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Visit Oxford, England - Oxford Tourist Information For Boaters

Boaters can access Oxford city from the River Thames Visitor Moorings (VM) opposite Christ Church Meadow, the VM above Osney Lock by Osney Bridge (Botley Road) or via the Oxford Canal (restricted moorings)

Christ Church Cathedral from the grounds of Christ Church College

We visited Oxford again as part of our third cruise of 2010 (from Bristol to Ellesmere Port). Whilst cruising the River Thames from Reading to the end of navigations at Letchlade before entering the Oxford Canal. The Oxford Canal was built in the eighteenth century to connect Oxford with the Midlands.

Carfax Tower on the junction of Queen Street and Cornmarket Street, Oxford Oxford has numerous major tourist attractions, many belonging to Oxford's university and colleges. As well as several famous institutions, the town centre is home to Carfax Tower and the University Church of St Mary the Virgin, both of which offer views over the spires of the city. Many tourists shop at the historic Covered Market too, which has many unusual oriental shops as well as traditional market stalls.

Walking in the city is fairly easy as there are no steep hills.

There is a good shopping area and covered market around High Street and a major shopping centre, the Clarendon Shopping Centre off Cornmarket Street.

In the summer punting on the River Thames; AKA The Isis and the Cherwell is popular and there are rowers out on the Thames below Folly Bridge all hours of the day, plus Salter's Trip Boats are coming and going frequently, making this one of the busiest stretches of water you'll find anywhere in the UK!

The University of Oxford is one of the most famous universities in the world, and leading academics come to Oxford from all over the world as well as throngs of tourists.

Hop-on hop-off CitySightseeing Oxford open topped bus tour If you only have a short time to visit the city we recommend the hop-on hop-off CitySightseeing Oxford open topped bus tour. A 48hr ticket is available for just a couple of pounds extra. The closest stop to the Oxford Canal is at Park End Street (Stop 2 - request Stop). The closest stop to the River Thames moorings opposite Church Meadows is on south of the Main Post Office on St Aldates (Stop 7 - fare stage). There are 17 other stops throughout the city.

The Blackwell Bookshop is (strangely) a popular tourist attraction in Oxford. Blackwell Books claims the largest single room devoted to book sales in the whole of Europe, the cavernous Norrington Room (10,000 sq ft).

Other attractions besides the university colleges include: the free entry Ashmolean Museum (in full the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology - on Beaumont Street), Bodleian Library, Museum at the Bate Collection of Musical Instruments open in term time, Christ Church Cathedral, The Headington Shark, Modern Art (Gallery) Oxford, Museum of the History of Science, Oxford Botanic Garden, Pitt Rivers Museum, Sheldonian Theatre, St. Mary The Virgin Church, as well as the city's parks and nature walks and the council run, free entry, Museum of Oxford on St Aldates.

Views of the spires of Oxford from the Saxon Tower, Oxford's oldest building at St Michael's Anglican Church on North Gate

The Saxon Tower; Oxford's oldest building at St Michael's Anglican Church on North Gate Great views of the spires of Oxford can be obtained from either the Carfax Tower (99 steps) on the junction of Queen Street and Cornmarket Street at the top of St Aldates or the Saxon Tower (97 steps); Oxford's oldest building at St Michael's Anglican Church on North Gate.

The Headington Shark is a sculpture situated at 2 New High Street, Headington, Oxford, depicting a shark embedded head-first in the roof of the house!

Oxford is a very green city, with a University Botanical Gardens, several parks and nature walks within the ring road, as well as several sites just outside the ring road.

The Oxford Tourist Information Centre is positioned on Broad Street by the junction with Turl Street.

Radcliffe Camera from ground level in Radcliffe Square. The Radcliffe Camera - colloquially, "Rad Cam"; "Radder" in 1930s slang is a circular building in Oxford, England, designed by James Gibbs in the English Palladian style. Built between 1737 and 1749 to house the Radcliffe Science Library. Often used a backdrop in the 'Inspector Morse' TV Series and 'Lewis' its successor.