), including a “burger of the week,” in a funky outer-space-themed restaurant. If the hanging figurines and comic-book-covered walls don’t get you in a cosmic mood, maybe a milkshake with “spacedust” sprinkled on it will do the trick (£3.50).
All burgers come with free side order. 10% discount on takeaway. Weekend breakfast options, including waffles, muffins, pancakes, and huevos rancheros. Gluten-free options. Entrees £4.50-10.50. Double your burger and choose 2 side orders for £5 more. Open M-F noon-2: 30pm and 5-10:30pm, Sa-Su 9:30am-10:30pm.
Jericho
G&D’S
55 Little Clarendon St.
CAFE
01865 516 652 www.gdcafe.com
G&D’s is a favorite Oxford haunt, with a Ben-and-Jerry’s-caliber obsession with cows. Known for their bagel combinations and their natural, homemade ice cream. Bagels and ice cream—what better combination is there?
3 locations. Lunchtime meal deal M-F noon-2pm: Bagels £3.50. Greek/Caesar salad, regular filter coffee, tea, and pack of chips or piece of fruit. Cow night Tu 7pm-midnight; get 20% off with anything cow-related. Bagels £2-5. Ice cream from £2. Open daily 8am-midnight.
THE STANDARD TANDOORI
117 Walton St.
INDIAN
01865 553 557
The decor might look a little dated, but the Indian food is fresh, and the service is friendly. Students say they make one of the best curries in all of Oxford. Many items are £2 cheaper to take out than to eat in, so if you’re looking to save a few quid, you might want to call in, stroll over, and pick up.
Next to Radcliffe Infirmary. Vegetarian options. Takeaway available. Entrees £3.65-12. Open daily noon-2:30pm and 6-11:30pm.
Carfax
THE VAULTS AND GARDEN
St. Mary’s Church, Radcliffe Sq.
CAFE
01865 279112 www.vaultsandgarden.com
In the summertime, this is possibly the best setting in Oxford for lunch. Based out of the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, the large garden eating area offers picturesque views of the Bodleian Library, Radcliffe Camera, and nearby colleges. There are even picnic blankets on the grass to stretch out and sunbathe with your coffee, meal, and book. The menu changes daily, with buffet-style serving and fresh salads, sandwiches, and soups, along with coffees, yogurt, and pastries. All vegetables come from nearby organic garden.
Turn up St. Mary’s Passage off Queens St. or High St. Menu changes daily for breakfast and lunch. 10% student discount. Lunch entrees £4.50-9. Open daily 8:30am-6:30pm.
BEN’S COOKIES
108-109 Covered Market
COOKIES
01865 247 407 www.benscookies.com
Yes, you might have seen a few of these quaint little cookie stands in London, but this was the original, around for over 25 years in Oxford’s 18th-century covered market. This tiny little stall sells what are most definitely the best cookies in town. They come in 10 delicious flavors, like white chocolate chip and triple chocolate chunk, and are served basically fresh out of the oven, nice and gooey.
By High St. Cookies £1 and up. Sold by weight. Tins of 3 £5.50, tins of 8 £11.50. Open M-Sa 9:15am-5:30pm, Su 11am-4pm.
THE NOSEBAG
6-8 St. Michaels St., 2nd fl.
ORGANIC CAFE
01865 721 033 www.nosebagoxford.co.uk
Piping-hot home-cooked dishes in a cozy and relaxed, but informal, setting (don’t expect elegance, but rather economical service). The second-floor location in a 15th-century building means nice views of the quaint street below. Healthy organic options, along with vegetarian alternatives. Pastries and wine top off the casseroles, pies, salads, and fish. Menu changes daily.