We had taken the Great Western Railway from Paddington Station to Oxford Station, and the journey…read morelasted almost an hour. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the oldest university in the English-speaking world. The city is also walkable. For example, it takes around 15 minutes to get from Oxford Station to Christ Church. The walk feels like you're exploring an outdoor museum as the buildings portray Gothic architecture. Historically known for its "spires," the skyline features university and religious buildings with tall steeples and pointed arches. For lunch, we ate at Dishoom Permit Room and ordered lamb tawa kebabs and chicken ruby. The portions were a little small; however, we hadn't eaten breakfast that day. The chicken ruby reminded me a lot of tikka masala dishes that I've eaten in the United States, so I wish we had ordered something else. Service here was adequate. As England is known for a rich variety of curries, I wish we had tried more Indian restaurants during our visit.

We were on a guided walking tour of Oxford. The city of Oxford is demonated by Oxford University…read morewhich is actually comprised of 41 separate colleges and it dates back to around 1096. Some of the buildings are open to the public - some are not. We were there on a Sunday and most were not. I was happy to be on a guided walking tour with a tour guide who was knowledgeable about the university. I would highly encourage a guided tour if you have the time. This is a beautiful campus/city and there is a wealth of history attached to both the city and the university. This was definitely worth the trip from London where we were staying.

The University is amazing. The entire city is steeped in learning and the momentum seems…read moreunstoppable. As a graduate student here, I feel my time is too short to explore all the possibilities, but I can imagine an entire lifetime in the academic world of Oxford being fulfilling. The University seems to have a push and pull between ancient tradition and constantly renewing and evolving culture and ideas.

Beautiful campus filled with such diversity and steeped in such history…read more Parking was pretty terrible but it could be because it was graduation week so I can only tell from that one day. Many of the historical places were closed to the public and many more were closed to the public after a certain time (i.e. 5pm or so). I wish I could've spent all day here. I was a little disappointed that I did not see a single owl or witch while I was here.

Beautiful place to visit. Highly recommend getting the audio recording so you know all the history.read more

I think that just because Harry Potter was filmed here, made it worth visiting. Initially I though…read morethe great hall was filmed at the Uni of Oxford, but apparently from reading reviews, this is part of Uni of Oxford! I saw the "dining hall" it was magnificent...and the hallway where they filmed harry and ron talking to Professor M and the quidditch field or something of that sort. If you love HP, definitely visit...if you are a student, get that student discount!! Price is still high though..at 5.50 with student discount... reg is 7 pounds.. yikes... hate the price, but love that i can see where HP was filmed!

What can you do with £1.50? Down payment on a G&B almond chocolate bar? Deposit on an M&S sandwich?…read more Or, give it to the pleasant fellow in the little cubicle at the entrance to Trinity College, Oxford and take yourself on a mini tour round the grounds, popping into the chapel and the dining room en route. Not a round the world trip this, but cheaper than paying the tuition fees. Really nice to see the imposing quadrangles and the old buildings steeped in learned history. Fun dodging the serious students scurrying to their tutorials and it's relaxing to gaze at the ornate ceiling of the ancient chapel. Make yourself at home in the Harry Potteresque dining room with the long bench tables, wood panelling and fusty straight laced portraits frowning at the young students' indiscretions. See if you can spot the shadow of Charles Dance and wonder if this is where the inspiration for the TV series began. Spicy. The gardens are spacious and very pleasant. Recommended.

Wonderful history college...the beautiful old building cares lots of good memories...read more

The Bridge of Sighs brings many tourists. Legend says that it's so named because students have to…read morecross it in order to sit their exams; whether or not this is true is questionable - perhaps in the dim and distant past. Nowadays it's more likely to be rapturous sighs of admiration from clusters of tourists. The bridge has seen several traverses from keen climbers - the hardest method being the hand traverse. This is, of course, stricly against college regulations and CCTV cameras are now in place to prevent such mischief. Hertford itself has a reputation for being welcoming, egalitarian and down-to-earth, but still has typical Oxford architecture, a whopping great library and a lovely big dining hall. The dining hall is in a light-coloured wood and very well-lit, so it feels very welcoming whilst still retaining its grandness. Hertford's proximity to the Bodleian library makes it an excellent place to pop into for a view of a typical college whilst on the tourist trail.

Hertford college is located close to Radcliffe Square and is most famous for it's Bridge of Sighs,…read moremodelled on a similar bridge in Venice. To be honest, the interior of the college is very similar to many of the other Oxford colleges, but make sure you get some snaps of the bridge! The Sheldonian theatre, Old Bodleian and Radcliffe Camera are very close by.

This university has gone from strength to strength in its realtive short life. It is now regarded…read moreas the best new university in the country, and often beats out its more prestigous local rival on some league table subjects such as engerniering. But its the relationship between Brookes and Oxford that has brought this university into the new century. By sharing teaching staff and resources, both universities have been benefiting in key areas. From a student point of view, Brookes cant be beat. Located in a great city, close to london, and 1000s upon 1000s of other students, and the most student friendly city i have ever been. Not that you would go to qype when making the decison on what university to go tobut if be some odd chance, you do.check it out. It could be the best 3 years of your life

Oxford Brookes is a great university with lots of opportunities. It really doesn't deserve its past…read morereputation of 'the other Oxford' and can't really be compared to Oxford University itself, as they offer lots of different subjects and frequently pool resources. Brookes is especially good for nursing, business and management and draws big names at its regular careers fairs. Some campuses are a bit out of town, but there's a great bus service that travels frequently between the campuses and town. The sports centre is open to the public and has regular classes and a good gym, as well as a popular bar. Brookes is good for its nightlife and has some good bands playing there and some great student nights, which make up for its distance from the town centre. In fact, the facilities on campus mean that students don't actually need to travel into town, although they're missing out if they don't.

Beautiful stain glass. After awhile it is hard to remember which college is which. For me, the…read moredistinctive chapels are a great memory of the different colleges. Exeter College, the most I remember is the stain glass.

Exeter is Oxford's fourth oldest college. It been around since 1314…read more Its founder, Walter de Stapeldon was from Devon and was Bishop of Exeter and Treasurer of England under Edward II. He founded the College to provide an educated clergy for his diocese. During its first centuries, Exeter drew its members mainly from Devon and Cornwall. A relatively small college in comparison to many others in Oxford. Famous Alumni: Sir Charles Lyell, the pioneering geologist. J. A. Froude, the historian. Two of the leading pre-Raphaelites, William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones. Important works by Morris and Burne-Jones are on view in the Morris Room and Chapel. More recently: J.R.R. Tolkien was an undergraduate. The author of 'His Dark Materials Trilogy', Philip Pullman, another Exonian, based Jordan College on Exeter (Film release as 'The Golden Compass'). Inspector Morse collapsed on the lawn in the front quad! What 90% of visitors completely miss is up on the roof of the college. But you will have to stand in the middle of Broad Street to spot it: A seven foot tall figure of a man cast in iron by internationally renowned artist Antony Gormley, will be straring back at you. 'Antony Gormley said that he hoped that the work would act as a point of reference in a city where scholarship and quotidian life intermingle. He said that the casual passer-by might ask What is that naked iron bloke doing up there? but might also be made to think of other relations with time and distance, with other destinies and destinations other than the immediate.' - So think on :-) Open to the public daily from 14:00 - 17:00. Entrance: Free Tel: 01865 279600

Green Templeton College is a merger (in 2008) of two Oxford colleges, Green College and Templeton…read moreCollege. I received my MSc from Green (in Social Anthropology), lived on-site, and was fairly involved. Most of the people at Green are medical students, but there are also many students reading Anthropology, Education, and Social Policy. Only about a 10 minute walk north of the city centre, it's a beautiful site. The Radcliffe Observatory is the centerpiece of the college, which houses the dining hall and an observation deck at the very top. I'm not sure if non-students are allowed to roam the grounds, but the Proctors front office is right at the entrance and they'll give you the information.

Green College is located on Woodstock Road and is (in terms of physical size) quite small. Entrance…read moreto the public is very restricted, so you'll have to find a student if you want to have a look. The college is quite picturesque and it's students have medical backgrounds for the most part. Notably, it has just merged with Templeton College and will now be called Green Templeton college, with the addition of a few hundred business students; creating one of the largest colleges in the University. The Radcliffe Observatory is located onsite, the views from the top are breathtaking!