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The Gothic tower of St Mary the Virgin above the High Street, in OxfordTxllxt TxllxT · CC BY-SA 4.0

What to do · Oxford

Tower of the University Church (St Mary the Virgin)

Viewpoint · 30 min · £7 · 127 steps · from age 8

InformationFrom £7 person
From
£7 person
Duration
30 min
Season
All year · Sunday from 12:00
Who it's for
From age 8; not for anyone with vertigo or heart problems

The best view of Radcliffe Square: the dome of the Radcliffe Camera at your feet, All Souls and the city's spires all around. The tower dates from 1280 and is climbed by a medieval spiral staircase of 127 steps, narrow and worn, which passes the old library and the bell chamber.

It costs £7; the church itself is free. Monday to Saturday it opens from 9:30 to 18:00 and on Sunday from 12:00; the last climb is at 16:30. Only from age 8. Downstairs, in the old Congregation House, is the Vaults & Garden café.

As a familyWith teenagers

Directions See all of Oxford

Opening hours and prices can change: check them before you go.

Round off the plan

Where to eat, where to stay and what else to do

To eat nearby

Customers at the tables in the café garden, in the sun among flowers© Vaults & GardenBeneath the University Church

Vaults & Garden Cafe

Café · Oxford · €€€€

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
Coffee and a croissant at the Quod bar, beneath a blue painting© Quod Restaurant & BarBrasserie on the High Street

Quod Restaurant & Bar

Restaurant · Oxford · €€€€

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
Traders at Oxford's Covered Market gathered in one of the arcades© Oxford Covered MarketCovered market since 1774

Oxford Covered Market

Market · Oxford · €€€€

What to order: something from a stall to eat standing up or at the tables in the arcade; there are cookies, cakes, pies and coffees.

Each stall has its own hours; food stalls usually close earlier than the market

To stay nearby

The stone façade of the Old Bank Hotel on the High Street© Old Bank HotelHotel

Old Bank Hotel

High Street · 43 rooms · Own car park

Why we like it: Independent 43-room hotel in a former bank on the High Street, with its own car park and views of the spires. Beside Radcliffe Square.

View details
The façade of the Premier Inn Oxford City Centre, beside the Westgate© Premier InnHotel

Premier Inn Oxford City Centre (Westgate)

Beside the Westgate · Air conditioning · Affordable

Why we like it: Chain hotel beside the Westgate shopping centre, five minutes from Christ Church, with breakfast, air conditioning and family rooms.

View details
A room made from former prison cells, with a double bed and brick walls© Malmaison OxfordHotel

Malmaison Oxford

Former prison · Oxford Castle · Brasserie and bar

Why we like it: A hotel inside the former Oxford Castle prison: joined cells turned into rooms, a brasserie and a bar, ten minutes from the station.

View details

Useful services

More to do nearby

Itineraries

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From £7 person
Where to buy tickets
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