# Day Trip to Oxford from London: Christ Church, Radcliffe Square and Punting 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. Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/england/oxford/itineraries/oxford-day-trip-from-london · Revisado: 2026-11-12 ## El día - 08:30 · Salida: 1 h by train (GWR train from London Paddington · from the station to the centre, 15 min on foot) - 10:00 · Christ Church: the college, the dining hall and the cathedral (timed ticket bought online · 1h 30) - 7 min on foot - 11:45 · Tower of the University Church (St Mary the Virgin) (127 steps · £7 · opens at 12:00 on Sundays) - 1 min on foot - 12:30 · Vaults & Garden Cafe (dish of the day in the church café · Sundays too) · Vaults & Garden Cafe, € - 10 min on foot - 14:00 · Natural History Museum and Pitt Rivers (free · dinosaurs and the Pitt Rivers) - 15 min on foot - 15:45 · Punting on the River Cherwell from Magdalen Bridge (Magdalen Bridge Boathouse · £35 an hour · February to November) · Magdalen Bridge Boathouse, From €35 per boat per hour, up to 5 people - 17:30 · Vuelta: 1 h by train (train from Oxford · you reach Paddington around 18:30) 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. ## Cómo llegar ### Without a car GWR train from London Paddington, about an hour, or the Oxford Tube coach from central London, cheaper and slower. In Oxford, everything is on foot. ### By car About 90 km along the M40, around an hour and a half depending on traffic. The centre has traffic filters with fines: park in the park-and-ride car parks on the outskirts and go in by bus. ## Consejos ### Buy Christ Church and the train in advance Both get cheaper and secure your time slot. ### On Sundays, change the order The tower opens at 12:00: have lunch first and climb afterwards. ### Bring cash or a card for the punt You pay at the landing stage. ## Preguntas frecuentes ### 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.