What: 3 hour private tour of Oxford University. We were interested in a campus tour of Oxford…read moreUniversity and since Oxford doesn't offer that and there is no actual "campus" since it's made up of multiple schools and buildings, we did the next best thing. Arron was our guide and he was extremely knowledgeable, funny and full of stories and interesting insights on college life and the application process as he is a current student. We highly recommend this company!

"It takes one to know one"…read more That playground taunt easily applies to my experience with Footprints Tours, an organization through which you can make advance reservations for free walking tours of Oxford. Why? Because I, too, lead a free walking tour albeit elsewhere on the planet. As someone who leads tours and cares greatly about tour quality I recognize a great tour when I come upon one. Chris, my Footprints Tour guide provided exactly that. He was animated, interesting, kept things moving, and told interesting stories. A couple of days later I saw another guide leading a tour - assumedly from a different company - and after hearing what he said at a particular stop all I could think was "I'm so glad we went with Footprints and so glad Chris was our guide". The tours are supposed to run 2 hours. Chris went a bit over which was my sole criticism of the tour. Attention spans are short and that two hour maximum is at the outer edge of how long people will engage for. Assuming you book with Footprints Tours you'll arrive at the stated location and find a ton of tour guides assembled. But walk into the Oxford Tourist Information Center to check in and they'll promptly tell you which guide you are assigned to. People who lead these free tours do conclude with an "ask". That is: a donation is sought and assuming Chris' tour is the standard, it is definitely earned. I understand the worth of someone talking - actually, "performing" - for two hours and I happily made what I felt was a generous cash donation. You'll likely be inspired as well. After I'd booked my free Footprints Tour I had begun to think perhaps a paid tour would be better and momentarily thought of canceling. I'm so pleased that I didn't. The Footprints Tour led by Chris (on June 22) would be quite difficult for anyone to top. Excellent.

This tour brought me so much joy! I originally wanted to do the cs Lewis/jrr Tolkien tour but I…read morewasn't in Oxford on the right day for that. I signed up for the literary tour and I turned out to be the only one on the tour. So My guide took me by so many places that were relevant to Lewis/Tolkien. What an unexpected delight! There was plenty of other literary history too! It was the highlight of my trip to England!

This tour is definitely worth it! Our guide actually went to Oxford, so his understanding is an…read moreinsiders'. I won't tell you all the things I learned and spoil it for you, but I can't keep quiet about two of them: First, students are NOT primarily lectured to as in most American universities. Instead, they have maybe one lecture a week on a topic. The rest of the week they spend discussing with a professor in their college (Oxford is comprised of 38 colleges). Is it any wonder most students leave there with knowledge firmly in their heads, rather than "I forgot. I learned it for the test and then forgot it"? Second, why is the grass in the courtyards so amazing? Because only professors are allowed to walk on it! Can you imagine what would happen if we told American students that they were not allowed to walk on the grass, but their professors were?!

For fans of the ITV/ PBS series Inspector Morse, Inspector Lewis, and/or Endeavour, the Inspector…read moreMorse Walking Tour (from the Oxford Official Guided Walking Tours) is a MUST!! Our guide was Heidi, and she was fabulous. Enthusiastic, clear-speaking, and a font of knowledge about the Morse-based TV shows, and their filming in Oxford. It's a 2 hour walking tour...at a brisk pace over cobbled streets....so wear your comfy walking shoes! Also, although some random facts about Oxford and the various colleges are thrown in here and there, don't expect this to be a good introductory tour to Oxford in general. (The tourist board does offer other, more general tours of Oxford though, all at very reasonable prices!) So, book yourself for the Morse tour, and I'm sure you'll be like me, and will have some marathon streaming sessions of the series when you return home!

We had a delightful afternoon tea cruise (1.5 hours) that was not only scrumptious (best scones I…read morehad this trip), but the guide was quite hilarious. Back to the food for a moment: Finger sandwiches, scones, cake, and tea! AND they had gluten-free option available meaning my spouse could enjoy as well (I did order in advance, but same day). We had a lovely cruise on the river and enjoyed seeing the Christ Church meadows, all the rowing clubs, and going through the Iffley locks. Our boat could accommodate eight people (maybe ten?), so it was a cozy experience. It was the first thing we did when we arrived in Oxford and it was a delight!

This was a nice float down the river, but not much more than that. I was looking forward to…read morelearning more about...anything really. The river itself, the wildlife, the connection to classic literary works, etc. Instead, the guide seemed to have limited information and only spoke about licensing on the river, the poor conditions of many of the boats, and the names of the colleges associated with the rowing houses (only some, though). He admitted hadn't been living there long and didn't know very much. He also let one group member dominate the trip, and spent most of the time answering his questions, which were completely unrelated to the river and really only related to himself. The trip started late because we were waiting for a group of seven, which was annoying. We had literally run from the train station to be there on time. The tour therefore felt rushed and still got back late, which made us late for our next event. Overall, I would not recommend as it is not worth the cost.

great guide( honestly laughed all the way), great tour and the most accommodating company - allowed…read moreus to reschedule due to last minute sickness and been the most helpful along the way. highly recommended

Heidi Boon Rickard was our tour guide and she is so passionate about what she does. Ask for her…read more Learning of Oxford and how many genius minds came through here is incredible. Go through Christ's Church; beautiful.

Being in Oxford it seemed impossible not to visit it's one of main attractions - 11th century…read moreOxford castle. You can get in by booking a tour - £11.50 , but it's money well spent! Our tour guide first was dressed in themed costume, full of stories and quite articulate! First we visited the tower (you have to be comfortable with climbing steps, otherwise there is an option to wait downstairs). We were not lucky to get the full view due to the weather, but still could see quite far, which gives you the feel of the importance of the tower at a time. The tour gives an incredible insight into the castle's history. It lasts about an hour and after you are free to do some exploring yourself.

Our tour guide, Esther, gave a fantastic tour of the castle and prison. The stories were very…read moreinteresting and I enjoyed learning about everything dating back 1000 years. Would definitely recommend taking a tour of this place, it's a memorable one for sure.

We sat on the top front seats of the tour bus. It was the covered section…read moreIt was raining 2 to 3 inches of water collected under my feet and soaked my shoes Nasty experience especially since the bus was new

I'd been meaning to go on this bus for ages, and finally decided to when some friends came to visit…read moreand I ran out of made-up facts to explain their surroundings with. The prices are: Child: £6 Concession: £9.50 Adult: £11.50 Family: £31 (2 adults, up to 3 children) I think that's quite expensive, but the standard tickets last for 24 hours, so you can hop on and off at leisure and use it as a normal bus service for central Oxford the next day if you time it well. There's also a 48 hour option, which only costs a couple of pounds more and could be good if you're staying in Oxford for a weekend. The tour takes you around all the main areas, going right up to St Margaret's Road in the North, partway down St Aldates in the South, and The Plain roundabout in the East. The buses leave every 10-15 minutes from loads of different stops, so it's no hassle waiting for one to come along, and the drivers we had were really friendly. The drivers and tourguides swap round every few hours, so we had 3 guides, all of whom were very friendly and had their own styles. You can sit in the bottom, in a covered bit on top, or, if it's sunny or you love the feel of the wind in your hair, from the uncovered bit on top. All seats have headphone sockets and headphones are provided, so you can hear the tourguide at your chosen volume, or not at all if you'd rather not. It's all very quick, as the bus has to go at the normal speed limit, but you can always do a section again, as there's a lot to take in. I'd definitely recommend going on it I live in Oxford and still learnt lots of new things. The only problem we had was that a group of rowdy guys got on, clearly drunk, and started shouting about how rubbish Oxford was and harassing the tour guide. Luckily they got off at the next stop, but it was a bit worrying that the driver let them on and nobody told them to stop.

Let me start by saying the Cotswolds are absolutely beautiful. Our guide Steve, went the extra…read moremile to make sure that we had a good time and answered all of our questions. Steve was the most knowledgeable since he lives in the village. He was personable and helpful. I would highly recommend this tour. I would recommend this tour to family and friends, and ask for Steve.

Our family recently completed a 2.5-day private tour of the Cotswolds with Dave, and we highly…read morerecommend him and the entire Go Cotswolds team! From initial outreach to planning/booking to the trip itself, our 8-person group had a fantastic time, and loved our experience in various villages of the North Cotswolds plus Castle Combe and Bath. Lisa was incredibly helpful throughout the planning process, helping us to shape a multi-day tour for our family. She was highly responsive and communicated clearly in answering our questions and helping us consider the options. Once we arrived in the Cotswolds, Dave provided an amazing experience for our multi-day tour. He was knowledgeable, friendly, and funny throughout the tour, and provided excellent advice on when to rearrange the itinerary to get us to popular spots before they were overrun with people. We greatly appreciated his expertise and flexibility in adjusting the plan as we went to let us spend more or less time in spots based on our preferences -- which, given our family, was necessary more than once, and a huge bonus to a private tour vs. public tour. The Go Cotswolds vehicle was roomy, comfortable, and well-air conditioned, a plus given that we arrived mid-heat wave. Our tour was the perfect way to explore this beautiful region for the first time. We can't wait to come back!

When in Oxford go punting! During the final days of my trip to Oxford I had a difficult decision to…read morego to London or enjoy the afternoon in Oxford. Going punting was a great choice! In the beginning, my group was split in to 2 boats. Both punting boats had trouble staying straight. That's what he said. The boating system relies on a long stick pushing on the floor of the canal. Think of a gondola only with out the singing. The difficulty is using the pole to steer the boat. Against your instincts you must steer the tale in the direction you want to go and not the way you think it will go. Let's just say one boat was going in circles and the boat house owner didn't look amused. I got suck in a tree trying to avoid the other group boats. A tip don't fight the water let the water take you. Push it real good! We had some vary embarrassing moments captured on photos and instagram but it added to the fun on the experience. It was great for team building and nobody fell in. When all desperation was high and hope was lost. We pushed forward because our goal was to find a place to get drinks. The one person with some boat knowledge and paid attention during the punting instructions became our leader. We did get 2 large Pimms pitchers once we reached our destination. So worth it! Don't worry I was a designated punter so I didn't drink too much. Surprisingly after drinking and relaxing punting is a lot easier. Despite embarrassment we all had a great laugh and memorable stories to tell of our adventure. I highly recommend punting with friends if weather permits.

This is a must-do activity when in Oxford and I cannot recommend it enough!…read more Punting has a long tradition in Oxford and this boathouse has been connected to Magdalen college since its conception. This gives the place a rich history, and it can be seen as you travel along the river. this is actually the second time I have gone punting at this place this year, and both times we have had a wonderful experience. The staff at the boathouse are all very busy but always friendly and approachable. There is a high turnover of people getting in and off boats, but there is never the feeling that we are cattle being moved around and having money taken form us. There is still a personal element to it which is very nice. The owner of the boathouse has been working both days I have been, and he is an incredibly friendly man who recommended buying champagne and strawberries to enjoy the punting more. On the second time of punting he actually remembered us. This is a subtle yet very important point as he must see hundreds of customers a day but he remembered me 3 months later. That was a very nice touch. For those interested in punting, you have two options: Sit back and enjoy your own guide to punt you and your friends/significant other around the scenery. OR Punt yourself! We chose the second option and had such a fun time! I obviously was amazing at punting being a sort of veteran by now, but others just couldn't seem to nail the technique. Both outcomes led to a very relaxing float down the river in the figure of 8 loop mapped out. If it is sunny, and you want to treat yourselves to an hour or two of champagne and relaxation, come down here and get on the river!