Hidden gems in Oxford
Skip the tourist circuit. These Oxford spots are the ones locals actually send their out-of-town friends to.
Top spots in Oxford
Bodleian Library
CultureBroad Street
1602 reading room and the Radcliffe Camera — Harry Potter on tour.
Christ Church College
CultureSt Aldate's
Tudor hall that inspired the Hogwarts Great Hall, plus Cathedral and Meadow.
Ashmolean Museum
CultureBeaumont Street
World's oldest public museum — Powhatan's mantle, Stradivarius violins, free.
Magdalen Bridge Punts
OutdoorsHigh Street
Hire a punt and float past Christ Church Meadow toward the Botanic Garden.
Port Meadow
OutdoorsJericho
300 acres of unploughed pasture — semi-wild ponies and Trout Inn pints.
Where to eat
Pompette
$$$French Bistro · Summertown
Pascal Wiedemann's neighbourhood bistro — chalkboard menu, lots of regulars.
Oli's Thai
$$Thai · Magdalen Road
Tiny 20-seater with the best green curry south of Soho — book ahead.
Gee's
$$$Mediterranean · Banbury Road
Victorian conservatory under fairy lights — date-night classic.
The Trout Inn
$$Gastropub · Wolvercote
Riverside pub on the Thames — Sunday roast and Morse atmosphere.
Frequently asked
- Locals' under-the-radar picks include Bodleian Library, Christ Church College, Ashmolean Museum. These are the places that don't show up on the first page of mainstream travel guides.