Bodleian Library
The University of Oxford's main research library, one of the oldest in Europe. Guided tours show its historic reading rooms and the medieval Divinity School.
Oxford
Golden-stone colleges, film locations and the Bodleian Library define this historic university city, which is simple to get to from London.
Attractive locations
Radcliffe Camera
A circular, domed library building in the heart of Oxford and one of the city's best-known landmarks. The exterior is easy to admire from the squares around it.
Ashmolean Museum
The University of Oxford's museum of art and archaeology, and one of the oldest public museums in the world, with collections spanning ancient Egypt, Greece, Italy and Asia.
Oxford University Museum of Natural History
A Victorian Gothic building with a glass roof and iron columns, filled with dinosaur skeletons, mineral specimens and animals, and linked by a door to the Pitt Rivers Museum.
Pitt Rivers Museum
A crowded, old-fashioned museum of world archaeology and anthropology, with cases packed with objects from many cultures, from totem poles to tiny charms and masks.
Christ Church Cathedral
A small cathedral inside Christ Church college, the smallest in England. Its Norman and medieval interior and the surrounding college buildings attract many visitors, including fans of film locations.
University Church of St Mary the Virgin
A historic church on the High Street whose tower can be climbed for a broad view over Radcliffe Square, the Radcliffe Camera and the surrounding college rooftops.
Airports
London Luton Airport LTN
It is about 63 km in a straight line from Oxford.
London Heathrow Airport LHR
It is about 63 km in a straight line from Oxford.
Birmingham Airport BHX
It is about 85 km in a straight line from Oxford.
Scams and safe taxis
Taxi and scam advice for this country is on the United Kingdom page
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan3.7 °C64 mm
- Feb3.9 °C53 mm
- Mar5.6 °C51 mm
- Apr8.5 °C46 mm
- May11.7 °C60 mm
- Jun14.9 °C60 mm
- Jul17.1 °C65 mm
- Aug16.6 °C69 mm
- Sep14.1 °C48 mm
- Oct10.6 °C75 mm
- Nov6.8 °C73 mm
- Dec4.4 °C69 mm
Driest months: Mar, Apr, Sep. Wettest months: Aug, Oct, Nov, Dec.
Costs
Prices here are about 89% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Who can help
Emergency
999 (or 112) for police, fire and ambulance.
local government
Emergency number 999 (NHS guidance)
Helps with: Call 999 if someone is seriously ill or injured and their life is at risk. NHS England guidance for visitors from abroad also points to 111 for urgent but non-life-threatening problems.
Who qualifies: Anyone in England, including visitors from abroad, in a life-threatening situation.
Phone: 999
local government
NHS 111
Helps with: NHS service for urgent medical help or advice that is not life-threatening, or when you are unsure which NHS service you need. Symptoms can also be checked online at 111.nhs.uk.
Who qualifies: Anyone in England, including visitors from abroad, who needs urgent medical advice.
Phone: 111
local government
VisitBritain (British Tourist Authority)
Helps with: Britain's national tourism agency. Its websites cover trip planning for Britain and England. The contact page says it cannot reply to individual holidaymakers asking for travel advice.
Who qualifies: Anyone planning a trip to Britain; use the websites rather than the contact form for travel questions.
ngo
British Red Cross
Helps with: The UK's Red Cross society. Its website covers first aid, an international family tracing service, support for refugees and asylum seekers, and guidance for people affected by emergencies such as floods.
Who qualifies: People in the UK needing its support services; family tracing and refugee support are open to those affected.
Phone: 0344 871 11 11
Address: 44 Moorfields, London, EC2Y 9AL
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) United Kingdom
Helps with: The UN migration agency. In the UK it runs resettlement, support and protection activities for migrants, and has had a presence there since 1995.
Who qualifies: Migrants and refugees in the UK. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Address: Heron House, First Floor, 10 Dean Farrar St., London, SW1H 0DX
embassy
Foreign embassies and consulates in the UK (official list)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The Foreign Office publishes a list of embassies, high commissions and consulates in the UK, including their addresses and contact details.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own embassy, high commission or consulate.