Explore the oldest colleges of Oxford, including New College, founded in 1379 and a location in the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire movie. Go inside quads, cloisters, dining halls and chapels, and learn about Oxford's legendary tutorial system.

About this activity

Free cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund
Reserve now & pay later: Keep your travel plans flexible — book your spot and pay nothing today.
Covid-19 precautions: Special health and safety measures are in place. Check your activity voucher once you book for full details. Learn more
Duration 1.5 hours: Check availability to see starting times.
Live tour guide: English, French, Chinese, Italian, German
Private group available

Highlights

See the dreamy spires of Oxford
Tour the most historic colleges with a university-educated guide
Discover locations from the Harry Potter movies and TV series Brideshead Revisited and Morse
Learn about the collegiate system unique to Oxford and Cambridge
Gaze at the Bridge of Sighs on the 13th-century Hertford College

Full description

Join a university-educated guide, with years of experience and local knowledge of Oxford City and colleges. See the dreamy spires of one of the oldest universities in the world on a guided walking tour. Go inside some of the city’s most historic colleges, such as New College, founded in 1379 and more recently seen in the Harry Potter films and television productions of Inspector Morse and Lewis. Visit Exeter College, founded in 1314, and another favorite on most tours. Stop by Hertford College, with its romantic façade and Bridge of Sighs, instantly recognizable from Brideshead Revisited. See the University Library and learn about the collegiate system unique to Oxford and Cambridge. Discover famous alumni who studied and taught at the university, including the infamous Dr Spooner, whose portraits hang in New College Dining Hall and whose name is given to the playful linguistic phenomenon of spoonerisms.

Includes

College admission
Library admission
Walking tour
Guide

Covid-19 precautions

Safety measures in place

The number of visitors is limited to reduce crowds

Traveler requirements

You are required to bring and wear a mask

Meeting point

Meeting point may vary depending on the option booked.

Important information

Know before you go

Private tours college admissions are extra/optional
All colleges and the library are subject to close at any time. In such cases, suitable alternative colleges will be visited instead.

Customer reviews

Overall rating

4.5 /5

based on 871 reviews

Review summary

Guide
4.6/5
Value for money
4.3/5
Service
4.4/5
Organization
4.3/5

Sort by:

The tour helps us know the details around the different colleges which we wouldn’t have got to know on our own. The guide entertained the questions and shared some really interesting details and fun facts - unfortunately I am missing his name (normal built guy with long hair, current student - 5 ⭐️ to him). Overall a good experience.

September 11, 2022

Our guide was very knowledgeable and open to answering questions. It was great to actually go inside buildings and rooms and not just see the outside of things. I wish we could have done that a bit more as a number of things were not open to us at the time we went.

August 22, 2022

Andrew was AMAZING! Highly recommend this tour, it was a little difficult to choose as there were so many options, but certainly went for the right one! Enjoyed the tour a lot, learned new things, chose some spots to return to and explore further, totally worth doing! We were a group of 12, were able to ask questions too and Andrew had all the answers!

August 18, 2022

Oxford: University and City Walking Tour

Oxford: University and City Walking Tour

About this activity

Experience

Select participants and date

Overall rating

Review summary

Sort by:

Traveler type:

Star rating: