Highlights of Oxford England

Oxford is one of two historic university towns in England, the other being Cambridge. We chose to visit Oxford as we have a cousin that earned his masters there and met his lovely wife. She helped us plan this visit and we think what we have to share would be helpful for a first time visit. This post includes, a charming boat ride along the Thames, hoping on the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus, touring Christ Church, a stop at the oldest botanical gardens in the UK, and enjoying one of the best meals of our lives at La Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.

Take a Cruise Along the Thames

A nice way to start a visit to Oxford is to take a river cruise. Oxford River Cruises was recommended to us and it was perfect. If you’d like to splurge, choose to have tea in the afternoon while on the river.

These boats run several times throughout the day. We chose a 3:00PM cruise and were so fortunate as it was a beautiful day. Everything from the tea sandwiches to the scones to the petit fours was delicious.

Along the river are the famous boat houses for the college crew teams. This warm Sunday afternoon was just before the big regatta so the teams were all out practicing.

Did you know there are 45 locks along the Thames River? Most of the locks in use today were put in place in the early 1900’s. Everything along this part of the river is so picturesque.

One of the original three locks along the river dating back to 1632! Each of the 45 locks are named. This one is the Sandford Lock, and today the bridge across it also serves as part of a beautiful walking and biking trail.

The other attraction on this part of the Thames is “punting.” These wooden boats float along the river leisurely while one person “punts,” and the rest just enjoy the ride. The boats rent for a nominal fee and don’t require any experience. I personally would want to be the rider and not the punter!

We loved enjoying tea on the river as our introduction to Oxford, and would highly recommend giving it a try!

See the Sites on the Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus

We have resisted taking what seemed too “touristy,” but after a beautiful day on the boat cruise, the following day turned chilly. We liked the idea of gaining an overview of the city while staying warm.

There are 20 stops on the hop-on-hop-off buss in Oxford. This is a much smaller route than the big cities, so a full circle took less than an hour. The full map can be found on their website: HERE

One bonus, is that you receive ear phones as a part of the fee. They plug into every seat the the narration compliments the stops and sites the bus is driving by. Of course, try to sit up top and, on a warm day, outside.

Probably the best part of the tour were the very friendly bus drivers! They are careful drivers, but also are very knowledgeable about the sites they are driving by several times a day. They give great touring tips and are happy to answer any question.

The bus is a great way to see the city, warm up on a chilly day or get off of your feet after a lot of site seeing!

Tour the Historical Christ Church (and find out why Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland are to connected this place)

There are 39 colleges in Oxford, each with a rich history dating back five centuries. One of the largest, and arguably the most well-known, is Christ Church. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Christ Church is renowned not only for its impressive architecture and beautiful grounds but also for its significant contributions to education and culture. The college has produced numerous notable alumni, including thirteen British prime ministers.

There are guided tours of the college, church and the grounds. We opted for the self guided audio tour, which we thought was excellent.

Harry Potter fans, do you recognize this? The grand staircase was actually used in the making of the Harry Potter films.

And do you also recognize this? The Great Dining hall was not used in the films but was rather the inspiration for the dining hall in the Harry Potter movies.

This hall is still used 3x a day, serving food to the students. We were fortunate that we were there between meal service so we could actually tour this beautiful hall.

Now to the Alice in Wonderland connection. The stained glass window in the dining hall holds a special significance as it commemorates "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," the famous work by Lewis Carroll. Carroll, whose real name was Charles Dodgson, was a mathematics lecturer at Christ Church. The inspiration for the story came from Alice Liddell, the daughter of the Dean of Christ Church, Henry Liddell. The window features various symbols and characters from the book, celebrating the connection between the whimsical world of Wonderland and the historic college.

The magnificent courtyard of Christ Church in Oxford, known as Tom Quad, is the largest in Oxford. In the center of the quad sits, Tom Tower, designed by Sir Christopher Wren. The tower houses the Great Tom bell, which rings 101 times every night to signal the curfew for the college’s original 101 scholars. The quad’s vast lawn and stone buildings provide a serene atmosphere, offering a glimpse into the storied past and legacy of one of Oxford’s most famous colleges.

In addition to being a college, Christ Church is just that, a church. Below is the impressive cathedral of Christ Church. This was a Catholic Church until the reign of Henry VIII, which broke away beginning, what is now known as the Church of England. The interior of the building is quite impressive of this 1,000 year old church.

The stained glass windows in this chapel at Christ Church in Oxford depict scenes from the life of the college's patron saint, Saint Frideswide. She is the patron saint of both Christ Church and the city of Oxford. According to legend, Frideswide was the daughter of a Mercian king and founded a priory on the site where Christ Church now stands.

Born in the 7th century she was deeply religious. In the stained glass it tells the story of how she established a convent. Her father wanted her to marry, so she fled to the forest. When her father went to look for her, according to the legend, he was struck blind so he could not find her. There were also several miracles connected to the life of Saint Frideswide.

It was fascinating to her the story on the audio tour while following along, looking up at the beautiful stained glass.

This and so much more, makes Christ Church a must visit during a stay in Oxford!

University of Oxford Botanic Garden

In a place that’s so green, there must be a botanical garden. In the case of Oxford, it is the oldest botanic garden in all of Great Britain! It was founded in 1621 by the Earl of Danby. Today, as a part of the college, it houses over 6,000 species as a place to visit, educate and for conservation.

The gate below, the Danby Gate, was the original entrance to the garden built in 1633. Today, you enter through a ticket office, paying a small fee for entrance.

One of the oldest sections is the walled garden, dating back to the original 17th century opening.

Further in to the botanical garden is the lower garden. Picnics are allowed it it would be a beautiful place to picnic on a warmer and sunnier day.

The Glass Houses

One of the most interesting parts of the garden are the glass (or green) houses. Inside, these seven houses hold plants from all over the world to provide education about without having to leave the campus.
On a chilly day, the glass houses are especially warm and welcoming!

A view of the Christ Church cathedral from the botanic garden. We spent just about an hour in the garden, but you could spend all afternoon. It’s worth a stop to see these beautiful gardens full of such diverse vegetation.

Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

If you want to have the most special night while in Oxford, consider Le Manoir. It sits about 20 minutes outside of town by car. This French restaurant, located inside the Belmond Hotel, has maintained it’s two Michelin stars for the entire 40 years they’ve been open. Their website is: HERE. The evening starts in the dining lounge with your beverage of choice.

As this was a once in a lifetime event for us, we chose the 7 course tasting menu paired with wine. The menu changes seasonally but below is a sample of their current tasting offerings. This was for us, a couple of foodies, one of the best meals of our lives.

Amuse Bouche to Start

Terre of the Freshest Fish

Scallop Baked in it's Shell

Le Turbot

One of the most delicious courses was the the Le’Agneau. This was hogget, a lamb born later in the year, so they’re older and larger. (which we had to quickly look up to discover) This made for such a flavorful and tender meat. It was finished with a delicious, rich sauce, accompanied by the most perfect asparagus, wrapped in baby pea tendrils. It as so good, but we were getting stuffed!

Since 2024 is 40th anniversary of this restaurant, some of the original dishes that made this restaurant famous are currently on the menu. One is the Le Cafe’ Creme. This beautiful seemingly, cappuccino is actually a cup made entirely of chocolate with a delicious chocolate, coffee cream filling. We didn’t want to eat it, it was so beautiful, but of we did!

If you are very lucky, and if it’s your interest, you might be invited to the kitchen. Being the foodie geeks we are, we were thrilled, near the end of the meal invited for a tour. The kitchen was spotless, despite it being a very busy evening. The staff was still working hard, but all smiling and willing to chat with their guests.

Since it was late the only service being prepared still were desserts. This “Theme on Strawberry,” as it’s called, is an incredible dessert made entirely of all things strawberry. It was fun to watch it being assembled and then even more fun to eat it.