Vaults & Garden Cafe
What to order: the hot dish of the day at midday or a cream tea with scones in the afternoon.
Open every day from 8:00 · dogs welcome
geocalia
Day itinerary · 51.75° N · 1.26° W
Oxford in a day from London, stone colleges and an hour on the river.
An hour by train from Paddington, Christ Church in the morning, the best view of Radcliffe Square, free dinosaurs in the afternoon and an hour's punting on the river.
Leaving from
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Add to my trip
Total time10 h
By car1 h 45 each way
Train1 h from London Paddington
Christ ChurchFrom £22.95
Punt£35 an hour per boat
MuseumsFree
DifficultyEasy, all on foot
The plan
The day at a glance
Any part can be swapped for another without spoiling the day.
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Leave London 1 h by train
GWR train from London Paddington · from the station to the centre, 15 min on foot
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1
Christ Church: the college, the dining hall and the cathedral
timed ticket bought online · 1h 30
- 7 min on foot
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2
Tower of the University Church (St Mary the Virgin)
127 steps · £7 · opens at 12:00 on Sundays
- 1 min on foot
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3
Vaults & Garden Cafe
dish of the day in the church café · Sundays too
2 King Edward Street, OX1 4HS Oxford · +44 1865 819098
Café €Book - 10 min on foot
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4
Natural History Museum and Pitt Rivers
free · dinosaurs and the Pitt Rivers
- 15 min on foot
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5
Punting on the River Cherwell from Magdalen Bridge
Magdalen Bridge Boathouse · £35 an hour · February to November
+44 1865 202643
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Back home 1 h by train
train from Oxford · you reach Paddington around 18:30
Approximate cost
About €45–55 per person
Adds up the activities and meals in the plan at their published prices; travel and accommodation not included.
The route
Christ Church: the college, the dining hall and the cathedral
Oxford is the classic day trip from London, and the one best done without a car: the train from Paddington takes about an hour and everything is within walking distance of the station. This plan brings together what people remember most about the city: a college from the inside, the view of Radcliffe Square from a medieval tower, a free museum and an hour on the river by boat, without rushing and back in London for dinner.
The day, hour by hour
8:30 · Train from Paddington. Great Western Railway leaves almost every quarter of an hour; book in advance to pay less. From Oxford station, it is a 15-minute walk along Park End Street to Carfax.
10:00 · Christ Church. The largest college, with the cathedral inside, the Tom Quad courtyard and the Great Hall, the dining hall that inspired Hogwarts'. Buy a timed ticket: tickets are released every Friday for the following week. The hall closes at times for meals.
11:45 · St Mary's Tower. You climb 127 steps of a medieval staircase and have the dome of the Radcliffe Camera at your feet. It costs £7 and is for ages 8 and over. On Sundays it opens at 12:00: in that case, swap the order with lunch.
12:30 · Lunch at the Vaults & Garden. In the vaults of the same church, with a garden onto Radcliffe Square. You order the dish of the day at the counter; open every day.
14:00 · Museum of Natural History and Pitt Rivers. Ten minutes' walk along Parks Road. Dinosaurs under an iron-and-glass roof and, at the back, the Pitt Rivers. Free and no booking needed.
15:45 · Punting on the Cherwell. Walk down High Street to Magdalen Bridge. An hour's punting costs £35 per boat, up to five people; if you do not fancy the pole, there is a chauffeur. Open from February to November.
17:30 · Back. Return to the station on foot or by bus. You reach Paddington around 18:30.
With children or in the rain
With small children, skip the tower and spend longer in the museum: Natural History is the place in Oxford they like most. With a whole day, swap the museum and punt for Blenheim Palace, half an hour away on the S3 or S7 buses: a maze, butterflies and an enormous park. If it rains, the Ashmolean, also free, replaces the punt.
Time1 h 30
Change the route
Where to eat
Where to eat?
Lunch is half the plan: book before you set off.
Quod Restaurant & Bar
What to order: the weekday set lunch or the Sunday roast; oysters and dishes from the blackboard.
Open every day from 7:00 to 23:00 · book online
Takeaway and markets
Oxford Covered Market, Oxford
Map
The stops, in order
With where to park at each one.
What to do
Eat
88 €Stay
Services
Getting there
By car or without one?
When to go
When to go to Oxford
From February to November, when the punts open; best in spring and autumn. In December and January the plan works by swapping the punt for the Ashmolean.
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Best timeGood timeLow season
Tips
Worth knowing first
- 1Buy Christ Church and the train in advance
Both get cheaper and secure your time slot.
- 2On Sundays, change the order
The tower opens at 12:00: have lunch first and climb afterwards.
- 3Bring cash or a card for the punt
You pay at the landing stage.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to get from London to Oxford?
About an hour by train from Paddington; by car, an hour and a half or more depending on traffic.
How much does the day cost?
The return train varies a lot; the visits add up to about £30 per adult, plus the punt, which is split among those in the boat. Lunch in the café costs £10–15.
Can you do it in winter?
Yes, swapping the punt, which closes in December and January, for the Ashmolean.
Is Blenheim worth it?
If you have another half day or are going with children, yes: it is half an hour by bus from the centre.
More plans like this
Other days of walking and good food
geocalia.com/en/england/oxford/itineraries/oxford-day-trip-from-london
Prices, opening hours and times are approximate: check them before you go. Each place has its own page on Geocalia.