A great way to discover Oxford is to take a walking tour with Oxford Tour Guides who are qualified guides with the Blue or Green badge accredited nationally by the Institute of Tourist Guiding. They specialise in private or group tours that are tailored to your interests. The tour can be any length whether you just have an hour or two to spare or it can be up to a whole day. Visit www.oxfordtourguides.co.uk for more information or to book.
The most popular tour is the Discover Oxford general tour which is usually 90 minutes or 2 hours. You will hear about Oxford’s history from its early beginnings as the first university in the English speaking world to the world-class university we know today. You will see the main sights from the outside including the Sheldonian Theatre, the Bodleian Library, the Divinity School, the Bridge of Sighs, Radcliffe Camera and the University Church. You will hear about its colourful history, its traditions and the many famous characters who have studied and lived in Oxford. On your tour, Oxford Tour Guides aim to visit inside one of the 39 colleges (subject to availability). After your tour, recommendations will be made for dining, shopping, further sightseeing or other colleges you might like to visit.
Another fabulous tour is the Discover Inspectors Morse, Lewis, and Endeavour tour. Fans of the TV series will enjoy the many locations where scenes were filmed and hear about the murders and mysteries and see where Morse and Lewis had “just one more pint”. Why not make it a special day out and enjoy some food in one of the popular pubs frequented by the Inspectors.
“The Morse Tour was the best experience – Sandra was excellent – we were so interested we visited the Morse bar and the Trout Inn later.”
If you would also like to explore beyond Oxford, guides are available for visits for example to the Cotswolds, Bath, Blenheim Palace.
All Oxford Tour Guides are fully qualified and hold the Blue or Green Badge accredited by the Institute of Tourist Guiding. They are also members of the professional association, the Oxford Guild of Tour Guides, so you will be sure to have an enjoyable visit and a memorable experience.
Guides are experienced and knowledgeable and many of them, including Sandra, have studied at Oxford. Oxford Tour Guides offer a wide range of specialist tours such as Harry Potter film locations, Literary Oxford including CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, Films in Oxford, Medical and Science tours. They also offer tours in a range of different languages.
Oxford Tour Guides have won awards – a certificate of excellence from Trip Advisor in 2018 and City Tour Operator of the Year in 2018, 2019, 2022/23 and in 2024 from the Luxury Travel Guide.
Group sizes vary from a small group of family and friends up to larger corporate conference or university or school groups. To make sure you have an enjoyable visit as well as taking your health and safety into account in Oxford’s narrow streets, the size of groups is limited to 19 per guide but ideally 15 makes for a better experience to see and hear the guide. However, if the tour is not visiting a college or university building then up to 25 people per guide can be accommodated.
The cost of a private tour will start from £160 and will vary depending on the size of the group, the length of the tour and whether a specialism is needed. Your tour will be in English but for a small additional fee and subject to availability, tours in French, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian and Portugese can be offered. Some colleges charge an entry fee which is in addition and is payable on the day.
To get a quote or to book a tour visit www.oxfordtourguides.co.uk or email your enquiry to info@oxfordtourguides.co.uk or simply call me Sandra Bingham, Director of Oxford Tour Guides on 07769 657145. She will be happy to help you plan your visit to the beautiful City of Oxford or beyond.
