Audio walks in Oxford
Oxford is small enough to cross on foot in half an hour and dense enough that doing so takes a day if anyone explains it to you. The walks here were made mostly by students and visitors rather than by the university, so they tend to notice the things the official tour has no time for: which college has the door in the wall, where the pub with the argument is, what the gargoyle on that particular corner is supposed to be. A couple of the routes wander well outside the city into Oxfordshire, following music festivals rather than colleges. The city walks are short; the county ones are not. Check the distance before you set off.
- 6 walks
- 24 places with a written story
- 84 km of routes in total
- 0.2-13.4 hours per walk
- written in EN, RU
- last walk added 2026-10-13
Walks in Oxford
Oxford Legends: Hogwarts Cloisters, Alice's River & Inklings Pubs
Walk through medieval quadrangles, Harry Potter filming sites, and the fantasy worlds of Tolkien and Lewis
Guitars, Campfires & Cropredy: Oxfordshire's Rock Pilgrimage
From Oxford's legendary back-room stages to the fields where folk-rock history was made
Strings, Stages & Open Skies: Oxford's Music & Nature Trail
From Europe's oldest concert hall to the meadows where rock legends were born
Oxford's Best-Kept Secrets
A walk through the city's hidden stories, curious corners & forgotten legends
Oxford for Students, by Students
The real Oxford — essay deadlines, secret pubs, legendary spots and life between lectures
Оксфорд не по путеводителю: маршрут для тех, кто здесь живёт
Пабы, странные места, скрытые шедевры и всё то, что туристы обычно не замечают
Stories from Oxford
Alice's Shop & Folly Bridge: The Golden Afternoon
83 St Aldate's, Oxford OX1 1RA
Notice this charming timber-framed shop with its bow front and dark beams sitting opposite Christ Church Meadow: Alice's Shop.
Hertford Bridge: The Bridge of Sighs
New College Ln, Oxford OX1 3BL
Look up at that elegant covered stone bridge floating between two collegiate buildings over New College Lane: Hertford Bridge, universally known to locals and visitors as the Bridge of Sighs.
Christ Church Great Hall & Bodley Staircase: The Hogwarts Portal
St Aldate's, Oxford OX1 1DP
Gaze up at the magnificent sixteenth-century fan-vaulted ceiling curving above the Bodley Staircase at Christ Church.
The Eagle and Child & Lamb and Flag: The Inklings' Living Room
49 St Giles', Oxford OX1 3LU
Stand before the black-and-white timber facade of The Eagle and Child on St Giles, known affectionately to generations of locals as the Bird and Baby.
Merton College & Mob Quad: Tolkien's Fellowship
Merton St, Oxford OX1 4JD
Step through the arched gate into Merton College and look across Mob Quad, widely considered the oldest collegiate quadrangle in Oxford, built between thirteen zero-four and thirteen eleven.
New College Cloisters: The Malfoy Ferret Courtyard
Holywell St, Oxford OX1 3BN
Step into the cool stone passageways of New College Cloisters and look through the arched tracery at that enormous gnarled holm oak tree dominating the central courtyard.
The Radcliffe Camera & Bodleian Library: The Restricted Archives
Radcliffe Square, Oxford OX1 3BG
Stand right here in the center of cobbled Radcliffe Square and look up at that glorious circular rotunda crowned by a soaring lead dome: the Radcliffe Camera.
Abingdon School — Where Radiohead Were Born
Abingdon School, Park Road, Abingdon
Abingdon School in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, is an independent boys' school where the members of Radiohead first formed their band in 1985 under the name On a Friday.
Holywell Music Room — The World's Oldest Concert Hall
Holywell Music Room, Holywell Street, Oxford
The Holywell Music Room in Oxford, built in 1748, is Europe's oldest purpose-built concert hall and the first local venue allowing women to attend public concerts.
Oxford Castle & St George's Tower
Oxford Castle Unlocked, 44-46 Oxford Castle, Oxford OX1 1AY
St George's Tower at Oxford Castle in Oxford is the city's oldest standing building, dating to around 1020 AD as a Saxon watchtower.
Headington Shark — акула в крыше жилого дома
2 New High Street, Headington, Oxford OX3 7AL
Хедингтонская акула на Нью-Хай-Стрит в Оксфорде — это 7,5-метровая скульптура из стекловолокна и стали, врезанная в крышу жилого дома 9 августа 1986 года в знак протеста против ядерной угрозы.
The Rusty Bicycle — велосипеды, пицца и паб-квиз
The Rusty Bicycle, 28 Magdalen Road, Oxford OX4 1RB
Паб The Rusty Bicycle на углу Магдален роуд в Оксфорде признан лучшим пабом графства в 2023 году по версии National Pub and Bar Award.
Pitt Rivers Museum — музей, в котором темнота намеренная
Pitt Rivers Museum, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PP
Музей Питт Риверс в Оксфорде, расположенный за Музеем естественной истории, представляет полмиллиона этнографических экспонатов, организованных по типу предметов.
The King's Arms — студенческий паб с 1607 года
The King's Arms, 40 Holywell Street, Oxford OX1 3SP
Паб «Кингз Армз» в Оксфорде — один из самых известных исторических пабов города, работающий по лицензии с 18 сентября 1607 года. Ранее на этой территории с 1268 года располагались здания монахов-августинцев.
Bodleian Library — здание, которое не давало книги даже королям
Bodleian Library, Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BG
Бодлианская библиотека в Оксфорде — одна из старейших библиотек Европы, известная строжайшим запретом на вынос книг, из-за которого библиотекарь отказал даже королю Карлу Первому.
The Turf Tavern — спрятанный паб за стенами города
The Turf Tavern, 4 Bath Place, Oxford OX1 3SU
Паб Терф Таверн в Оксфорде, впервые упомянутый в 1381 году, был намеренно построен за пределами городских стен для обхода законов и запретов на азартные игры.
The Eagle & Child — «Птица и Дитя», где писали Нарнию
The Eagle and Child, 49 St Giles', Oxford OX1 3LU
Паб «Игл энд Чайлд» на улице Сент-Джайлз в Оксфорде знаменит тем, что с 1930-х годов в его комнате собирались писатели Джон Толкин и Клайв Льюис.
Blackwell's Bookshop — подземная бесконечность
Blackwell's Bookshop, 48-51 Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BQ
Книжный магазин Блэквелл в Оксфорде известен подземным залом Норрингтон Рум площадью около 1000 квадратных метров, попавшим в Книгу рекордов Гиннесса.
The Lamb & Flag — паб, где стипендии финансируют пиво
The Lamb and Flag, 12 St Giles', Oxford OX1 3LB
Паб «Лэм энд Флэг» в Оксфорде известен тем, что с 1997 года его прибыль направлялась на финансирование докторских стипендий до 12 000 фунтов стерлингов в год.
Covered Market и Ben's Cookies
Oxford Covered Market, Market Street, Oxford OX1 3DZ
Крытый рынок в Оксфорде — один из старейших непрерывно работающих рынков Англии, открытый в 1774 году и ставший местом рождения всемирной сети пекарен Ben's Cookies.
Old Bookbinders — французский паб с игрушечным паровозом
Old Bookbinders Ale House, 17-18 Victor Street, Oxford OX2 6BT
Паб Old Bookbinders на Виктор-стрит в районе Ерихо города Оксфорд — заведение 1869 года постройки, сочетающее британский эль с французской кухней и знаменитое съемками первого эпизода сериала «Инспектор Морс».
The Bear Inn — галерея галстуков с 1242 года
The Bear Inn, 6 Alfred Street, Oxford OX1 4EH
Паб «Зе Беар Инн» в Оксфорде, ведущий историю с 1242 года, известен уникальной коллекцией из более чем 4500 обрезков галстуков.
Frevd — коктейли в бывшей церкви Иерихо
Freud Bar, 119 Walton Street, Oxford OX2 6AH
Коктейль-бар Frevd в Оксфорде расположен в бывшей церкви Святого Павла 1836 года постройки, примечательной потолочной росписью основателя прерафаэлитов Уильяма Холмана-Ханта.
Thirsty Meeples — бар настольных игр
97-98 Gloucester Green, Oxford OX1 2DF
Бар настольных игр Thirsty Meeples на площади Глостер-Грин в Оксфорде открылся в июле 2013 года как первое заведение такого формата в Великобритании.
By theme
- Hidden Gems in Oxford3 walks
Routes people ask for in Oxford
- Walk from Oxford Railway Station to Bodleian Library
- Walk from Christ Church to Magdalen Bridge
- Walk from Ashmolean Museum to University Parks
- Walk from Covered Market to Jericho
- Walk from Radcliffe Camera to Oxford Castle
How long do you want to walk?
Can I get inside the colleges on these walks?
No — these are street-level walks and they do not include college entry, opening hours or tickets. Where a route passes a college that admits visitors, the story says what you can see from outside and what is behind the wall. Colleges set their own visiting hours and change them often, so check the college's own site on the day.
Are the Oxfordshire walks walkable?
Two of them are not, in the ordinary sense — they follow music and festival sites across the county and cover distances you would drive or cycle between. They are listed here because they belong to Oxford, but read the kilometres on the card first. The walks inside the city itself are all under an hour of actual walking.
How much does it cost?
The first story of every walk is free, and the written text of every story on the site is free permanently. Paying writes the rest of one walk's stories — £4.99 for a short walk — and those stories are then free for anyone who finds them later. There is no subscription and nothing to install.
Is this suitable for a first visit?
For a first visit, start with one of the short central routes rather than the county ones. They cover the ground you would walk anyway between the station, the Bodleian and the covered market, and they explain what you are passing rather than sending you somewhere new. The longer routes make more sense once you already know the middle of the city.