Those who know Oxford

[Muchtoomuchtodo]

Is it easy to get into the centre from here for a university open day? Frequent / cheap buses? How long to walk?
Hotels seem really expensive so I’m looking at Airbnb’s instead.
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Very easy. It’s not a long walk up the road.

Bus service is excellent here if you don’t want to walk. I’d just walk though.

There is an EasyJet hotel in Summertown with frequent buses into centre. The hotel also seems to have parking. Summertown is a very nice town just outside Oxford

Yes, 15 minutes walk to the centre of Oxford and plenty of buses.

Lots of buses and it’s a lovely place, go on a tour bus if you have time.

That's like...a 20 minute walk.... Why bother with buses?

Also the uni has tons of travel info here
https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/open-days-and-visits/travel-advice

Thanks. I’ve looked at the university information and considered using the park and ride but as we live over 3 hours drive away and want to have chance to have a good look around we think we’re going to stay overnight. I want to make it fairly easy so that we can make the most of our time.

Stay 2 nights and have really good trip!

Thanks. I think we’ll go the night before the open day, have all day for that and then spend the whole of the day after exploring a bit more before heading home.

Summertown is a suburb of Oxford, not a town outside.

There is a lot of residents only parking in Oxford so I would check with the Air BnB that you can park.**

We stayed in a travelodge that is about 3km out of the city and it was £50 a night!

It’s a 20 minute walk from the location marked opposite The Magdalen Arms pub to Magdalen College, which is the first you come to over the bridge.

However - you really might not want to walk from Iffley Road to somewhere at the far end of Banbury Road for instance - so it really depends exactly where your open day is happening.

Driving within the city centre is vile. And it’s best to book taxis well in advance. But fortunately buses are plentiful so do make use of Google Maps to plan your routes ahead of time.

You might be able to book a room at one of the colleges.

https://www.universityrooms.com/en-GB/city/oxford/home/?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD81swtLprUzSF2ErXcu_wZyFRUsN&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIt-ucys6KjQMVdpNQBh1C7BtrEAAYASAAEgIfWvD_BwE

Already done! Thanks though

Unfortunately not. I liked that idea.

(University Rooms might be a good site to add to your address book if you find you’ll be visiting Oxford out of term times over the next few years. Although the price of rooms has shot up substantially. And yes, hotels, etc, in Oxford are horribly expensive and need to be booked as far in advance as possible. I dislike the unpredictability of Airbnb - but highly recommend the Premier Inn opposite the Westgate shopping centre.)

Anyway - your map location indicates you’ll be staying opposite the best bakery in the city, so take note of this!

https://hamblinbread.co.uk/

@TheRavenKingsDaughter oh my. That bakery looks good. We can definitely pick up some treats on our way into central Oxford! Thanks so much for the recommendation.

We stayed in Banbury Premier Inn and got the train (we live in the north) loads easier, and cheaper and the trains were frequent

Depending which college(s) you're visiting a bus ticket might be worthwhile - certainly if you want to get a good look at some of the colleges on Banbury Road it can turn into a lot of time spent walking. If you ask a bus driver for a smart zone day ticket that'll get you unlimited trips on any bus company operating in the city except for the open top tour buses. If you go for a group smart zone ticket it's under £10 and will cover travel around the city for a group, I think it's up to 5 people. If you're going from Iffley Road to St Hugh's, Wolfson, Kellogg, any of the colleges at the Summertown/North end of the city centre it'll save you quite a bit of time and energy!

@Treviarpelli I’ll see your Banbury PI and raise you Bicester PI! Banbury seems a bit of a dump, whereas the bit of Bicester where the hotel is situated is mighty convenient (right by the bus into Oxford / ten minute walk to station) and close to the prettier parts of the town. Brand new building, great views too, if you ask for an upper room facing the road.

Oh, @Muchtoomuchtodo- do note the limited opening days / hours of Hamblin’s, and if possible order online (to avoid finding a closed or empty shop!).

If you could say which college(s) you’re visiting we could tell you what else to look out for …

Whatever your schedule you really mustn’t miss a stroll around Christ Church Meadow walk - especially if the weather is sunny. Start at the St Aldates gate and walk all the way around.

Very easy. There will be plenty of buses. Loads of students live around there and walk in every day (though some will bus or cycle)

Thanks all. DS hasn’t really looked much at his choice of college yet - that’s on his to do list once he’s sat his AS levels!

Rent bikes and you’ll be even more mobile