England · United Kingdom
Where to stay in Oxford
Oxford is a city in England, United Kingdom, home to about 148,000 people. This guide covers 3 hotels in Oxford, with about 403 rooms between them. Every one carries a published guest score, and the list below is ordered by it.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 3
- Best months
- June to September
- Nearest airport
- LTN63 km · London Luton Airport
- Currency
- GBPpound sterling
- Time zone
- Europe/London
- Language
- Cornish, English, Irish
About
About Oxford
Oxford ( ) is a cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town.
Oxford was first occupied in Saxon times, and was known as "Oxanforda". The settlement began with the foundations of St Frideswide's nunnery in the 8th century, and was first mentioned in written records in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for the year 912. By the 10th century Oxford had become an important military frontier town between the kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex and was on several occasions raided by the Danes. The University of Oxford was founded in the 12th century and therefore constitutes the oldest English-speaking university.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Oxford
See
Visitors to Oxford should definitely visit at least one museum, visit at least one college and – if possible – hear one of the world-class college chapel choirs. A walking tour (see 'Do' below) is a good way of achieving this.
- Bodleian Library
- Radcliffe Camera
- Hertford Bridge
- Sheldonian Theatre
- Taylorian Institute
- Tolkien's House
- University Church of St Mary the Virgin
- The Shark House
- Godstow Abbey
- Oxford Castle
- Christ Church
- Magdalen College
Do
Oxford is the home of the MINI. The MINI Plant Oxford continues to produce the iconic British car. Walking tours, starting from St Aldates in the city centre, are an excellent way of visiting some of the more famous colleges, such as Christ Church and Merton. Independent general and ghost tours also start nearby in Broad Street. In general, a walking tour lasts about two hours and can cost around £20 plus college admission fees. There are a number of Harry Potter walking tours in Oxford that are such as Oxford Magic Tours.
- Oxford United FC
- Oxford Punting
- Salter's
- Cherwell Boathouse
- Odeon (Gloucester Green)
- Phoenix Picturehouse
- Ultimate Picture Palace
- Vue
- Burton Taylor Theatre
- Old Fire Station Theatre (OFS)
- The Oxford Playhouse
- New Theatre
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
The best-rated places to stay in Oxford
Ordered by guest score as each operator publishes it, weighted by the number of reviews so a handful of perfect scores does not outrank thousands of very good ones. Scores are shown on their own scale.
| # | Place to stay | Rooms | Guest score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leonardo Royal Hotel Oxford hotel | 240 | 85/100 7,996 reviews |
| 2 | Travelodge Oxford Peartree hotel | 94 | 4.1/5 3,757 reviews |
| 3 | Travelodge Oxford Abingdon Road hotel | 69 | 3.9/5 491 reviews |
Schematic: the city centre in orange, each place to stay as a dot, distance rings in kilometres.
Where to stay
Which part of Oxford to stay in
Oxford has a large number of B&Bs and guesthouses, located both centrally and in the suburbs. Check the website of the Oxford Association of Hotels and Guesthouses to get some ideas of available options. Most hotels in the city centre are pretty expensive, and you pay almost London prices. Book in advance if you are travelling in summer: accommodation can be scarce during high season. The tourist information office in the city centre can help find available accommodation for a small fee. For visitors of Oxford University, low cost residency may be available in St Edmund Hall.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
More hotels in Oxford
39 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| The Randolph Hotel Graduate by Hilton | 1866 | 0.4 km |
| Golden Cross | 1987 | 0.1 km |
| Eastgate Hotel | 1900 | 0.6 km |
| The Old Bank Hotel | 1998 | 0.3 km |
| The Perch | 2.5 km | |
| Bear And Ragged Staff Inn | 5.8 km | |
| Courtyard by Marriott Oxford City Centre | 2019 | 0.4 km |
| Former Mr Warricks Arms Hotel | 9.4 km | |
| Malmaison Oxford | 0.3 km | |
| Milton Hill House | 16.4 km | |
| Oxford Coach & Horses | 1.3 km | |
| Oxford Youth Hostel | 0.9 km | |
| Royal Oxford Hotel | 0.7 km | |
| The Chequers Inn | 0.1 km | |
| The Crown And Thistle Hotel | 9.3 km | |
| The Dog House Hotel | 9.8 km | |
| The Kite | 0.9 km | |
| The Mitre Hotel | 0.1 km | |
| The Old Anchor Inn | 9.6 km | |
| The Old Parsonage | 0.9 km | |
| The Osney Arms Guest House | 1.3 km | |
| The Port Mahon Inn | 1.2 km | |
| The Tree Hotel | 2.8 km | |
| The White Hart Inn | 11.6 km | |
| Voco Oxford Spires | 1.3 km | |
| White Hart Inn | 3.5 km | |
| Abodes B&B | 3.6 km | |
| B&B Rafters | 11.0 km | |
| Courtyard by Marriott Oxford South | 14.9 km | |
| Ethos Hotel | 0.8 km | |
| Former Queen's Hotel | 9.2 km | |
| Hampton by Hilton Oxford | 2015 | 5.0 km |
| Hill Farm | 3.7 km | |
| Hilton Garden Inn Abingdon Oxford | 2019 | 9.8 km |
| Lakeside Guest House | 1.2 km | |
| Mercure Oxford Hawkwell House Hotel | 2.8 km | |
| Star Inn, 52 Cornmarket Street, Oxford | 0.1 km | |
| The Oxford Townhouse | 1.1 km | |
| Vanbrugh House Hotel | 0.2 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Oxford
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Oxford are June to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; December is the wettest, with about 70 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Oxford: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is London Luton Airport (LTN), about 63 km from the city centre in a straight line; London Heathrow Airport (LHR, 63 km) and Birmingham Airport (BHX, 85 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Oxford is linked to London by the 50-mile (80-km) south-eastern stretch of the M40 motorway. The journey takes 50–90 min, depending on traffic, which can be heavy. The north-western continuation of the M40 conveniently links Oxford with England's second largest city, Birmingham, and the West Midlands. Parking and access restrictions are very stringent on the narrow streets of central Oxford, policed by both wardens and cameras, with heavy fines applicable. The one-way traffic systems are circuitous and confusing, making it difficult to get around by car.
Getting around
Oxford city centre is very compact and easily walkable. Many areas of the city centre are pedestrianised, and all major tourist sights are well signposted. That the narrow streets of the city centre are pedestrian-friendly, difficult for cars and full of beautiful buildings that will draw your attention upwards (rather than onto a more horizontal plane) does not mean that the roads of the city are overspill pavements.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
LTN · London Luton Airport
LHR · London Heathrow Airport
BHX · Birmingham Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Oxford
Stay safe
Although Oxford is an affluent university city and is generally very safe, as with any city care should be taken with personal belongings and surroundings. Street crime in the centre of the city, with the exception of bicycle theft, is low, though proper precautions as would be followed in any other city should be taken. Avoid getting caught up in drunken revelry or street fights, and, remember, traffic is on the left (so look both ways). Oxford has a lot of student cyclists, especially during term time (January, February, April, May, October, and November), making hearing alone insufficient for checking whether a road is clear.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Good to know
Accessibility, parking and families in Oxford
How many places to stay in this guide offer each, in their operators' own words.
of 3 places
of 3 places
of 3 places
of 3 places
of 3 places
of 3 places
of 3 places
Questions
Oxford: questions travellers ask
What are the best-rated hotels in Oxford?
By published guest score: Leonardo Royal Hotel Oxford (85 / 100 · 7,996 reviews · www.leonardo-hotels.com (operator's own guest score)); Travelodge Oxford Peartree (4.1 / 5 · 3,757 reviews · www.travelodge.co.uk (operator's own guest score)); Travelodge Oxford Abingdon Road (3.9 / 5 · 491 reviews · www.travelodge.co.uk (operator's own guest score)).
When is the best time to visit Oxford?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Oxford are June to September. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 22 °C; December is the wettest, with about 70 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Oxford?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is London Luton Airport (LTN), about 63 km from the city centre in a straight line; London Heathrow Airport (LHR, 63 km) and Birmingham Airport (BHX, 85 km) are also within reach.
Are there accessible hotels in Oxford?
1 place in this guide list accessible rooms.
What currency is used in Oxford?
pound sterling (GBP).
Nearby
Destinations near Oxford
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.