The 25 best things to do in Oxford right now

What is it? Britain’s oldest public museum, home to a collection that spans continents and cultures.

Why go? A redevelopment turned this magnificent, neo-classical but once-stuffy museum into a modern, light-filled space packed with treasures. Choose a theme and delve into the history of Chinese porcelain, medieval musical instruments or European art. You’ll find works by Michelangelo, Raphael, Pissarro and Turner here, along with Samurai armour, a Stradvari violin, Japanese netsuke and everything in between. Plus the restaurant has a cracking view. 

🤫 Insider tip: Getting hitched? The Ashmolean is actually one of the many ludicrously sophisticated wedding venues in Oxford. It’s never too early to get it booked in for 2030. –Ralph Jones

What is it? A behind-the-scenes tour of the university’s colleges, quads and libraries, often led by those who know it best – its students and alumni.

Why go? Didn’t make the cut for the UK’s most prestigious university? Don’t worry, you can still see its hallowed halls, hushed quads and candle-lit chapels on this walking tour that explores its history, ceremonies and weird traditions as well as offering a personal account of what it’s like to study here.

🤫 Insider tip: Not a lot of people know that there are roe deer behind Christ Church college – and you can get right up close. –Ralph Jones

What is it? The UK’s oldest botanic garden and its 130 acres of woodland, which between them, house species from across the globe.

Why go? Established 400 years ago to grow plants for medicinal research, Oxford’s botanic gardens and giant glasshouses contain more than 6,000 types of plant including specimens used to treat cancer and heart complaints as well as carnivorous plants and tropical wonders.

Don’t miss: The Harcourt Arboretum, a ten-minute drive away, to see spring magnolias, rhododendrons and bluebells in full glory, or the autumnal glow of acers and redwoods.

👀 Our take: ‘If you’ve ever wanted to improve as a gardener, here’s the place to get some inspo. Sidle up to the staff and ask them to whisper a couple of trade secrets. No harm in trying?’ –Ralph Jones

What is it? A massive country house with landscaped formal gardens and extensive parkland. It was the birthplace of Winston Churchill and is now home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough as well as regular festivals and events.

Why go? Escape the city and get a glimpse of how the other half lives in this baroque pile in the Oxfordshire countryside. Although strictly speaking, it’s not a palace, its size and splendour are such that it could easily be. Tour the ostentatious State Rooms, see where Churchill was born, walk the parklands, lose yourself in the yew maze, and check out Ai Weiwei’s monumental Gilded Cage.

🤫 Insider tip: Take the ‘Upstairs Tour’ for an exclusive peek at the private apartments of the Marlborough family and see where Charlie Chaplin, Bill Clinton and Sylvester Stallone once stayed.

What is it? Oxford’s world-famous museum of archaeology and ethnography where you can discover everything from reindeer knickers and mummified cats to blowpipes and Japanese libation sticks.

Why go? It takes a minute for your eyes to adjust to the half light of the enormous tiered galleries of the Pitt Rivers Museum but once they do, you know you’ve arrived somewhere special. A vast and otherworldly collection of treasures from around the world packed into glass cases and dominated by a giant totem pole, it’s an armchair traveller’s delight and the place to find out about tribal rituals, ancient ceremonies and cultural beliefs across the globe.

Don’t miss: There’s so much to see here it’s hard to take it all in, but the body art and ornament section explores the history of beautification from head shaping and tooth sharpening to piercing and tattooing.

What is it? A river trip past Oxford’s boathouses and meadows into bucolic English countryside. The same scenery, as it happens, that inspired ‘Alice in Wonderland’.

Why go? Like its academic rival Cambridge, Oxford is encircled by pastoral scenery. You could strap on your walking boots, or you could kick back and relax on board a boat that plies the same river Lewis Carroll and Alice Liddell once floated down while befriending white rabbits, red queens and sleepy dormice.

What is it? Said to be Oxford’s oldest monument, this huge meadow is edged by the Thames and a popular outdoor haunt.

Why go? Need some big sky views? Head for Port Meadow, an ancient grassland grazed by ponies and cattle and loved by walkers, picnickers, birders and photographers. Pick up a picnic in Jericho along the way, bring a blanket and sit back and relax.

Time Out tip: It’s all good and well getting some fresh air here but you’ll need to freshen up with a drink in The Perch, an ancient thatched inn by the river with a gorgeous garden.

What is it? A Sunday lunch at the Chester Arms, off the Iffley Road in the east of Oxford.

Why go? Less of a Sunday roast and more of a religious experience, the lunches here attract round-the-block queues full of salivating diners. This is because they are the finest roasts in the city – generous, overflowing plates full of all things meaty (and veggie) – served in a gem of a friendly pub that you’re unlikely to stumble across during an amble through the city. 

🍺 Discover more of the best pubs in the UK

What is it? A small-group tour of the spellbinding Oxford locations used in the shooting of the Harry Potter films. 

Why go? Know right where the sorting hat would put you? Run into the wall at King’s Cross station? Need to know more? Tour Oxford’s streets and colleges to see the inspiration behind Hogwarts’s great hall and Knockturn Alley and visit the real life Divinity School which was used as a backdrop for the Hogwarts infirmary and classroom scenes. Geek out with a Potter-mania quiz along the way and learn how life in Hogwarts compares to university life today.

What is it? Divine Schism is an independent music promoter that puts on gigs at a range of music venues across Oxford.

Why go? Want to get a taste of the Oxford music scene that nurtured bands like Radiohead and Foals? This is where to head. You’ll find local bands playing with up-and-coming acts from across the globe in small venues with a great atmosphere. There’s something for every music fan, with everything from indie pop to folk to punk on the menu – and you’ll often find multiple shows a week to choose from.